[esperent]

> It shows me what companies I should support, and which I shouldn’t.

I used to think that way too. Now, I think that all it takes is one bad quarterly report leading to a new CEO, and even the most open of companies can instantly switch to being closed, lock off all their APIs, stop working with open source projects like HA.

I don't know any solution to this, and if I'm honest, being bitten a couple of times has stopped me from experimenting with anything like home automation that requires me to buy physical hardware.

[ncallaway]

I think a big part is buying things that work locally and don’t require a cloud connection at all.

If it requires a cloud to function, you’re at the mercy of a company changing attitudes. If it runs entirely locally, the company can’t get in the way even if they want to.

It’s one of the aspects I really like about matter (or any other device that operates on a purely local protocol). If Inovelli decides to take a turn, it just means I won’t buy any new products from them, but the switches I already put in my wall will continue to function the way they do today.

[nucleardog]

Don't buy things that need a cloud integration and it's not really a risk.

Even if you don't use Home Assistant, their site is really good for helping with this--every integration lists a "class" like "Local Polling" or "Cloud Push".

Another shortcut is picking up a Zwave/Zigbee dongle (~$30 when I got mine) and buying products that work with that. If the only radio in the device is one that can pair to a local controller, it's a relatively easy way to ensure it's meant to work locally without a cloud integration. (If Kwikset has a bad quarter I'll never know--my door lock only communicates as far as my utility room.)

Besides "the company can't screw me over", if everything is running locally it also immediately limits the privacy and security implications. And ensures your house doesn't break if the internet goes out.