You make a good point about the logic of such problems, and that certainly is a pain-point of these systems. I agree wholeheartedly. However, having used Wink

You make a good point about the logic of such problems, and that certainly is a pain-point of these systems. I agree wholeheartedly. However, having used Wink devices and being a minor-league programmer, I can tell you that the crux of the author's issue should not be mistaken to be a misunderstanding of how to 'program' actions on the device. The logic is there - it just often simply does not work correctly due to various issues; some obvious, some not. For instance, geofencing on Wink simply does not work reliably, as mentioned in the article. No matter how you set up your routines, location-based events won't work if the app does not correctly gauge/communicate your location. Also problematic is that your routines are stored on your phone - not on the Wink Hub (basically a 'dumb' radio) - so if you set a timed event but your phone is off or you have no service, the event does not trigger. Everything is further complicated by the fact that your commands are not sent from the app to your device - they are sent from your phone to Wink servers, and then to your device. If their servers are down, experiencing latency, or your home connection is fubar, or your cell service is slow, or your DNS won't allow you to tunnel out and back in with your phone on wireless, or packets are dropped somewhere en route - it is simply not going to work. Finally, there is a ridiculous lack of information in error-handling. Sometimes the hub just does not want to work. With no web-based GUI, inconsistent alert LEDs that simply mean 'something is wrong', and even a reset button that does not actually perform a reset, even the most avid DIY-er is at a loss. Case in point: to truly reset your hub's network settings, Wink recommends that you change your home wifi network's name so that the hub will not be able to reconnect and will eventually reset itself. The inset 'reset' button only power-cycles the device. With problems like the above, understanding the logic behind your comings and goings is a moot point - you can spend hours working with the thing and, as mentioned by the author, suddenly start to appreciate your light switches.