I’m new to smart home / automation and was looking for advice on starting from scratch at a new home. I see a lot of folks here mention Home Assistant and the debate on whether to use wifi/cloud connected devices vs a local network.
Given I’m not a computer expert, looking for suggestions on how to get started on making my home smart with a centralized control type panel and recommendations on the items you like most. For context, I’m hoping to have smart locks, smart bulbs/lightswitches that can be controlled by phone and voice, smart garage opener, smart plugs, tvs if possible (and open to other suggestions)
Thanks for your time and assistance!
There really isn’t a debate. You don’t want cloud devices. What do you mean by local network? That would include your wifi. Maybe you’re talking about zigbee/wave. That would be the alternative to wifi. If I went wifi but if I did it over again i would probably look more into zigbee.
Seriously don’t make your home cloud dependant. Your actions will be slow and you’re screwed if your internet goes down.
r/homeassistant is the way to go