Use local protocols, skip the cloud
Many commenters buy only Zigbee or Z-Wave gear (or devices flashable with Tasmota/ESPHome) and run Home Assistant, so nothing breaks when a vendor's server dies. Some argue over whether Matter over Thread is truly local, given NAT64 and Thread 1.4's cloud connectivity.
Reverse engineer it with AI
Others say LLM agents now make reverse engineering and custom firmware cheap, so cheap cloud-tied devices can be freed locally. Skeptics doubt the security of such firmware and worry that models will start refusing.
Smart home isn't worth it
A minority argues the complexity outweighs the convenience: a plain battery water alarm, a backup siphon, or ordinary switches do the job without fragile controllers.