External Communications Module For Household Devices

A communication module for a household appliance, the communication module comprising:

• a sensor device configured for attachment in a region of a housing of the household appliance;
• said sensor device being configured to scan an emission signal, which passes through the housing to the outside, of a component of the household appliance carrying out an operating process of the household appliance;
• a wireless data interface;
• a processor configured to determine an operating state of the household appliance based on measured values of said sensor device, and to output same by way of said data interface;
• and
• wherein the communication module is configured to be selectively used on different types of household appliances.

A method for determining an operating state of a household appliance, the method comprising the following steps:

• using a sensor device scanning an emission signal that passes through an appliance housing to an exterior of a component of the household appliance carrying out an operating process of the household appliance;
• determining a type of the household appliance on a basis of measured values of the sensor device;
• determining the operating state of the household appliance on the basis of measured values of the sensor device and the type determined in the determining step;
• and
• outputting the operating state thus determined.