Gonna get downvoted for this probably but I honestly don’t care. I’m so sick and tired of hearing all the negativity and attacks and unrealistic over-the-top doomsday scenarios, from both sides. Regardless of who won, life is going to continue on just fine. The full on meltdowns are getting so damn old and it’s just tiring.

My Hue bulbs are the “original” (3rd gen I think) before Bluetooth was a thing…but I just walked through this whole exact same thing and I could not get them to reset with any number of power cycle routines.

The only way I could get them to actually pair with my HA/Z2M was to manually add them to my old hub (long story why they weren’t already in there), and then delete them.

Yes, it was a pain. But it worked well and once I got the process down I just did 3-5 at a time and worked through them all. YMMV.

Personally I purchased some cheap 10" Lenovo tabs for my new place. Haven’t moved in quite yet, but some PoE to USB-C adapters and 3D printed wall mount cases outta get me out for ~$150/unit. Not the cheapest, but far from the most expensive. Should work well enough for what I need.

I think you’re on the right track considering those factors and others (integrations with HA is another big one for me). IMO it’s always a balance though - a perfect example for me personally is I still use Nest Protect devices because they just freaking work, and work well. Same with a smart display I have and some minimal smart speaker usage. So sure, there’s a little bit of “lock in” there, but as long as your risk tolerance is ok with that (mine is) then you’re golden.

The factors you mentioned, among others like HA integrations (preferably official), company reputation (I’m personally ok with some minimal lock in if the cost/benefit calculation works out), etc. are my first considerations when looking at new products. Wherever possible local first control is a great plus and can be an absolutely huge factor to be sure.

Take them apart, add the magnets to my massive ball of old hard drive magnets, shed a tear, order a replacement, and then move on 😂