It seems that I'll be able to accomplish what's needed with things I'm already familiar with, until I switch over to ZigBee devices, where I'll be fully local.
I'm currently in Lebanon. The electrical code here for light switches is AU standard which are the same size as US switches but 220v. The electrical socket code is EU standard but with US/AU housing. So finding the parts that fit the current housing installed is impossible from brand name companies. They are really limited to US/UK market for now.
Also, I have some experience with Chinese manufacturers and am hoping to create my own solution that I could then start selling here, there are several things that make it difficult to setup a smart home. Constant power outages, fluctuating voltages, and unreliable internet. So I'm trying to create a bulletproof system, large capacitors, 90-250v transformers, resettable fuses. I was onto something with the WiFi solution but now scraped it because local is always better and more bulletproof.
