Introduction
Generally for home automation, I use local services with devices that can operate autonomously should the LAN fail. I like automation to run on the LAN if needed. With changes in config pushed out to devices as needed. This provides central configuration but engineering safeties baked into smart devices when the LAN fails. If you want an example see the timers in the immersion heater that takes over should the LAN fail and Node-Red is unable to communicate with the device.
I had one device, just one in my house that uses a cloud service. I don't like cloud services especially vendor-provided ones as they can retire services and make things obsolete.
I have a SONOFF Slamper that used the IFTTT and weather underground. Commercial demands between the cloud providers rendered the solution inoperative and the light no longer came on and off at dawn or dusk.
Had this been in an area where the lighting was critical you can see this would have been dangerous with elderly folk falling downstairs etc in a situation where the lighting was needed for safety. I work on life-critical systems and its important to realise the cloud services and other stables like ethernet ARE NOT SUITABLE for life-critical work. If you are wondering a hardware failure on a NIC of software glitch can issue a JAM signal this is part of the spec for ethernet to deal with collisions. Read up on CSMA/CD to learn more.
This was all on IFTTT charging for services this forced ITLEADs hand (makers of SONOFF) to introduce a paid services on IFTTT. No doubt the bulk of this annual service fee ending up with IFTTT.
I flashed the unit with Tasmoda to allow local-only operation. There is no USB so a USB to Serial interface is needed.
To Sonoff / ITLEADs credit they release free services that allowed dawn to dusk operation as part of their free services offering in the eWeLink app. Still, cloud but shows a good understanding of their customer. IFTTT behaviour, in this case, was apualling - I've deleted my account.