Connected home · Investigation 01
What your smart home can still do without the internet
Six documented setups, the features that remain, and the questions an outage cannot answer.
The short answer
Offline is a function-by-function question. Local controls or stored rules can keep working while app access, initial setup and future recovery remain dependent on other services. A short outage cannot establish what survives a permanent cloud closure.
An existing, configured setup; electricity and the local network still work. Router failure, dead batteries, broken hubs and initial setup are separate cases.
The comparison below records what the selected documentation establishes. Open the scope note for each setup: the model and control path matter.
Six setups, different dependencies
Documentation reviewed 12 October 2026IKEA documents remote controls and same-network app control without internet. It also says lights, blinds and local hub access remain after software support ends.
Scope and all functions
Compatible IKEA smart products paired with the named hub and its matching app; not a claim about every third-party device or SYMFONISK feature.
Cloud independence is a stated design, not a promise of indefinite app compatibility. Reinstalling or resetting after a future shutdown is not established.
Hue says lights keep running automations and responding to switches during an outage. Its FAQ says app and away-from-home control will not work.
Scope and all functions
Existing Bridge-based Zigbee lighting and configured switches; not Hue cameras or Wi-Fi sync-box features.
The page also describes LAN control broadly. Do not promise offline app use from this documentation. The old v1 cutoff does not establish future Bridge behavior.
Its local browser interface can switch and configure the device without internet or Shelly Cloud. Schedules and actions depend on a correctly synced clock.
Scope and all functions
The specific device and its built-in web interface; not every Shelly app, display or device.
The guide warns that an unsynced clock can disrupt schedules. It does not establish behavior across a long shutdown, power loss and restart.
Home Assistant documents local device control and rules through internet outages. Cloud-only device integrations, cloud remote access and updates still need internet.
Scope and all functions
Home Assistant running on hardware at home, using local device integrations; cloud-only integrations are excluded.
The control path matters more than the hub name. Adding a cloud-only product does not make it local; future support and reset paths need separate checks.
The named X thermostats allow offline manual control. After app setup, stored heating schedules continue locally. An offline Zone Controller can still interrupt dependent heating.
Scope and all functions
The two named X room-control devices; not a blanket claim for Heat Pump Optimizer X or every wireless heating setup.
App-guided registration needs connectivity. Local schedules do not prove that future account creation, device pairing or reinstallation survive a cloud closure.
Device controls remain during an outage. Some V3+ hardware now stores schedules locally, depending on region and hardware; the vendor says rollout is ongoing. Remote app control is unavailable.
Scope and all functions
Existing installations covered by the V3+ help center; schedule storage is conditional on region and hardware revision.
Keep the Internet Bridge powered for communication between applicable devices. Do not label all V3+ schedules cloud-only or offline-capable. Ask about the exact hardware.
6 setups shown.
Three different interruptions
- Internet outage. Electricity, the hub and the home network still work. This is the main situation described by the comparison.
- Local network or power failure. Devices lose a different link. An internet-outage statement does not answer this question.
- Permanent cloud closure. Existing control, app downloads, accounts, reset and new setup need their own answers.
When the controlling app disappears
Hue ended online-service support for Bridge v1 in 2020, describing local control through its dedicated app. The same policy records that app being withdrawn in 2022. A local route and the availability of its controlling app are separate dependencies. This does not establish present-day usability of a specific old Bridge.
Four questions before you buy
- Which specific tasks work without internet on this model?
- What must stay powered and connected for those tasks to work?
- Can I replace my phone, reset the device or install it again without the service?
- What is documented about software support and the controlling app?
Sources and method
We read current manufacturer and project documentation. This is a comparison of documented behavior, not hands-on testing. A short internet outage and permanent cloud closure are separate questions. Unknown means the cited documentation does not establish an answer.
The selected sources are English-language documentation for Canada, the US and international products. Swedish-specific hardware, support terms and availability are not independently verified. This comparison is not a product ranking.
- 1. IKEA: internet outagesRetrieved 12 October 2026. Primary documentation.
- 2. IKEA: smart-product support policyRetrieved 12 October 2026. Primary documentation.
- 3. Philips Hue: how the system worksRetrieved 12 October 2026. Primary documentation.
- 4. Philips Hue: end-of-support policyRetrieved 12 October 2026. Primary documentation.
- 5. Shelly: 1 Mini Gen3 web interfaceRetrieved 12 October 2026. Primary documentation.
- 6. Home Assistant: working without internetRetrieved 12 October 2026. Primary documentation.
- 7. tado X: setup and operation without internetRetrieved 12 October 2026. Primary documentation.
- 8. tado X: offline devicesRetrieved 12 October 2026. Primary documentation.
- 9. tado V3+: temporary internet lossRetrieved 12 October 2026. Primary documentation.
Changes to this report
12 October 2026 · v1
First publication. Six setups, nine primary sources. No physical products tested.