There are also performance implications (a Zigbee coordinator can easily handle 100 devices, while many routers would struggle with that amount of clients), power saving (especially for battery powered sensors) - some Zigbee sensors can last years on a single coin cell battery.

And you could probably replace whatever Tuya does with Esp32;)

I’ve been using Zamel MEW-01 (https://supla.zamel.com/product/monitor-energii-elektrycznej-wi-fi-3fn-mew-01/) for about 3 years now. I think that would also match your needs? Works really great, connects to MQTT and has 3 versions (they differ by antenna type).

That’s just Home Assistant OS packaged in OVA.

Have you looked up what “planned obsolescence” is?

I’m using a WH2650A weather station, and I believe it does not need an internet connection to work at all, and I have been able to connect it to HA locally.

Yeah, that would definitely help

How does running your music service through a VPN improve privacy?

Why do you need to be behind VPN?

Maybe if you’d read the replies to your question you wouldn’t be creeped out. There are a lot of good use cases and I haven’t even though how it could be misused before you brought it up.

Can one change iOS focus modes from home assistant?

Turn on the lights in the bedroom based on presence sensor, but only if the bed occupancy sensor detects no one is in bed.

This. I bought a few myself, but didn’t have time to put them together with ESP32/program them with ESPHome

From Zigbee devices I’d highly recommend the ones from Ikea (Somrig, Styrbar, Symfonisk - depending on what you’re going to use it for), and there are a lot more on AliExpress.

Another route might be using ESPHome and program something like Cheap Yellow Display (5-10$ on AliExpress) with LVGL.