September 11, 2026 – Recently, a user posted on a short-video platform claiming that their Midea smart washing machine consumed a massive amount of data shortly after connecting to Wi-Fi. The abnormal data sparked widespread online discussion, with many netizens expressing concerns over potential privacy breaches in smart home appliances.
According to a screenshot of router traffic statistics posted by the user, the Midea washing machine connected to the home Wi-Fi via the 2.4GHz band. In just 19 hours, 40 minutes, and 5 seconds of connection time, it consumed up to 411.52MB of data.
This data consumption far exceeded the user’s expectations, prompting them to publicly ask, “The washing machine uploaded over 400 megabytes of data in less than a day. What is it doing?”
Following the escalation of the incident, the user told the media that Midea had proactively contacted them. The user has provided the product’s serial number, and the brand is currently investigating the specific cause of the abnormal data usage.
Addressing the heated online discussions regarding abnormal data usage and privacy security, Midea’s official 400 customer service hotline stated that the core functions of the washing machine’s Wi-Fi connection are remote control and synchronizing device operating status. Data transmission during the connected state is normal, and the device will not privately collect or upload users’ personal privacy information.
Customer service further clarified that the Wi-Fi connection is not mandatory. Users who do not need the remote control function can completely eliminate data consumption by simply disconnecting the device from Wi-Fi.
Regarding doubts about whether consuming over 400MB in 19 hours is compliant and normal, customer service explicitly replied after internal verification that this data consumption falls within the normal range. They advised users to disable the device’s network access in the background when not using remote functions to avoid generating extra data.
Additionally, on the evening of September 9, a Midea after-sales representative provided supplementary information, stating that the Wi-Fi connection for all Midea smart home appliances is strictly used for basic control functions such as remote start/stop and status inquiries.
Analyzing the potential causes of the high data usage, the after-sales staff pointed out two main factors: First, an unstable home Wi-Fi signal may cause the washing machine to frequently disconnect and automatically reconnect, resulting in a surge in data from repeated network refreshes. Second, there may be deviations in the traffic statistics provided by home routers. The representative added that if users still have concerns about the data issue, they can request an on-site inspection by a maintenance technician.
