4 Reasons to Avoid Purchasing a New Smart Humidifier Today

Hi there! If you‘re considering buying a smart humidifier to breathe some moisture into your home‘s dry air, hold off before swiping that credit card. While these wifi-enabled gadgets promise to conveniently control humidity levels from your phone, the reality often disappoints.

I‘ve analyzed the smart humidifier offerings hitting the market and uncovered several drawbacks making them risky purchases for the average consumer. Throughout this guide, I‘ll break down specifics on why you may want to steer clear of these over-hyped products – at least until companies work out some kinks.

What Even Are Smart Humidifiers?

First, let‘s quickly cover what defines these "intelligent" machines. Smart humidifiers connect to home wifi and come with a companion app allowing you to:

• View and change humidity settings remotely
• Create schedules and modes to automate functions
• Receive alerts about tank levels or maintenance needs

Many also offer voice assistant integration to manage things hands-free. Others feature air quality sensors to track particles and gases. Overall, the selling point lies in controlling humidity conveniently from your smartphone, balanced automatically based on conditions inside your living space.

Smart humidifier diagram courtesy of Smart Air Filters

But four critical downsides of these products make me advise most people avoid purchasing one – at least until improvements come about. Let‘s explore those in more detail now.

1. Connectivity and App Issues Abound

The main appeal of any smart gadget lies in the ability to handle things from afar via app. But the #1 complaints about smart humidifiers focus on terrible wifi connectivity leading to devices that rarely work as expected.

In fact, up to 32% of negative smart humidifier reviews on sites like Amazon cite connectivity problems like:

• Losing home wifi connection
• Apps failing to detect or update status
• Servers going down on the company side
• Bugs that cause apps to crash frequently

Cheap, no-name brands see the most app problems given lack of product testing and support. But even top companies like LEVOIT, Honeywell and Pure Guardian get slammed about bugs interfering with remote access and monitoring.

Issues arise most with budget brands – but even big names have faced complaints:

For comparison, only around 13% of smart thermostat owners report connectivity problems given major brands like Nest, Ecobee and Honeywell have far more resources to polish these products.

But smart humidifier technology still remains fairly new and rough around the edges. If depending on consistent remote access is important to you, perhaps hold off a few more years until hardware and apps see improvements.

2. Underwhelming Smart Features for the Cost

Now if the apps and connectivity did work flawlessly, what special capabilities do smart humidifiers actually offer? Shockingly little compared to much cheaper standard models.

Most smart humidifier features already come built into traditional humidifiers without wifi or apps:

✅ Humidity level settings

✅ Run time timers

✅ Automatic shutoff when tank empties

✅ Replace filter alerts

✅ Multiple mist modes

The only uniquely "smart" abilities tend to be the finicky app connectivity itself plus some scheduling for automated operation. Maybe Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant voice control too if you‘re lucky.

But few brands provide truly revolutionary smart features that justify such hugely inflated costs over regular humidifiers. For example…

The popular LEVOIT Core 300S Smart Humidifier retails for $139.99.

• What does it add over LEVOIT‘s non-smart models?
• An app to remotely monitor humidity
• Automation/scheduling abilities
• That‘s it!

Yet LEVOIT‘s standard humidifiers offer near-identical functionality without the buggy connectivity at just $89.99 – $50 less!

Most people won‘t get $50 value from a mediocre app. And that cost difference gets amplified comparing other brands too.

Here‘s a breakdown of what extra benefits smart capabilities actually provide to explain those insane price hikes:

As you can see, makers really nickel and dime you for a few mediocre conveniences! Spend your money instead on reliable dehumidification without the tech headache.

3. Cleaning and Maintenance Stays Arduous

I‘m sure many folks consider smart gadgets to be ultra-convenient, modern magic or whatever. But when it comes to the gritty reality of maintenance, smart humidifiers require just as much scrubbing and cleaning as 20+ year old models. Yuck!

Why? These machines still produce damp, stagnant environments inviting mold, bacteria and mineral buildup over time. No shortcuts exist here – regular rigorous cleaning keeps air quality safe.

Smart humidifiers have zero self-cleaning capabilities or improvements. To prevent icky grime, you must:

• Fully empty, rinse and dry tanks 2x a week
• Scrub then disinfect all interior nooks weekly
• Remove scale frequently from ultrasonic disk/membrane
• Replace filters 1-2x per year

And cheaper smart models possibly have more annoying cleaning needs. Tanks divide into multiple pieces requiring extensive weekly reassembly. The apps and touch panels also demand delicate handling against moisture damage.

But neglecting onerous maintenance causes far nastier issues:

Black mold taking over an ultrasonic humidifier – yikes! Image credit: ACHR News

Reviews frequently describe battles with stubborn minerals and mildew buildup even in top-rated smart humidifiers:

"Mold grew inside the tank just 2 weeks after cleaning."

"White dust kept blowing from the vents yuck!"

"So much wasted time disinfecting this thing…"

Don‘t expect any hands-off convenience here! Instead ensure accessible design and antimicrobial materials before purchasing.

4. Smarter Humidity Solutions Exist!

Given the huge costs and headaches smart humidifiers bring, what alternatives add moisture safely and effectively? Plenty!

Here are my top 3 recommendations offering way better ROI:

Houseplants

Certain indoor plant varieties naturally transpire pure water vapor. Tailor your botanicals to humidity needs:

• Ferns
• Dracaenae
• Crotons
• Bromeliads
• Air Plants

Houseplants purify air too! Position several in each room for hydration and decoration boosting mental health.

Assorted humidity-boosting houseplants. Image credit: Smart Air Filters

Essential Oil Diffusers

Most diffusers allow running without oils simply to emit soothing mist. Ultrasonic models add the most moisture to a space efficiently.

Beyond humidity benefits, these devices also provide:

✅ Fragrance options
✅ Night lights
✅ White noise

Soothing and versatile! Diffuser designs today also remain way sleeker than bulky smart humidifier options.

Sleek essential oil diffuser humidifying a bedroom. Image credit: Amazon

Standard Humidifiers

Sometimes keeping it basic does the job best. Traditional evaporative and ultrasonic humidifiers lacking apps or wifi have reliably balanced indoor humidity for decades already.

No connectivity issues. Way more affordable. Trusted brands like Vicks and Honeywell. Can‘t go wrong!

I suggest the Vicks Filter Free Cool Mist Humidifier as an ideal budget starter model under $50. It offers:

✅ 1 gallon tank
✅ Automatic shutoff
✅ Adjustable steam output
✅ Super portable
✅ Whisper-quiet

Vicks Filter Free Cool Mist Humidifier

The Bottom Line

So in summary – I advise most folks avoid rushing out to buy one of those shiny new smart humidifiers hitting the market. The connectivity problems, minimal special features given insane costs and lingering maintenance hassles just don‘t justify the hype.

You have fantastic options adding humidity sans frustration using simple houseplants, essential oil diffusers or basic humidifiers without pointless "smarts."

Down the road, the technology will undoubtedly improve to better merit those premium price tags. But for now, steer clear of smart humidifier gimmicks and stick to proven methods keeping your home hydrated. Let me know if any other questions!