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HomePod HomePod mini in the bathroom - anyone taking the risk?

Pupi

Pupi

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 12, 2015
409
757
Hi all.

Been thinking that the HomePod mini should be a great solution for bathroom music (and more?). Siri and AirPlay 2.

Now, it may not be rated for waterproof but at the price, it's worth the risk I think. And I think it will be plenty resistant to humidity. And one can even try to somewhat help with that, via placement, wrapping it, and other tricks.

At the very unusual pricetag for an Apple device, this product will be a real winner. I only ordered one for the bedroom for now (already have a full size in the living room) but in 2021 will no doubt get like 1-2 more. 1 for the bathroom I'm pretty sure. Morning showers will never be the same again.

Any thoughts?
 
I'm going to take the risk! I plan to put it on one of those outlet shelves next to the sink. It shouldn't get more than the very occasional drop of water on it so I'm not worried about the waterproof rating. It remains to be seen whether humidity will be an issue, but my bathroom fan should be good enough, I hope...
 
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Ordered one for the bathroom shelf as well. It will get moist from shower steam but hoping that doesn’t become an issue long term.
 
I'm taking the plunge and got one for the bathroom. I got the apple care for it just for this reason. I have a Sonos one in the bathroom now and I love it except it doesn't have Siri. I hope the HomePod mini sounds as good and is a steam resistant. cross my fingers for all of us.
 
Have HomePods in two bathrooms. Both have been through a year of steamy showers - no problem.

It's handy having voice control of music/radio/podcasts/lights/extractor fans/heat/AC
 
No, I'm getting a couple HomePod mini but I solved this problem with the Sonos Move. The Move is perfect for these scenarios where you barely ever need it and can't stomach the thought of buying a device specifically for it.

We use the Sonos Move as AirPlay output for the bedroom Apple TV so we can just bring the speaker right into bed and keep the volume low at night. And occasionally bring it into the bathroom while showering or, bring it out on the patio, etc. The versatility of it really justifies its price point. Plus the fact that I didn't have to buy 3 different devices for the (at least) 3 different recurring scenarios it gets used for.
 
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Deinocheirus said:
No, I'm getting a couple HomePod mini but I solved this problem with the Sonos Move. The Move is perfect for these scenarios where you barely ever need it and can't stomach the thought of buying a device specifically for it.

We use the Sonos Move as AirPlay output for the bedroom Apple TV so we can just bring the speaker right into bed and keep the volume low at night. And occasionally bring it into the bathroom while showering or, bring it out on the patio, etc. The versatility of it really justifies its price point. Plus the fact that I didn't have to buy 3 different devices for the (at least) 3 different recurring scenarios it gets used for.
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Hadn't heard of the Sonos Move, but a Bose mini soundlink was my go-to shower speaker for several years (bluetooth).

The pick-it-up-and-go-anywhere portability is really nice.
 
Yep! I have a full-size in the dresser in the bedroom right outside the bathroom right now but I don’t want to leave the door open when showering (too cold) so I can’t hear it.... so when they announced the baby homepod I was excited to get one for IN the bathroom!!!! Also ordered a baby one for hubby’s workshop and stole his fullsize to pair with the single we had in our home office! that makes us a 7 homepod family!!!! 5 full size 2 babies!
 
Deinocheirus said:
No, I'm getting a couple HomePod mini but I solved this problem with the Sonos Move. The Move is perfect for these scenarios where you barely ever need it and can't stomach the thought of buying a device specifically for it.

We use the Sonos Move as AirPlay output for the bedroom Apple TV so we can just bring the speaker right into bed and keep the volume low at night. And occasionally bring it into the bathroom while showering or, bring it out on the patio, etc. The versatility of it really justifies its price point. Plus the fact that I didn't have to buy 3 different devices for the (at least) 3 different recurring scenarios it gets used for.
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This makes total sense, and I considered it. Then, I realized that the Sonos Move costs as much as four HomePod minis! (Certainly the Move is a little more powerful though, to be fair.)
 
It’s not water resistant, but I don’t think a little humidity or steam will damage it. Get AppleCare+ for $15 of you are worried. One way to look at things is how much does it cost you to operate each day (or time you use it) If it dies after 2 years in the bathroom, it only costed $0.13 a day. 🤷‍♂️
 
I’m going to get a HomePod Mini for our master bathroom. With the HomePods now able to play most content from radio.com, it will make a great replacement for the transistor radio we listen to in the morning while getting ready. I like the radio we have, but my beef with it is that it’s battery powered, and I end up replacing its 6 C batteries about every 2 months.

I’ve already replaced 3 bulky Bose Wave radios with HomePods. Using a home automation, I have them act as alarmclock radios and turn on the “radio” when it’s time to get up.
 
How has everyone got on with having HomePod in the bathroom?
if you’re from the UK how did you get around the restriction of having plugs in the bathroom?
 
Also in the UK and looking into a solution that I will post when it is complete. Interesting insight here, the AppleCare tip is a very useful piece of information. I expect that the relatively short time that a speaker is exposed to moisture in a ventilated bathroom would not be enough to affect the electrics.

I am repeating second hand information here but I have a friend who is an electrician; he’s helping me get power close to my bathroom, and he told me that as long as the socket is out of reach of a water source, it is reasonably safe. That may be a rule of thumb but I will follow up and see if I can get some real information about legality.

Definitely excited about the prospects of of having audio and voice control available in the bathroom!

EDIT

One of the problems I encountered was that my mains board was only an MCB with no trip. My mate is upgrading my electrics to an RCD; an RCD at the mains will mean the electrics trip out before the socket. Using a socket without an RCD would be where you encounter massive safety issues (I assume from my limited knowledge).
 
Just bought a HomePod mini for the bathroom. The bathroom is big enough and the vent works well enough that nothing gets steamy, so I'm not too concerned. I've had a Google Home mini in there for a year without any problems. Worst is I kill $99. Also ordered one of those outlet shelves to get it off the countertop. Waiting for the shelf thing to arrive...
 
MrPresident said:
I am repeating second hand information here but I have a friend who is an electrician; he’s helping me get power close to my bathroom, and he told me that as long as the socket is out of reach of a water source, it is reasonably safe. That may be a rule of thumb but I will follow up and see if I can get some real information about legality.
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The electrical code should require GFCI-protected outlets in all bathrooms. If it doesn't, install them anyway.
 
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My mini is now happily installed in the bathroom. It's plugged into a GFCI-protected circuit and it's mounted away from potential water sources (barring a catastrophic fall from its shelf and rolls into a just-so-happens-to-be running sink). Nice to have music in there.

Now in the process of replacing the bathroom light bulbs with Hue bulbs so Siri can turn them on and off (been meaning to do that for a while, actually). My wife now hates me, lol.
 
I have one in the master bathroom and its great. The mount keeps it off of the counter and tidy.

i-PrKx2FX-M.jpg
 
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I've had a mini in our master bath for a while now with no issues. I've been considering one for my kids' bathroom as well, but it'd be in the toilet/shower area so the humidity levels would be significantly higher at times. Glad to see no reports here of humidity damage.

As to those in the UK with plug restrictions: I really don't get how you'd have a bidet (the toilet seat type) without one. I made sure (obviously GFCI) to have a plug behind every toilet when we built our home so we could have a bidet there.

And if electricity in the bathroom bothers you, don't travel to Latin America. You'll be completely taken aback by having an electrical throw switch in the shower with wires running to the shower head to heat the water.
 
seadragon said:
I have one in the master bathroom and its great. The mount keeps it off of the counter and tidy.

i-PrKx2FX-M.jpg
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So the Mini comes with a 20W power adapter and the USB-C cable? I only have one outlet in my bathroom (power toothbrush plugged in) so I need to get an outlet extender.
 
JakubWrobel said:
So the Mini comes with a 20W power adapter and the USB-C cable? I only have one outlet in my bathroom (power toothbrush plugged in) so I need to get an outlet extender.
Click to expand...

Correct, 20W charger is included. The cable is permanently attached to the HomePod and is non-removable.
 
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