What's The Average Lifespan Of Your Smart Fridge?

Refrigerators are an investment; no matter what brand or model you buy, you will spend at least hundreds of dollars for a basic, no-frills appliance, and if you opt for a premium, top-of-the-line fridge, you'll likely spend thousands. Of course, the trade-off is that it will last you an average of a dozen years, so you have over a decade to get your money's worth, right? Well, maybe. Kitchen technology has come a long way in the last 20 years, and smart fridges have become more common in American kitchens (it's the most popular smart appliance for this room). But all that tech comes with a price because the smart features on your fridge might only last up to two years, while the cooling capabilities bang on for the typical dozen.

Many smart refrigerators come equipped with internet connectivity, touch screens, and apps, hyper-sensitive sensors that can actually modify the temperature based on your everyday household activities, and even cameras that allow you to look and see what you have in stock (despite this, some think mid-century fridges were actually smarter than today's versions). Those features are possible because of software, much like the type in your phone or computer, and like those, it requires updates. But if appliance companies stop offering updates for your fridge, which they can and do, you'll be left with a non-smart refrigerator for which you paid a smart-device price.

As adaptable as humans are, it would take a much stronger and calmer person than us to withstand the thought of paying thousands of dollars for a smart refrigerator one year, only to have it rendered "dumb" within two years. And the loss of smart capabilities is just one concern when it comes to the lack of software updates. In some cases, actual refrigerator or freezer functions are tied to the software in order to work, so once it's outdated, you might not be able to get ice made, or your fridge might not be able to attain the temperature you set. It's important if you plan on buying a smart refrigerator that you double-check on this point before plunking down your hard-earned cash (especially if you're buying without financing).

Then there is also the fact that the lack of software updates, again just like for your phone or computer, can leave you vulnerable to cyber attacks. Without the latest security updates, hackers can gain entry into your network through your smart fridge. No, they're not looking for the ingredients you have for dinner, but rather they'll use it as a jumping off point to infect all the other Wi-Fi connected devices in your network, possibly with malware.