I've got no experience with the original "The Clapper", but I had a DIY solder kit for a clap-switch. From what I could figure out that thing would look for two transients with a fairly specific amount of non-transient in between. So clap-clap would trigger it, but not clap...clap or clapclap or clapclapclap. Applause would not trigger that thing. But to be fair neither would trying to activate it without some practice first.