Warning: I dropped $800 on a fancy smart home hub that just made everything more annoying.

Kelly Schmidt · 2026-03-14T02:05:05.441427+00:00

After a month of constant 'device offline' alerts and routines that never ran right, I'm convinced these systems are built to break so you keep buying more stuff from the same brand.

ivanhart6mo ago

My buddy had the same exact problem with his expensive hub. He kept getting those offline errors every other day. Turned out his router was in a closet and the signal was garbage for those little smart plugs. Once he moved the router to a central spot, most of the junk stopped. It's wild how much these things depend on your home network being perfect.

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betty5676mo ago

Guess @the_harper got the one hub that actually works, lucky them!

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the_harper6mo ago

Honestly, that "built to break" idea feels a bit off to me. My setup with the same brand has been solid for over a year, but I did spend a whole weekend getting the Wi-Fi perfect first. Those offline alerts usually just mean a weak network signal, not a bad product.

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