I’ll try to make this scenario detailed. I would like to install Home Assistant in a virtual machine running on windows 10 or 11. The primary reason for this is to help someone remotely and it is quite easy to remote into a windows box using any number of remote support utilities. I also had the idea this would be great to run on an old laptop since that allows it to be moved around easily and also offers some protection against power spikes etc. This setup would easily allow for remote troubleshooting of the virtual machine if it is not working. At this point I like the idea of having both Z-Wave and Zigbee interfaces.
Scenario 1.
Since hyper-v is built into Windows 10 and 11 it is a good choice except that you cannot connect a USB interface for z-wave and Zigbee. I suppose a hub could be used if cost is not an issue. Any suggestions on a hub for that. I considered SmartThings but is seems that requires a cloud account or am I mistaken. I am adverse to any cloud based services that may collect my data. Is there an affordable hub that does not need a cloud account that can just be attached to the network somewhere?
Scenario 2
Use Virtual Box on Windows 10 or 11 as that easily allows a USB interface to be plugged in. The only downside I see (not tested yet) is that Virtual Box says it cannot bridge a WiFi adapter which I believe is true. This defeats the purpose of using a laptop connected to WiFi however I suppose it could be plugged in with Cat5. Would a USB WiFi adapter work in Virtual Box in this scenario?
I am very new to Home Assistant as I just found it yesterday. I was able to get it up and running within a day and have a number of devices in my home already working with it. I have been wanting to get started in this for years and really had my eye on a product called Home See Er but have given Home Assistant a go for various reasons.