O hope you have a good understanding of network security if you are forwarding ports like that.

It is like having doors on your house that are always open if the thieves only bother to check.

There should be no need to forward ports from the outside when things are done right.

I believe all those options will work.

What I am thinking of is something like a kasa smart plug

That will work.

but controlled by USB by the Pi.

Now you made it difficult. I’m not aware of any smart plug that can be controlled via USB. They are either WiFi and you make an API call or ZigBee/Thread/Zwave and you need a controller like SmartThings/Alexa/HomeAssistant to send the command to the device.

Show me how to control an HDMI matrix and multi-channel amp through Alexa or similar consumer controller.

If you want to DIY AV distribution you probably need Home Assistant, very specific hardware it support and a lot of time to learn how. With Control4 you just plug in the hardware, tell it which channels are wire to which rooms and you are done.

FYI - that is not a 3 gang. A 3 gang is a box wide enough for 3 standard decora switches. Those a 3 switches in a single gang.

Does it need to be a button you press? If so, the app IFTTT can provide you a button on your phone screen that you can to send a request to an Alexa type device in the garage to do whatever.

But perhaps that is not the best approach. Have you considered a motion detector in front of the garage doing the same? If you don’t have traffic in front of the garage, this might be a better option.

Relays always click. Some much louder than others. If these are for lights, get dimmers. They never click because they don’t use mechanical solenoid relays.

Repeaters no the be always on.

Getting repeaters that you frequently turn on and off will make your network topology a mess. Traffic will always have to be finding new routes through the network depending on the combination of repeaters that are on and off at any one time.

You could also create the situation where certain parts of your network are only reachable when certain lights are on.

Repeater switches that are always on make sense. That is what I did.

Repeaters bulbs that could be powered off do not.

I don’t think there are any products on the market to replace that setup as is.

You are going to have to cut the wall and double up (which would have bee the right way for the original installer to do this).

It is on the same circuit and throwing interference.

I have an audible thump out of my sub every time we flip the wall switch to the ceiling fan.

Is this possible?

Yes.

Will you have the same level of functionality and convenience? No.

Will it be easy? No.

There are tricks you can play with your firewall and other networking pieces to prevent devices from calling home. But those devices have to have local API’s exposed so you can still control them.

Consumer HA companies rolled out WiFi cloud solutions because it was easy. Consumer could get started after buying just one device. Not need for a HUB and compatibility. Then they learned that cloud data can actually be pretty useful.

Hopefully Matter will cut into this mess. Part of the standard is that all devices should have local control and cloud access should be only for added functionality.

I’m slowly replacing my Control4 system with DIY.

The hardest part for me has been finding a good controller that is powerful but doesn’t require you to make HA a second full-time job (looking at you Home Assistant).

I’m hoping Samsung will come out with a good Matter controller soon.

As long as you are not doing AV distribution, you can pretty easily replace everything C4 does with DIY hardware.

Power is measured in amps or watts.

Maybe it is rated for a total of 15 Amps @ 5vdc total across all ports (which would be a really nice hub!). IF it shows the total power being consumed in real-time, that would be an awesome feature for some people.

The USB-A port is rated for 5vdc maximum and all USB-A devices are 5 volts. SO having a 15V hub would not make any sense.

USB-C can do higher.

Advocates believe that tech giants realized they were on the losing side of the repair fight and that by making some concessions, they could keep a seat at the negotiating table in order to shape future regulations.

This is the crux of this entire issue. Apple is accepting the rules because it realizes fighting it is a losing battle. By accepting the rules now, it can pretend to be the good guy, keep a seat at the table while behind the scenes working on malicious compliance.

Basically, it is accepting it now so they can help shape the laws so it is written in ways they have no problems with.

Sure, you will have the right to repair your iPhone. But only 3rd party shops that pay $$$ to become a Certified Apple Repair Center will qualify and they will only be allowed to use Apply supplied parts and will be required to charge apple set repair rates.

What have we gained?

Because the learning curve is too steep for somebody who doesn’t see HA as their full-time hobby. They only want a completed project.

I’m software developer fluent in Linux. I have given up on Home Assistant. I’m back to SmartThings and Alexa waiting for a proper Matter controller to hit the market.

displays voltage.

You mean it confirms that the HUB has 5v like all USB hubs?

You can’t because that HUB has individual manual switches for each output.

The only way to use that HUB for any sort of automation would be to buy SwitchBots for each output and have them flip the switches for you.

The Meross doesn’t connect to your existing garage door opener at all. There are no wire between the two units.

The Meross just pretends to be the remote control. It receives commands via WiFi then pretends like it is the remote control pressing the button.

So it will only work with your opener if it know the wireless standard used by it. Check out their compatibility list.

If you opener has a remote release contact on the PCB, you could do the same as the Meross with a smart relay and a door sensor.

Any camera that supports RTSP protocol can be connected to a local NVR for local storage. Look at brands designed for CCTV security instead of the consumer brands that focus on ease of use with cloud storage. I currently buy WiseNet cameras, but you have to buy their commercial line (not the stuff they sell on Amazon).

Nope.

Not with that setup you won’t.

Your only chance is changing out the inside keyway into a common dead-bolt knob. Then you can get one of those dead-bolt knob turning bots. That is assuming your lock operates smoothly enough that the robot will have enough torque to turn the knob. I doubt it considering how much you got going on there.