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It really depends on the level of technical skill you have and/or wish to develop. I have similar objectives to yours. I especially prefer to build my own inst

It really depends on the level of technical skill you have and/or wish to develop. I have similar objectives to yours. I especially prefer to build my own instead of buying complicated and often overly expensive consumer oriented products. WS2812 LED strips are the bomb! Easy to stick onto a variety of surfaces and easy to drive with an Arduino. BUT watch the power consumption. I use heavy duty 5V power supplies to drive long chains. Most commercial products have been hacked. For example, WiFi controlled power points/strips. Don't fiddle with mains power unless you really know what you are doing. It actually is not legal in some locales. HomeAssistant is neat if you don't want to do it all yourself. I prefer to DIY all the way. Configure a totally separate WiFi network, totally air-gapped from the internet to control all the devices. ESP8266 & ESP32 based boards with microPython are super easy to configure. Just remember it's all 3.3V I/O, so use suitable level-shifters or opto-isolation for physical world connections. There are lots of folks like yourself. I find focused internet searches yield answers to most questions and problems. Most consumer products have been reverse-engineered.

RangerScience 5y ago
Thanks! I've already got a solid base (or more) on the technical end (Burning Man LED art, and then full stack web dev). I was already thinking of using an isolated network. Thanks for the pointer on which boards! Do you have a recommended level-shifter?
- GianFabien 5y ago
  Level-shifter is absolutely necessary for transitioning between 3.3V to 5V logics. Although there are several pre-built products. I use the circuit: https://www.hobbytronics.co.uk/mosfet-voltage-level-converter https://www.hobbytronics.co.uk/mosfet-voltage-level-converte... when I only need one conversion, e.g. driving WS2812 string from a ESP8266.
- Ultimer 5y ago
  Hello there! I have often used a variety of smart devices especially smart sockets in collaboration with the security system https://ajax.systems/ https://ajax.systems/ . I think that this security option is the most reasonable, since it allows you to use cameras of different brands in one application, as well as control them and various smoke sensors and leak sensors, turning off the power from the outlets if necessary. This is an extremely convenient symbiosis. So I'm just curious, have you tried using several smart security systems?

RangerScience 5y ago

Thanks! I've already got a solid base (or more) on the technical end (Burning Man LED art, and then full stack web dev). I was already thinking of using an isolated network. Thanks for the pointer on which boards! Do you have a recommended level-shifter?

GianFabien 5y ago
Level-shifter is absolutely necessary for transitioning between 3.3V to 5V logics. Although there are several pre-built products. I use the circuit: https://www.hobbytronics.co.uk/mosfet-voltage-level-converter https://www.hobbytronics.co.uk/mosfet-voltage-level-converte... when I only need one conversion, e.g. driving WS2812 string from a ESP8266.
Ultimer 5y ago
Hello there! I have often used a variety of smart devices especially smart sockets in collaboration with the security system https://ajax.systems/ https://ajax.systems/ . I think that this security option is the most reasonable, since it allows you to use cameras of different brands in one application, as well as control them and various smoke sensors and leak sensors, turning off the power from the outlets if necessary. This is an extremely convenient symbiosis. So I'm just curious, have you tried using several smart security systems?