IF YOU SPEND enough time trying to rig up a smart home—one in which your smartphone magically turns on the lights when you walk through the door then sets the temperature just so—you’ll eventually long for a Clapper. Remember the ad? Clap on! Clap off! Simple—and a lot catchier than take out your iPhone! Swipe down! Tap the screen! Which is what most Internet-connected devices require of you now.
My own quest to create a smart home started in the mid ’90s, back when I was single and living in a studio apartment. Now, after 20 years of wrestling with various systems—from X10 to the recently released Apple HomeKit-certified products—I’ve come to a stark realization: Until all the kinks are worked out and the set-up is simplified, the best way to create a home of the future is to use products from the past—those tried and true devices that just work, whether or not they have a steady Wi-Fi connection.
