lucid ibex
Hello!
I'm familiar with HA but have moved into a new home and looking to buy lights, switches and sensors. For background, I am fairly tech-competent. I don't mind painful setup, but would like reliable operation (for wife approval factor). The house is from 1978 in Canada, so old enough to often not have neutrals at light switches, but if I can do direct bindings I'd be happy to run lights with two devices (switch with no load connection, then a relay or smart bulb).
My goals so far are:
- Automate lighting (a few rooms based on occupancy, one room based on a 'one wall switch should control several lamps', and a general 'turn off the lights' routine for everywhere my kids leave lights on)
- Pseudo Alarm (announce exterior doors and overhead garage door over Alexa and push notifications)
- Transform light fixture into ceiling fan with independent fan/light controls (Inovelli?)
I like the idea of a network where devices can talk directly, and I love open standards, so I'm very much drawn to matter over thread. I do understand that matter and thread are not as mature as the alternatives, but is there hope if I take the gamble and invest now? I've got an SLZB-MR3 to integrate either Zigbee or Thread into HA. The house has 2 stories and a basement, with the server in the basement, so mesh communications is attractive. I suppose ultimately I'm wondering, if you started over today, what would you buy?
I'm also wondering if there are brands that are generally recommended in the industry. I have a lot of Kasa stuff leftover from our old place (much of which is matter over wifi), but if there were a 'tier list' of IoT brands, I'd love to read it. And with that, I'd be looking for availability in Canada. I'm happy with Aliexpress and Amazon, but a lot of direct sales from the US can get expensive fast between exchange rate, shipping, and customs.
On top of all of that, I'm just looking for any general advice. Any common pitfalls to avoid?
Thanks in advance!