@mitchelltmassey frigate totally rocks, definitely go there. I am also a huge fan of solar assistant used it to step around the inverters proprietary garbage software and link to home assistant to manage Battery, EV charging and now hot water in summer from excess solar.
I've mucked around with half a dozen brands / protocols tuya, zigbee z-wave, broadlink.
Of everything I've tried I've found shelly to be the best built, most reliable and durable and open. A bit more expensive, but worth it if you can. I also use some tuya stuff but be careful re home assistant compatibility not everything is and you will likely end up mucking about with local tuya which is kinda painful. I'm certainly recommend shelly for high current stuff like EV and hot water (avoid burning your house down 😁).
Have fun, muck around and you'll quickly work out what useful to you.