I can't be the only one that is perplexed by an electronic device in 2022 that still loses time after a power outage and has to be reset. Sure, I can do it from Smartthings - but why is it necessary at all? It's reminiscent of a 90s era VCR perpetually blinking 12:00. How can the device remember the connected wifi network, but not the time.
Thanks so much for asking about this! The microwave is able to remember the Wi-Fi network information because this information does not change, and is physically recorded in the microwave's memory. However, the time is constantly changing, and the microwave would need a power source to be able to keep track of the time. Many models do have a small battery feature to help during a short power outage, but most of these will still lose time after a few minutes without a power source. Additionally, ensuring the microwave has it's own dedicated circuit with a minimum of 60Hz of consistent power will help prevent time loss.
I understand the issue quite well. Computers have had CMOS batteries in them for decades to solve the problem. Button batteries frequently last for years (only needing to provide backup power when power is ou). Furthermore, if you if you can connect to wifi - even without battery - then how hatd would it be to do an NTP time lookup to the Naval Observatory or something? Since timezone is static, it could easily be stored in nvram with the wifi config. Seems like a ridiculously easy problem to solve and would be more pertinent to most people using a microwave. .
