I have a tp-link Omaha setup in my new house. I run the management interface on the LAN in docker on an old Linux box (runs pihole too). Works really well so far! I have the wifi 6 APs, a PoE switch, and a router. I have 1gig symmetrical fiber and everything is reliable and fast now. Previously I had an edgerouter-x and it was very flaky.

The controller doesn't have to be linked to their cloud.

I have installed six in a big old house (with almost a meter deep interior walls !).

I manage them with an app on a tablet connected to the same LAN, I've disabled all cloud management. That said, they are almost configure and forget, after the initial install I've only had to upgrade the firmware when I visit the site.

They can be handled entirely locally; the cloud management bits are optional.

(I reworked our home network to Omada gear last fall. OC200, ER605, a few managed switches, couple of EAP245 APs. Overall quite happy with it; as the person above said it's pretty much fire and forget once you get the initial setup done. Used to use -- and enjoyed -- Mikrotik but alas their wifi support/performance at least on the home front has stagnated over the past several years.)

The APs have great options. Cloud, local controller (their hardware device, software or a docker container), or none at all. If you want to start with a single AP you don't need the manager.

I bought their largest AP, the 660, attached it to a second floor ceiling, and found it covered my whole home and much of the yard. It supports 100s of clients.

You can handle it locally, I do. The only feature that doesn’t work with it off is automatic firmware updates. You can still update firmware, you just have to download and upload it manually. It doesn’t even nag about setting up a cloud account.

The only thing I regret of theirs is the router (TL-R605). It’s not bad, but the VPN performance is mediocre, and I always wonder if I would’ve been happier with pfsense. Every other piece of hardware has been great.