I’m not so sure the lack of uptake is about security. Does it really matter how many of your lightbulbs are following your microwave’s Instagram? What does it mean if your fridge swipes left on your dishwasher’s Tinder account? Do you really want your coffeemaker getting distracted by browsing Facebook when it should be making you coffee? I think the lack of uptake is more due to the fact that so far no one has come up with any reason why household appliances would be better with internet access. There’s just no significant value add.
Slapping internet access into every domestic appliance is a solution without a problem. Worse, it adds complexity. Will the clothes dryer still work if there’s a Wifi outage or will the clothes all come out moldy? Will the thing get updates or will it be like last year’s “smart” TV that doesn’t recognize this year’s video file formats? Iot is basically all downside. No benefit, plenty of potential problems.
At least for Germany it was a conscious decision to push electric stoves and dryers. After WW2, it became clear that eventually everyone wanted to get electricity, even in rural areas. There was a big push for electrification by the respective companies and they, of course, made time-saving machinery a big part of their spiel. I think they even sold them or financed them at lest.
So the market for household appliances became nearly electric-only. One certainly could buy gas-powered stoves, for example, but they would be rare and needed more additional installation than running a power line.
This also explains the electric kettle Americans seem to find so confusing when they come to Germany. Boiling a bit of water is incredible slow on the old stoves, as you’d have to heat up a chunky plate of iron first. So you’d that only for serious cooking and use an electric kettle for water. Gas works better for cooking. Though I guess it’s become better now that new stoves are usually inductive.
