I agree that DIY isn't a great solution for most people, especially if it involves writing your own software. But as the Home Assistant community grows there are more and more pre-built, highly capable open-source modules for Pi's and ESP8266's and whatever that entrepreneurs could start selling, installing, and servicing them at normal people's homes for megabucks. I think it's a big market.

> But I would wager 99% of home automation consumers won't, don't, or can't do DIY software solutions.

It's more about hardware. Good luck getting your fire insurance cover damages when your Alibaba sourced board that you operate on the mains (via Alibaba source AC/DC converter) fries your living room.

The issues with DIY here are not hard issues in themselves (grounding, heat protection/ventilation), but they require a custom casing solution which is kind of hard if you don't want to end up with weird looking industrial cases on your wall and ceiling.

The first rule of AliExpress is you don't buy anything that comes into contact with >12V on AliExpress unless you want to start a fire. The logic board probably isn't going to set your living room ablaze.

You can build a system that simply controls commercially sourced, UL listed, mains equipment. That top level comment mentioned using IR but you can also control cheap 433Mhz outlets with simple transmitters and a library like rc-switch for arduino[0].

Home assistant also integrates well with openzwave so you can use most zwave devices including a variety of switches.

[0] https://github.com/sui77/rc-switch

Yep, that's exactly how I automate a room fan to turn on over the winter, when the humidity is too high.

A respectable 433MHz controlled plug, an arduino, 433MHz TX and a humidity sensor.

HomeAssistant is getting close to being idiot proof.

Interface configuration still requires writing some YAML (unless the editor got better since I last looked at it), but installation and configuration is now extremely simple.

It'll still need someone to turn it into a product if "normies" are going to get into it. Literally any amount of DIY or even DIY-adjacent work is too much.

I think it's not so much that this Logitech issue validates DIY, as the fact that it validates not relying on external services. Using stuff that will still work if the company shuts down.