What hub and device combinations best future-proof retrofit smart lighting?

[Brian_W]

I'm renovating an older home and planning to install a whole-house smart lighting system, but I'm overwhelmed by the competing protocols like Zigbee, Z-Wave, and Matter, and I'm concerned about long-term compatibility and privacy. I want a system that can handle complex automations for security, energy savings, and circadian rhythm lighting without locking me into a single brand's ecosystem. For other homeowners or tech enthusiasts who have implemented a robust setup, what hub and device combinations have proven most reliable and future-proof? How do you manage the balance between local control for reliability and cloud features for remote access, and what are the real-world considerations for wiring and switch placement in a retrofit scenario?