How to talk to your appliances - no Wi-Fi, hub, or smart home privacy risks required

9 hours ago 1

Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.

ZDNET's key takeaways

Emerson launched its SmartVoice technology at CES 2026.
SmartVoice devices don't require Wi-Fi or a hub; instead, they use on-device voice control.
The product line includes tower fans, heaters, air fryers, and electrical plugs.

While smart home devices are a major focus of CES, most of the tech we see often follows a pre-established pattern of requiring a hub or Wi-Fi to utilize its features. Emerson, an American electronics company, just launched a new line of smart home devices that does something different.

Emerson's SmartVoice line of products enables you to control these devices with just your voice, eliminating the need for Wi-Fi or a hub and, with it, the risk of cyber attacks. These products feature on-device voice control, which includes a built-in microphone and speaker that respond to a wake word and a preset list of prompts.

Also: CES 2026 live: Biggest news & weirdest gadgets

Although this technology may sound rather mundane, I was very impressed with the SmartVoice approach. Many dumb devices, such as fans, lamps, and space heaters, come with small remote controls that often get lost. SmartVoice lets you control them by talking to them, without bringing Alexa, Siri, or Google Gemini -- and the associated privacy risks -- into your home.

The new lineup of Emerson SmartVoice devices includes Tower Fans in 30-, 40-, and 42-inch heights; Fan-Heaters in 24- and 32-inch; Electrical Plugs and power strips; and Air Fryers in 5.3- and 10-quart capacities. The air fryers feature more than 1,000 voice commands, including 100 cooking presets; the rest of the devices can understand more than 40 voice commands.

These types of devices have many applications in a crowded and complex market. Does having to connect a space heater or fan to Wi-Fi and download an app for the device sound excessive? I think so. I don't want to overwhelm my Wi-Fi network with dozens of smart devices, and even if there are smart home hubs that solve this problem, I also don't want to buy five different hubs and use five different apps.

Also: The best and most useful smart home tech I've seen at CES 2026

Any time you connect a device to your Wi-Fi, you're also exposing yourself to cyber attacks, though there are steps you can take to minimize this risk. Since the SmartVoice line of products doesn't go online, then it's also inherently more secure than typical smart home devices.

The SmartVoice line includes air fryers, plugs, power strips, a heater, fans, and more -- each one with a specific wake word, such as "Fan," "Heater," "Emerson," or "Fryer." You can say, "Hey, heater, turn on" or "Hey, heater, set a 30-minute timer." The air fryers come with preloaded recipes, so you can ask one to cook a baked potato, and it'll set the temperature accordingly.

Also: Best of CES 2026 Awards: Official Winners List (CNET)

After testing the tech myself, Bluetooth is the only thing I wish the Emerson SmartVoice line had. It'd be more convenient if I could also use an app to control the tech via Bluetooth, in addition to using my voice or the device's physical buttons. That way, I could turn off the space heater from my bed if my husband is already asleep or turn up the fan in my kids' room without waking them.

Read Entire Article