I'm curious, which systems do you prefer to use in home automation? For example, a central system or modular devices? Have you ever experienced compatibility issues with them? I'm also considering a new setup and would like to get some useful suggestions from the community. Which protocols do you find more reliable for remote control based on your experiences?
Which smart home systems do you prefer?
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I've been messing around with smart home setups for a few years now, mostly sticking with Samsung's ecosystem since I'm already deep in the Galaxy world. Started with SmartThings when it was still reborn after the old Samsung Connect days—felt familiar because it’s like Knox security but for your lights and thermostat. It’s not perfect, especially if you’re mixing brands like Philips Hue bulbs with generic Zigbee plugs (pairing can be a nightmare sometimes).
For remote control, I ditched the cloud dependency a bit by using LAN-only MQTT with ESPHome for my custom sensors (yeah, I tinker), but for day-to-day stuff, Zigbee2MQTT with a Sonoff ZBDongle-E has been rock solid—works offline too, which is great when the internet craps out. If I was going all-in on plug-and-play without soldering, Home Assistant on a Raspberry Pi with a Sonoff Zigbee stick would be my go-to—supports damn near everything. Still, trust nothing to automate your life entirely—even best-laid systems glitch when a firmware update breaks compatibility overnight.