So I’m not really sure if this is even the right place to post this but here goes: I’m diving into smart home/IoT stuff for the first time. I really only want Smart Bulbs (multicolor LED) and some small Smart Outlets to start, but will eventually expand to a Smart Thermostat and possibly smart speakers for certain rooms in the house. I think most other IoT devices are useless and will never be interested in Smart Fridges, Smart TVs, Smart Toasters, Smart Bidets, etc…
I want to do my “Smart” stuff right. I want to make sure I start diving into home automation with properly secure hardware, if that makes sense. I’ve done a fair bit of research into the different standards; zigbee, z-wave etc… and know about the major offerings from Amazon, Google, etc… but am not sure what forumgoers here would recommend. Voice control would be cool to have I guess, but not absolutely necessary at this moment.
Right now I’m looking for smart lightbulbs (LED, multicolor, ability to control via. an app), and small smart outlets/plugs (ability to control via. app).
My questions:
- Do I need (or is it smart to purchase) some sort of hub for my house?
- Is it a terrible move to invest Amazon or Google hardware? I want to maintain my security, are these really as bad as they’re made out to be? (Always on mics, data collecting, privacy, etc…?)
- Idk, any other advice?