I am looking for Hardware which does not require an external Server. The Hardware should be availiable in the EU.
I am really confused since i have not found anything which dies not need an external proprietary Server .
For the Start i am looking for switches and wall plugs.
Thx if you got any recommendations
What do you mean with external server? Do you mean the cloud?
There are countless options for switches and wall plugs, for some of them you need a bridge (hardware) to connect them to home assistant and some of them can be connected to home assistant via WiFi.
Are you open to flashing some firmware?
If so all of these devices can be flashed with tasmota. All local and rock solid.
Ikea devices do not require an external connection (the hub will phone home to check for updates but does not require an external connection)
Im sure there are other options, but those are two I use with success.
For example the tasmota tuya switches and plugs connect to a Server by tasmota
And i have Seen this from other manufacturers as well
I have a big privacy concern with that
I want hardware that is just connected to my raspberry pi
Well yes if its not too complicated I am open for flashing firmwares
But after flashing are the tuya devices working locally? And what about the ikea devices?
For the most part (as above stated, Ikea is an exception) smart devices stock firmware almost all connect to outside servers.
The solution is to replace this firmware with custom firmware that does not do this… some examples are Tasmota and ESPHome - and there are others but these two are very popular.
Both Tasmota and ESPHome do not connect to outside servers once flashed (yes they work locally), and you can setup firewall rules on your router as a precaution as well.
Cheers!
DeadEnd
NOTE: In my reply I am only thinking of WIFI devices… there are also other protocols (Zigbee, Zwave, etc.). If you go for one of these technologies I do not believe they are intelligent enough to go outside your local network… but I don’t have any of these, so you’d need someone to confirm.
Alright I thought they continue to communicate to outside servers after flashing
If the tuya devices work locally then I think I will stick with them
My dad is using them and they seem stable
Tuya STOCK firmware does phone home - that is why you have to use their app to set it up. If you replace it with another custom firmware you can make it local only.
Z-Wave and ZigBee just need a USB stick or RPI hat to connect to Home Assistant and are 100% local. ZigBee is universal and I believe Aeotec has an EU Z-Wave stick for sale.
I predominately use Z-Wave and ZigBee in my household with a few Wi-Fi devices.
Has the basics. Many will mention soldering, I have flashed a number of switches without needing to solder. Just push the pins into the holds and hold them tight while flashing.
See this link for an example of flashing with using one hand to hold the device, no soldering. Other hand is free to start the flash.
Yes all will work locally and integrate well with HA. If you want to make changes while away from home to a light/switch, you need to provide that access.
Thx I know that I have to forward ports if I want to control them when I’m away
I had just concerns regarding spying by tuya or security vulnerabilities in the non-free firmware
I avoid forwarding ports like the plague…
Instead you can setup a VPN so that I can connect to the home network from anywhere.
I could be wrong (still a novice) but I believe this is a safer approach…
Cheers!
DeadEnd
For ZigBee and Z-Wave there are USB-sticks that you can connect to your Raspberry Pi and they all work locally no phone home. I live in Europe as well and the Aeotec Z-Wave stick for example is available in the EU and for ZigBee there are multiple options also available in the EU.
Ikea devices can be used with a ZigBee stick as well, e.g. the ConBee USB stick.