Cloud dependency
How much of each device’s day-to-day function depends on somebody else’s server.
Living dataset · regenerated 2026-09-16 · 403 devices
The Local-First Index
Every device in my catalog is researched against one question: does it keep working when the internet dies? This page is the running census of the answers — computed automatically from the same verified device data that powers my reviews, so it updates every time the catalog does.
88.3%keep working offline (356 of 403)
51.4%need no cloud account or server, ever
85.9%have good-or-better Home Assistant support
255devices with hand-verified price checks
Keep in mind these numbers come from a curated catalog — I only add devices worth considering in a local-first home, so they will look rosier than the smart home market overall. Treat them as what you can get if you pick carefully, not what the average store shelf looks like.
Local control quality
My rubric-governed rating of how completely the device can be driven without a vendor cloud.
The protocol census
Radio choice predicts cloud dependence better than brand does. Protocols with 10+ devices in the catalog; a device can carry several radios.
| Protocol | Devices | Work offline | Zero cloud | Local control good+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi | 194 | 76% | 31% | 73% |
| Zigbee | 112 | 96% | 61% | 96% |
| Bluetooth | 111 | 84% | 24% | 85% |
| Matter | 79 | 87% | 39% | 87% |
| Ethernet | 67 | 94% | 39% | 97% |
| Z-Wave | 53 | 96% | 83% | 94% |
| Thread | 51 | 90% | 53% | 88% |
| USB | 16 | 100% | 69% | 100% |
| RTSP | 12 | 100% | 8% | 100% |
| MQTT | 11 | 100% | 36% | 100% |
| ESPHome | 10 | 100% | 80% | 100% |
Brand scorecard
Brands with 8+ devices in the catalog, ranked by the share of their lineup that needs no cloud at all.
| Brand | Devices tracked | Work offline | Zero cloud | Strong HA support |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zooz | 21 | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| ThirdReality | 17 | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| frient | 8 | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| IKEA | 10 | 100% | 90% | 100% |
| Eve | 9 | 100% | 89% | 100% |
| SONOFF | 18 | 100% | 67% | 89% |
| Shelly | 26 | 100% | 65% | 100% |
| Aqara | 25 | 100% | 64% | 100% |
| SwitchBot | 15 | 87% | 13% | 80% |
| Ubiquiti | 19 | 100% | 0% | 100% |
| Philips Hue | 18 | 100% | 0% | 100% |
A low “zero cloud” score is not automatically bad — cameras and voice devices legitimately lean on heavier infrastructure — but it tells you where to read the fine print.
Methodology
- Every row of device data behind this page was verified against vendor documentation and live listings before it entered the catalog; corrections are tracked in a registry so they cannot silently regress.
- Works offline means core function survives an internet outage — not merely “has an offline mode.”
- Cloud dependency and local control follow a written rubric applied per-device; ratings are not vendor-supplied.
- Prices carry dated, source-attributed verification stamps; a rolling re-check keeps them fresh.
- 342 of the 403 devices carry compatibility facts read from the Home Assistant integration docs, the Zigbee2MQTT device list or the Z-Wave JS device database. Each fact links to the page it came from, under “Local control facts” on the device’s own page.
- This page is regenerated from the raw data on every site update. Nothing here is typed by hand.
Citing this data
Free to cite with attribution: link to this page and name Local Smart Home Guide. If you need a cut of the data I have not published — per-category splits, the underlying device list, changes over time — ask; I am happy to share.
Suggested citation: “Local Smart Home Guide, The Local-First Index (2026-09-16), localsmarthomeguide.com”