Is there currently already a way to determine if a device that can be connected to Homey works completely local/without internet connection without going through all the threads?
I noticed that quite a lot of devices need a cloud connection for Homey to retrieve data.
This is either for the Homey app needing internet connection for retrieving the data as the device/native app needing internet connection.
Bottomline is that I don’t want my devices’ functionality to break when there is no internet connection. The option to have them operate outside of my network using an internet/cloud connection is not a breaking feature. It should just work just fine without.
Any suggestions for following devices would already be appreciated:
doorbell with camera - eufy seemed to check all the boxes, but this also seems to need cloud/internet
Generally, if the official app for the device requires you to make an account and log in before you can control the device, you can assume it uses a cloud service (although some brands use a mix of cloud and local control).
You can also look at the app pages on the Homey app store to see if the documentation provides a clue whether it works locally or not.
All of the above applies to WiFi-devices. If the device uses a protocol like Zigbee, Z-Wave or Bluetooth, ánd they work without an additional hub, they work locally.
But beware: Homey itself doesn’t always function very well without an internet connection!
What you mention is exactly why I try to avoid IP devices as much as possible and use zigbee mostly.
Your comment also highlights the issue I see. It’s not very straight forward.
It would be nice if devices could be given a tag or smt showing if it would fully/partially without internet/cloud connection.
Especially since the fact that homey used to advertise about working fully locally in the beginning (The magical cloud behind Homey | Homey) .
A common issue is that the Homey app will complain that Homey is offline, and you can’t control it (although Homey will still be able to run flows for devices that don’t depend on an internet connection).
Not sure if it’s your thing: attach a zigbee vibration sensor to the “bell”, and point an IP cam to the front door step. This way it can send notifications, and snapshots of the visitors.