I value my right index finger and I’m aware of the horrendous damage it could suffer when manually switching kettles on and off. My right index finger must be preserved for computer use only.

Hence when my kettle stopped switching itself off, thus steaming up the entire kitchen on a regular basis, I looked around for a high-tech solution to the whole business of boiling water for my Earl Grey.

The inability to brew tea effectively is akin to DEFCON 1 in this house.

After a bit of research I ended up buying the iKettle 3 from Smarter. They also do a fridge cam, for what it’s worth, but it was the kettle I wanted.

I bought it largely on the promise that they intend to integrate it with HomeKit eventually and I can say “Hey Siri, boil the kettle” and it will be done. That facility isn’t there yet and I’m going to take a star off this review already for that. I’ll put it back on when (or if) the iKettle integrates with Siri and the HomePod.

Of course anything with an ‘i’ in front of it comes with an app and the app you need in this case is the ‘Smarter’ app, which is available for free at all good App Stores. The app needs to connect to your wireless network and then you point your phone or iPad, screen down, at a flashing red light on the bottom of the kettle. This connects everything together. It took me three attempts but then I was ready to go.

Don’t worry too much, the app guides you very well through the process of setting things up.

App used to drive Smarter iKettle 3.
App used to drive Smarter iKettle 3.

If you just want to boil the kettle on an ad-hoc basis, fire up the app and press start. The app will tell you when the kettle has boiled. You can select the temperature you want it to go to but I always leave that at 100 degrees because, not being American, I like my tea made with boiling water.

That’s mainly how I use it but it has far greater capabilities than this.

There’s Wake Up Mode where you can set an alarm to wake you up and of course have the kettle boiled and ready for when you drag your lazy backside out of bed. You can configure different alarm times for different days to accommodate your weekend lie-ins.

There’s Home Mode where, as long as you allow the app to see your location, it’ll have the kettle boiled and ready by the time you get home.

There’s a Formula Mode that will allow you to boil the kettle and allow it to cool to a certain temperature, where it will keep it. I’m guessing this is for the folk who drink these weird concoctions of green tea and similar that are meant to be drunk at different temperatures.

There’s a Keep Warm function so you can get the kettle to the temperature you want and then hold it there for a specified number of minutes, perhaps if something interrupts your immediate plans for a cuppa.

So what of the kettle itself? It’s an attractive silver and black design and it can hold 1.8 litres of water. Of course it can also be turned on manually if you’re less concerned about the preservation of the index finger than I am. It also has an excellent spout that doesn’t drip which makes for a smooth pouring experience.

All-in-all a great kettle. I’m giving it four stars, which will become five when (if) it integrates with Siri-HomeKit-HomePod as Smarter assure us it eventually will.