@Kyresti
Not sure on the security side of things, but I was doing research on this only a month or so ago. You can get home automation hubs that aren't voice-activated, and I saw more than one option to build your own hub via open-source software, a Raspberry Pi, and a Zigbee/(other protocol I forget the name of) adapter. That's probably what I want to do once I have the money for the equipment. :-)