Wink Hub wants to take the confusion out of home automation

The deal breaker with so many smart home systems is tech support: When the thermostat doesn’t work, is it a problem with the home network, the home automation system, the furnace or the thermostat itself? Wink, the newly spun-off division of GE-backed Quirky, thinks it has tech support nailed. No one could be happier than The Home Depot, where Wink launches July 7. “Wink has set up a customer service network for us,” says Home Depot senior merchant Randy Light. “They’ll be working with vendor partners to create a seamless experience for customers.” Since Home Depot carries or will carry a big chunk of devices that attach to Wink, the home-improvement giant better make sure that an $80 home automation hub doesn’t sabotage the consumer experience.