Completely agree with the off line sentiment. I remember about 5 years ago I got some cheap Chinese smart lights that needed me to create an account and give Tuya/Smart Life unrestricted access to my network. And the delay sucked turning the light on in app because the signal had to go to their main server and back.

Anyways, I discovered HA and it’s been really fun messing with ESP32 and Zigbee devices. I even host my own security cameras with Frigate.