homeassistant

I run a hybrid setup. I'm going to go in depth on some stuff because lights and switches are only the beginning.

I'm using a mix of rgb bulbs and switches. Every room tends to have one of each minimum. The reason for this is that I can do fun things with RGB bulbs like have them change color in sequence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_LUe0OMj70

Or the RGB's can visually give information like weather conditions when you wake up, or storm alerts if you are gaming with a headset. I am messing with a follow me setup and my stepson at the same time by changing the color of his RGB bulb based on my location in the house.

I'm also using old phones and tablets at multiple locations so control of them is no big deal when the need arises and these devices also allow quick access to cameras and other information and controls. Places where I don't have tablets or phones will be eventually getting homemade smart switches to control things.

I've found that the Sonoff ZBMINI series is very nice to use if you can fit them in the box. They turn any old dumb switch into a smart switch and they can be used with low voltage switches if they have 2 switch legs. The switch legs can accept high voltage but when they are wired together they run 5v, you just have to check with a meter. They can also turn outlets into smart outlets without a switch connected at all. Anything that runs on a battery is zigbee and I'm slowly migrating anything I can't build myself that way.

I use WLED for RGB strips, build my own indoor sensors and fixed placement switch controls using ESP32's and ESP8266's so they all use wifi or eventually will be POE wired. I also built my own controller for my water heater using an ESP8266, DS18B20's, and a multi pole solid state relay. I setup my own water meter using a meter with a built in pulse output and an ESP8266. My electric meter uses an ESP32, a pair of ATM90E32AS, and some current transformers. Everything setup on ESP's run ESPhome.

The best setup is what YOU choose works best for your home and situation. Anyone who says otherwise has a different mindset, situation, and design ethos. Many people claim wifi devices are always problematic, the only reason why I'm switching from them is is harder to get them off the manufacturer's ecosystem as for me they have worked flawlessly. I run a very powerful router with a 10G fiber LAN backbone and commercial grade switches and multiple commercial grade AP's because I am building things in a way that suits my usage and experience. I have pulled over 2500 feet of ethernet through the house along with some OM3 fiber and still need to pull more to be finished.

BTW I've been told over and over again how many things I do won't work or are wrong or are going to start a fire etcetera etcetera. My 240v water heater setup has been up and running for over 6 years now with no issue. If you really understand how things work and research the parts you are using anything is possible. Just remember that if you DIY you are the person responsible for the results.