https://www.theverge.com/23820078/matters-biggest-problem-apple-google-thread-border-router-interoperability
The fight for who will own your Thread mesh network is creating an even more fractured smart home.
I guess I'm trying my best to future-proof when I start buying new devices. I have a ton of those Kasa smart switches, but they are wifi and require the Internet to be controlled via home automation.
It feels like we're in a weird holding pattern waiting for this unifying standard that has been extremely slow to roll out.
Just like with PCs, there is always something better on the horizon so there's no point in waiting forever. In 4 or 5 (or 10) years when/if this becomes more ubiquitous, a lot of these devices will be due for an upgrade or replacement anyway.
I have a few Zooz Z-wave wall switches that are feature rich and have given zero issues since day one. Zigbee is mostly Aqara and Ikea and the Ikea stuff has been pretty temperamental but works 99.9% of the time now that they're all set up. I own a couple Kasa RGBW lightbulbs and they constantly drop off the network to the point that I can only use them with the traditional wall switch, so I definitely understand your pain here.