If you like the sound of a world where dishwasher tablets are delivered to your door before you even realise you’re running low, then a smart home system is what you need. You’re in luck because Bosch Home Appliances has just officially launched its Home Connect app and collection of connected appliances.

The app, says Bosch, is currently the only such solution capable of controlling a brand’s entire range of connected appliances. The spectrum includes built-in ovens, cookers and extractor hoods, dishwashers, refrigerators, washing machines and dryers, and automatic coffee machines.

Bosch Experience Centre, Singapore, where the Home Connect system is demonstrated via a suite of appliances

Last year we chaired a B2B discussion about smart home technology for Bosch’s parent company BSH Group. We learned that although demand for smart technology for the home has been mixed in the various countries of the ASEAN region, it is increasingly being requested by property owners (particularly landed homeowners in the case of Singapore) for reasons that range from maximising convenience to reducing electrical and water bills.

Bosch Experience Centre, Singapore

The convenience offered by Home Connect is one of its strongest selling points. Appliances (ovens, washing machines, dryers and dishwashers) can be turned on and off remotely; the oven’s temperature setting can also be adjusted through the app. Notifications will alert you to the completion of a selected program.

The connected refrigerator can help you with your grocery-shopping list by sending images of its contents (taken by a built-in camera that activates just before the closure of the fridge door) to your smartphone or tablet. The app also gives advice on the best spaces within the fridge for storing various types of food for optimum freshness.

If you’d prefer to outsource your shopping, you can opt in to an automatic add-to-cart feature, which will be available in Singapore soon. An API (application programming interface) system gathers information from your appliances and sends it to online marketplaces that partner with Home Connect – such as Amazon, Lazada and RedMart. Items you need will be automatically placed in your online shopping cart.

An assisted cooking function allows quick access to recipes and cooking tips. A cookery book inside the app automatically transfers temperature and duration settings to the oven and hob.

When you are at home, controlling the Home Connect system can be done by voice through connection with smart speakers.

The system also provides maintenance and care tips, and in the event of a breakdown, the app can run diagnostics and contact a technician for you.

UnserHaus Customer Care Centre

Along with the launch of Bosch Home Connect on 31 May 2019, BSH Home Appliances also unveiled UnserHaus Customer Care Centre – a repair centre beside the Bosch building in Bishan that resembles a home environment. It also serves as an experience centre where customers can try out appliances while waiting for their repairs to be completed.