Absolutely agree, I’m running 2 of them. There’s a blueprint that makes it really easy.

The Broadlink RM4 Pro is a RF and IR blaster, and it integrates with home assistant. It can be a little tricky to get set up initially depending on your router, it doesn’t always figure out the 2.4 ghz signal from certain brands (like the Asus I have apparently), but once its set up it works pretty well. The integration to home assistant is a little bit of a learning curve depending on how familiar you are with it, but it wasn’t too bad. I’m not sure if it phones home is the only thing, I know they have an online app and ecosystem, but the home assistant integration is local.