So very much a newbie, although ready to take the jump in, when it comes to home automation. Otherwise quite computer/technically savvy. However when looking around for local control(!!!) hubs, sadly there's very few. But came across Hubitat! However on the Features page (hubitat com/pages/home-automation-features) it says "Compatible with standard protocols". I can guess what those are, but really, they can't have a more detailed technical page with all of the protocols?!
So, what are all the protocols it supports? Just so I know what I'm getting into, since right now the other option I'm seeing is a DIY. Which I'm not necessarily opposed to, but I'm happy to pay for a device that has all the necessary and varied electronics/RF more or less worked out and in a comprehensible form.
Another question, does Hubitat actually require a Internet connection, even for a first time startup? As in I setup a VLAN to put all my devices on which ONLY can talk to each other, without reaching the Internet. Assuming proper ROAS from my phone/desktop, can I then reach it and configure it and also upload firmware updates? How feasible is it to have that kind of isolated setup from the rest of my network and the Internet for a "Smart" setup? Obviously if I want IFTTT or any kind of remote control of Hubitat/devices/cameras I DO need to somehow enable/route to the appropriate devices and allow access in some form.
*Note, the is because it won't let me post links yet, as a new member.
Ugh, no Edit functionality? Or at least not that I'm seeing right away.
Anyway, lacking some 'dot' on the above because as a new member I can't post links.
Yes. You need to register and perhaps upgrade the OS. NTP. You can migrate your hub to Internet'less, but really, day 1, don't.
Standard Home Automation protocols are Zigbee and ZWave, radios the Hub has internally (for the US frequency.) The hub also has a 100/full connection to your LAN.
The most common 'arc' of new Home Automation consumers is to start with Alexa or Google Home.. sometimes Siri. All of those drive users to a LAN solution. Buy switches and dimmers that consume a WiFi address.
Turns out that's a Bad Idea when you graduate. 
With Hubitat and SmartThings hubs, you'll find a set of ZWave or Zigbee switches, dimmers and other devices are a more satisfactory answer. Which tends to mean discard all the old WiFi stuff.. or struggle to get the proprietary protocols working. Many of which have no API to program against.
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There was just this thread, Privacy which summarized what doesn't work when you don't have internet.
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Well, ntpd is easy enough to setup in a local VM/RPi for me, and good enough accuracy. That aside...
Well, the good news is I only have some MiLight lights that I haven't even put in after I moved to my new apartment a month ago. So I don't have all the WiFi proprietary bits, by and large.
I also never plan on Alexa/Google Home, although I am going to look around for a voice-activated LOCAL device eventually, of which if (probably will) I use Hubitat I'll definitely go on here and search around and see what people have implemented.
@aaiyar just posted this Privacy it's an NTP client for Hubitat that will let you connect to a local NTPD.
As far as local voice, there are some solutions out there, but anyone who things something running on the hardware you're going to run at home on a $35 raspberry pi vs the neural networks and machine learning that Amazon and Google are spending literally billions on... well...
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