I stopped buying smart home gadgets and started building them for a fraction of the price

A developer shares their experience ditching commercial smart home gadgets in favor of DIY ESP32-based devices running locally via Home Assistant. The cost comparison is stark: five ESP32 boards plus sensors cost around $60 versus $453+ for commercial equivalents. Key benefits include no cloud dependency, easy reconfiguration by swapping sensors, and community-provided firmware. The author draws a line at safety-critical devices (like certified water shutoff valves), recommending buying certified products for compliance while building everything else.