Local or cloud: the quick table
Home Assistant's integration pages state an "IoT class" for each. As documented at the moment:
- WLED (ESP-based firmware for addressable LED strips): Local Push. Needs WLED 0.14.0 or newer for the HA integration. Open source, you flash it yourself.
- WiZ: Local Push. You need to switch on the "Allow local communication" setting in the WiZ app first.
- LIFX: Local Polling. The HA docs say it controls lights over your local network without the LIFX cloud, and lights keep responding if the internet is down.
- Tuya / Smart Life (the huge family of white-label bulbs and strips): Cloud Push in the standard integration. You sign in through the Tuya Smart or Smart Life app with a QR code. Depends on Tuya's cloud.
- Wemo: the HA integration is listed as Local Push, and the Wemo integration docs say it can discover devices on your network and subscribe to local updates. See the next section for what changed with the Wemo cloud.
Belkin's support notice says it discontinued the Wemo cloud service and app support for select Wemo products effective 31 January 2026. After that date the app, remote access and Alexa/Google Assistant integrations stop working, and new setup or reconfiguration through the app or HomeKit is not possible. Products configured with Apple HomeKit before the cutoff, and Thread-based products, continue to work locally through HomeKit. Belkin's notice also describes a refund process for products still under warranty (with proof of purchase), so read the notice if you own any. Home Assistant's Wemo docs say HA subscribes to local push updates from the devices by default, which suggests local control should keep working, but I have not verified that since the cutoff, so please report back if you have.
Practical advice
- Prefer devices with a documented local API (LIFX, WiZ, WLED, Shelly bulbs/dimmers) over cloud-only ones. If you have a drawer of Tuya bulbs, test what happens with the internet off.
- Wi-Fi bulbs are 2.4 GHz clients. A house full of them can load an older router, so reserve IPs, consider a separate IoT SSID, and test how many your router handles.
- Make sure bulbs behave well after a power cut (power-on state). Check the vendor settings so you do not come home to a disco.
- If you separate IoT devices onto a VLAN: LIFX discovery uses UDP broadcast, Zeroconf, HomeKit and DHCP, and the HA docs say these need a network interface on the same subnet as your lights. If the lights are on a different network, add each light manually by host, since a serial number alone will not work.
- If a light is wired in to a fitting, do not tinker with the mains wiring yourself. In Australia, fixed wiring must be done by a licensed electrician. Plug-in lamps and screw-in/bayonet bulbs are the safe DIY route.
- Bulbs and controllers with no way to update firmware are a long-term security risk. Keep them off your main network if you can.
- Colour mood lighting and long strips: WLED (DIY, highly configurable) or LIFX (ready-made, local).
- Cheap everyday bulbs: WiZ with local control enabled, or consider Zigbee/Matter bulbs if you already have a hub (see the Zigbee and Matter discussions).
- Existing Tuya/Smart Life gear: it works, but know you are depending on the cloud.
Question for the group: which Wi-Fi lights are you running locally, and has anyone been caught out by a vendor cloud shutting down? What did you replace it with?