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Currently I have a Aqara home hub with temperature sensors and TP Link Kasa smart plugs which I am using to control heating and lights. I currently use IFTTT, but it's not expressive enough for my needs and I'm worried that if I'm away and wifi does down, things will malfunction (as it's a cottage and there isn't steady internet).

What recommendations would you have? I want to be able to do things like:

When I am there:

  • turn on a plug if the temperature sensor shows less 60 degrees, and turn it off once it reaches 70 degrees, except at 7 am, increase the threshold by 10 degrees (turn off by
  • turn the light switch on at 8 am

When I am not there:

  • if the temperature is below a certain amount, turn on the the heat trace line (make sure the pipes don't freeze)
  • If humidity reaches a certain amount and it's less humid outside, run the fans to remove the humidity.

I also want to design in a couple of fail-safes:

if the temperature sensors cut out then turn on the heat trace, if the temperature reaches 30 degrees (in the winter only), turn off the electricity etc.

Finally I want to be able to configure these setting either though my computer or mobile app.

Greg Gunningham
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  • Look at Yolink. They are internet connected but they have some components that are designed to perform key functions using their own local mesh network. IDK if they have all the specific functions you list but have a look. They also have their own discussion forums ... you may want to explore things there. This question will probably be shut down for being too "shopping". – jay613 Nov 02 '22 at 16:28
  • "Works without Internet" and "Not expressive Enough" are not especially compatible. Offline home automation is likely to be directed at critical safety systems, and therefore likely to be designed for simplicity. You might want to better define your "needs" with that in mind. – jay613 Nov 02 '22 at 16:35
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    You might ask at iot.stackexchange.com, or if someone can move this question there. It doesn't fit well here at DIY. – Fredric Shope Nov 02 '22 at 17:30
  • Why are you looping safety systems through automation? That consumer-tier IOT stuff are fun geek toys, **but are not safety-rated**. The anti-pipe-freeze tape should be on the simplest dumbest thermostat possible, and NOT on A/GFCI either. I'm guessing you're using electric heaters. Aside from any IoT controlled heaeters, there should be a hardwired electric baseboard heater (since those are safety rated for unattended use) hooked to a dumb thermostat at a low temperature *so if the entire IoT system crashes* those fallback mechanical heaters will save the place. – Harper - Reinstate Monica Nov 02 '22 at 23:01
  • Thanks this is super helpful! – Greg Gunningham Nov 30 '22 at 17:01

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You can set up Home Assistant with Zigbee or Z-wave for a fully offline setup that can still be integrated for access over the Internet. Downside, you will either have to go through the headache of finding a Raspberry Pi, or waste a bit of energy running a small desktop or laptop computer with the control software on it. This will take more tweaking effort than something off the shelf. The end result can be quite good though.

KMJ
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