Published May 10, 2026, 10:00 AM EDT Anurag is an experienced journalist and author who’s been covering tech for the past 5 years, with a focus on Windows, Android, and Apple. He’s written for sites like Android Police, Neowin, Dexerto, and MakeTechEasier. Anurag’s always pumped about tech and loves getting his hands on the latest gadgets. When he's not procrastinating, you’ll probably find him catching the newest movies in theaters or scrolling through Twitter from his bed. For a smart home that runs on your NAS, the main question is not which model is the most powerful. The real question is which model can stay local, run without breaking, and handle the kind of tasks you actually need, such as turning language into structured actions, reading automation rules, and working with short repeated prompts. You don't need something like Claude for this use case. A small model that can be hosted locally is what you need .…