Home automation, my 'design specs' When designing and building a home automation system, you do run into a mirriad of options and possibilities, each having their own (dis-)advantages.

My contstraints for setting up the system:

• Always have a hardware backup for the most important lighting and devices. This means that if the worst happens there is always a hardware switch that will at least switch on the most important lights and devices without the need for any controller, internet or remote.
• Intrenet connection is optional. So this means: no cloud service that has to be available for things to actually work.
• At least the controller has to be as cheap as i can make it, preferably free.
• It has to work with google, apple is optional.
• I should be able to replicate or rebuild quick and easy on commoditi hardware.
• Everything should be safe for pets, kids, wife, grandparents, etc... An electrocuted pet pretty much kills the project along with it, let alone if that thappens to a family member..
• Preferably, there is no visible difference when i automated a device, it should still work and look as if nothing happened.
• Any device controller should be readily and long term available
• Preferably use 433Mhz or other independent radio signal instead of wifi. Specially 433Mhz is a plus, since that will cover the whole house with one transmitter, which isn't true for wifi, specially with re-enforced concrete walls and floors.

Within these set constraints i built my entire system. It is not a thing to do overnight, it's an ongoing process to figure things out, extend it, etc.

I will post everything i built on these pages, use it the way you see fit.

Hardware In NLD, there's this thing called 'klik aan, klik uit' or 'KAKU' in short, https://klikaanklikuit.nl/
These are readily available for a lot of applications in the hardware stores (yes, they consider that 'home improvement' stuff here).
For most lights, i tend to use the mini dimmer module (AWMD-250 or ACM-250-LD), that also still has a connection for a switch. With that switch, you can always switch on or off the device it controls without the need to send a signal.
If a dimmer module is not needed, i just use the mini switch controller ACM-2300-HC, which also retains the existing switch function.
To extend things i also put remote controll switches like AWST-8000 or AWRT-1000 to dim at convenient places.

For non-critical lighting, i can get away with using led controllers (without a switch or regulator), controllers of other brands, and DIY, most of them using 433Mhz radio signals.