The Joy of Using the Home Connect API

Every so often you come across an API that reminds you how things should be done. The Home Connect API is one of those rare cases. It is not just functional, it is a genuine pleasure to work with.

From the moment you open the developer portal, you notice the difference. The documentation is clear, structured, and full of practical examples. Authentication, which in many APIs is a maze of hidden traps, is explained step by step with working code samples. Appliance discovery is equally straightforward, and once you understand the logic of the endpoints, the entire ecosystem unfolds in a consistent, predictable way.

What stands out is how quickly you can go from theory to practice. Within minutes you can authenticate, list your appliances, and start pulling live status information. Adding event streaming or monitoring program progress requires no leaps of faith, the documentation guides you through it with precision. Even more advanced features such as remote control follow the same intuitive pattern, showing that the designers of the API cared deeply about developer experience.

This ease of use is not a small detail. It means you spend less time fighting technical obstacles and more time building actual functionality. It means ideas can move from prototype to working code in hours, not days. For developers used to poorly documented, inconsistent, or closed-off interfaces, the Home Connect API feels like a breath of fresh air.

In many ways, it sets the standard for what appliance APIs should look like, open, consistent, secure, and above all, developer-friendly. For anyone interested in smart home integration or appliance monitoring, the Home Connect API is more than just a tool, it is a model of how good design and good documentation can make technology accessible.

Into the Bunker: Reliable Wi-Fi for the Washing Machine

Smart appliances are only as smart as their network connection, and ours had one major weakness, the washing machine in the cellar. We call it the Bunker for a reason, thick concrete walls, steel reinforcement, and just about the worst environment you can imagine for Wi-Fi.

Upstairs, the Home Connect dishwasher connects without a hiccup. Down below, the washing machine stubbornly stayed “offline” most of the time. While it still washes clothes perfectly well, the whole point of a connected appliance is to monitor and log its behavior. For me, every missing datapoint in the dashboard felt like a hole in the story.

Our solution was to extend a system we already trust, devolo Magic Powerline. We have several units scattered around the house and garden sheds, even in the atelier, and they have proven themselves over and over again. Powerline adapters use the home’s electrical wiring to transmit data, and devolo Magic turns every socket into a potential network port, often with built-in Wi-Fi.

Adding one more devolo Magic node in the cellar was like flipping a switch. Suddenly, the Bunker had full connectivity. The washing machine now appears in the Home Connect API just as reliably as the dishwasher, streaming status updates and progress data straight into my dashboards.

Something from devolo never comes cheap, but at least it is not as expensive as the Siemens washing machine it now connects. Cue Angelika with her inevitable line, “You paid this to do what?”