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A smart home you control

Run your lights, cameras and sensors at home with local control and no vendor cloud.

For people who want lights, sensors and cameras that keep working when the internet is down and send nothing to a vendor cloud. Start with a hub, then add devices and cameras.

6 picks in 3 sections · checked by an editor on Oct 30, 2026 · How we pick

01Hub1 pick

  1. Home Assistanthome-assistant/core

    Start here. The hub that connects almost every device brand.

    Docker / self-host · Apache-2.0 · active 7 hours ago · ★ 92k

    87worth

02Build devices3 picks

  1. ESPHomeesphome/esphome

    Pick this to make your own sensors from cheap ESP boards.

    CLI · Custom (read before use) · active 1 hour ago · ★ 12k

    73worth
  2. Tasmotaarendst/Tasmota

    Pick this to free smart plugs and switches from their vendor app.

    Library / SDK · GPL-3.0 · active 14 hours ago · ★ 25k

    80worth
  3. WLEDwled/WLED

    Pick this for LED strips with effects, controlled from your phone.

    Web · EUPL-1.2 · active 3 days ago · ★ 19k

    73worth

03Cameras2 picks

  1. Frigateblakeblackshear/frigate

    Pick this to record cameras and detect people locally.

    Docker / self-host · MIT · active 8 hours ago · ★ 37k

    87worth
  2. go2rtcAlexxIT/go2rtc

    Pick this to stream almost any camera into Home Assistant.

    Docker / self-host · MIT · active 7 days ago · ★ 15k

    76worth

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How we pick

An editor picks 6 to 12 projects for one job and writes when to choose each one. Every pick had a commit in the last 6 months. It is not archived. Its worth score is 60 or more. An editor breaks a rule only for a reason, and writes that reason in the pick's note. We check every list again each quarter. A pick goes when it breaks a rule or a clearly better project appears.