The smart home, in theory, is a beautiful thing: lights that dim themselves, thermostats that know you're cold, and a house that basically reads your mind. In practice, it's often a jumble of apps that don't talk to each other, a hub that needs rebooting, and a lightbulb that forgets it's supposed to be smart. But somehow, Philips Hue has managed to be the exception. On the latest episode of Version History, The Verge's David Pierce and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, joined by smart home journalist Richard Gunther, explore how Hue pulled it off. They trace its origins back to the smartphone revolution, note its early willingness to play nice with every platform, and discuss its somewhat eyebrow-raising price tag. The key takeaway? Hue figured out how to make a smart device that actually just works - a feat that, in the smart home world, is about as rare as a lightbulb that lasts forever. This is the fifth episode of Version History's fourth season, which has already covered the Harmony remote, Roomba, Nest thermostat, and Keurig. Because nothing says 'smart home' like a coffee maker that needs an app.