but it seems to me that i still need an account and connect my device to all those app in order for it to function.
It depends. Some devices are fully local and don’t require an account, some require an account temporarily and then never again (can use a throwaway email), some require an ongoing cloud connection.
I’d look into zigbee, since those devices inherently don’t connect with the outside world at all. Maybe Matter as well, although I don’t know enough about it to confirm.
I second this. I always try to get Zigbee on MQTT compatible devices. However, for all the devices I have that require cloud connection, I found a way to locally control them from home assistant and block them from accessing the internet in my firewall after the setup was complete.
It depends. Some devices are fully local and don’t require an account, some require an account temporarily and then never again (can use a throwaway email), some require an ongoing cloud connection.
I’d look into zigbee, since those devices inherently don’t connect with the outside world at all. Maybe Matter as well, although I don’t know enough about it to confirm.
I second this. I always try to get Zigbee on MQTT compatible devices. However, for all the devices I have that require cloud connection, I found a way to locally control them from home assistant and block them from accessing the internet in my firewall after the setup was complete.