1
Where automations run
- Local system
- On your installation's server
- Cloud
- On the manufacturer's servers
Cloud-free home automation
Home Assistant installers:
control stays at home
We install 100% local systems built on Home Assistant in Barcelona and the metropolitan area: they keep working if the internet goes down, you pay no cloud fees and your data never leaves your installation.
Get free adviceThe definition
What is cloud-free home automation?
Cloud-free home automation is a smart home system whose brain — a small server running Home Assistant — is physically installed in your home or business: automations run on your local network, keep working if the internet goes down, and your data never leaves your installation.
Consumer home automation works the other way round: every command travels to the manufacturer's servers and back just to switch on a lamp two metres away from you. That's why a dropped connection — or the company closing down — can leave your home "dumb" overnight.
In our projects that round trip doesn't exist: devices talk directly to your server over local protocols such as Zigbee, Z-Wave, Thread/Matter or your own Wi-Fi network, coordinated by Home Assistant, the world's most widely used open-source home automation platform.
The differences
Local system vs cloud-based home automation
Six differences you'll notice day to day — and on your bills.
2
If the internet goes down
- Local system
- Everything keeps working at home
- Cloud
- Almost everything stops responding
3
Where your data lives
- Local system
- In your home or business
- Cloud
- In a third party's cloud
4
Monthly fees
- Local system
- No compulsory cloud fees
- Cloud
- Subscription for recording, history or "premium" features
5
If the manufacturer shuts down or discontinues it
- Local system
- Your system keeps working
- Cloud
- It can become useless overnight
6
Response speed
- Local system
- Instant, on your local network
- Cloud
- Depends on your connection and their servers
| Local system (what we install) | Cloud-based home automation | |
|---|---|---|
| Where automations run | On your installation's server | On the manufacturer's servers |
| If the internet goes down | Everything keeps working at home | Almost everything stops responding |
| Where your data lives | In your home or business | In a third party's cloud |
| Monthly fees | No compulsory cloud fees | Subscription for recording, history or "premium" features |
| If the manufacturer shuts down or discontinues it | Your system keeps working | It can become useless overnight |
| Response speed | Instant, on your local network | Depends on your connection and their servers |
Home automation without the internet
What still works if the internet goes down?
With a local system, losing your connection is a minor inconvenience, not a breakdown. Here's exactly what happens:
Keeps working
- Scheduled automations and scenes
- Presence, door/window and consumption sensors
- Control from the app when connected to your network
- Switches, thermostats and blinds
- Local camera recording
Needs a connection
- Remote access when you're away from home
- Push notifications on your phone
- Cloud voice assistants (Alexa, Google)
- Queries to external services (weather…)
A detail that surprises people: many of the devices we install don't even use your Wi-Fi. The Zigbee, Z-Wave and Thread protocols form their own independent radio network, so restarting the router doesn't affect them in the slightest.
Privacy
What data stays at home?
A smart home generates very personal data. In a cloud-free system, these three never leave your network:
Presence and habits
What time you get up, when nobody's home, which rooms you use. It's all processed on the server in your home, with no profiles in anyone's cloud.
Energy use and routines
Your energy history and your automations live in your installation. No compulsory manufacturer accounts for everyday use.
Camera recordings
Footage from inside your home is recorded and stored locally. Nobody but you can view it.
For a business, this also makes GDPR compliance simpler: footage and operating data aren't handed over to third parties because they never leave your premises. We explain how this applies to offices, shops and restaurants in home automation for businesses.
Security
Designed by a cybersecurity engineer
A local system isn't enough if it's badly set up. Every installation is designed by Arnau Gris, a computer engineer with a master's in Cybersecurity from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), who founded 2SmartHome on one conviction: a smart home shouldn't depend on anyone's cloud.
In practice, that means a network designed so devices aren't exposed to the internet, encrypted remote access only if you want it, and no third-party accounts required for your home to work. Meet the team behind every installation.
How we install it
No building work, with a 5-year warranty
No building work
Wireless systems
In 1 day
Most projects
From €2,500
Basic installation
5-year warranty
On every project
We work with wireless devices that are installed in homes and premises while they're in use, with no cutting into walls and no dust — you'll find the details in home automation for homes. And with the same warranty as always: we guarantee our installation and configuration for 5 years — if anything stops working because of how it was installed or integrated, we fix it at no cost. The devices carry their manufacturer's warranty (2–3 years), and we handle it for you.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about cloud-free home automation
Your home, under your control
Tell us about your project and we'll explain, with no obligation, how we'd set up a 100% local system in your home or business. Basic installation from €2,500.
Get free advice