Haha, midnight raves...been there. Had a client once whose vintage bungalow turned into a disco every time the neighbor's garage door opened—talk about smart tech getting a little too friendly. You're spot on with the switches though; bulbs are tempting, but switches play nicer with older wiring. Plus, no more fumbling for your phone just to turn off the kitchen lights. Sounds like you're on the right track!
Haha, smart tech mishaps are the best...until they're happening to you. Had a similar issue once—my hallway lights kept turning on every time someone rang the neighbor's doorbell. Turns out, interference from cheap wireless signals was the culprit. If things get too weird, try switching channels or frequencies on your smart hub. Usually clears things right up. And yeah, switches over bulbs any day—especially when you're half-asleep and can't find your phone.
Had a similar experience with a rental property recently. The tenants called me in a panic because their thermostat kept resetting itself to 85 degrees every night around midnight. Took forever to figure out it was syncing with some neighbor's schedule due to overlapping Wi-Fi signals. Changing the frequency helped, but it made me wonder—has anyone else noticed smart devices becoming more sensitive to interference lately, or is it just me?
I've actually found the opposite to be true lately. A couple of years ago, I had a client whose smart lights would randomly flicker or turn off whenever their neighbor opened their garage door. It was like a ghost story until we figured out the interference issue. But recently, I've noticed newer devices seem to handle interference way better. Maybe it's just luck or the brands I'm using, but I haven't had any weird overlaps or resets in a while.
One thing I have noticed though—sometimes the more "advanced" these devices get, the more finicky they become about software updates and compatibility. Had a client last month whose entire smart home system went haywire after an automatic update. Took days to sort out all the glitches and get everything talking again. So maybe it's less about interference sensitivity and more about how complex these systems are becoming? Either way, sometimes simpler really is better...
"sometimes the more 'advanced' these devices get, the more finicky they become about software updates and compatibility."
Couldn't agree more with this. I've got an older historic home, and when I first dipped into smart devices, I thought they'd make life easier... but half the time I'm troubleshooting updates or compatibility issues. Honestly, it's like the smarter they get, the dumber I feel trying to keep up. Maybe there's a sweet spot between simplicity and functionality we're missing?
