tiberiusgvB
There is a Matter Integration for Home Assistant in Beta (Matter itself is more or less in Beta)
There really isn’t a debate. You don’t want cloud devices. What do you mean by local network? That would include your wifi. Maybe you’re talking about zigbee/wave. That would be the alternative to wifi. If I went wifi but if I did it over again i would probably look more into zigbee.
Seriously don’t make your home cloud dependant. Your actions will be slow and you’re screwed if your internet goes down.
r/homeassistant is the way to go
What do you have now? I’m guessing it’s cloud based and I won’t be at all surprised by your issue. Need a local solution.
I do this with smart switches flashed with ESPhome and Home assistant manages the connection between them
If you have outside cameras then i recommend LIFX Nightvision bulbs that have built in IR. IR helps my cams see better and when the cams detect people or cars they have my bulbs switch on visable light.