Smart devices are turning out to be a poor investment

I disagree. I bought a smart light bulb a few years ago and it has been a fantastic investment!

Uses way less power than a normal incandescent bulb, lasts waaayyyyyy longer, has lots of different colours and white colour temperatures, has schedules that it runs through every day based on sunrise and sunset... I never have to turn it on or off or adjust it!

It's fantastic, I bloody love it. LIFX.

One of the best investments I've made this decade, absolutely.

Oh and don't forget LIFX bulbs don't require any hubs, and there's a python library available to do local LAN API stuff, no need to speak to a remote server if that's not your jam.