Wow, great little life lesson there at the end that had absolutely nothing to do with lamps and moths. I too learned the "hard" way that, sometimes, those smart plugs and smart devices really just end up complicating your life. I am in the processes of de-smart-home-ing after a couple of power outages and network outages at home left my life quite literally in the dark. Mother couldn't figure out how to get everything working again for hours while I was off at work. Was a huge pain to get everything set up again each time. Thanks but no thanks, I'll get up out my chair and flip the light switch from now on.
Truly smart devices would come back online working just like they did before a power outage. They should also augment the traditional setup, not just replace it. Idle power usage can also be hugely reduced, but it takes some planning, both by the manufacturer and the end user.
Personally, I've been avoiding most of the "smart" devices because they're more of a gimmick rather than a thought out solution.