Home automation
Design
- Everything that normally works without Home Assistant should continue to do
so. For example light switches should remain and work as expected.
- Using in-wall modules and keeping the previous light switches is preferable, switches with integrated dimmers and etc don't "feel right".
- Devices that monitor energy consumption (plugs, dimmers, relays - typically
Z-Wave) should not have other devices monitoring energy consumption
downstream.
- Don't daisy chain plugs that monitor energy consumption.
- If something is connected to an energy monitoring device and also needs it own power switching, use a plug/relay/dimmer without power monitoring.
- Summing all energy monitoring sensors should result in the actual sum of what they are measuring, without needing to subtract anything.
- Local control for everything.
- Cloud/internet is only acceptable for things that are online (for example iCloud, weather APIs, etc).
- Avoid MQTT as much as possible.