Or a combination of HA + Telegram (bots) that will trigger and respond to a /<command>, even with buttons. Maybe less secure than a VPN connection (e.g. if som

Or a combination of HA + Telegram (bots) that will trigger and respond to a /<command>, even with buttons. Maybe less secure than a VPN connection (e.g. if somebody gets control over the channel or bots instead of you/other trusted members) and of course more finicky until the bot works as desired, but always a nice party trick. Or a combination of VPN for home-critical automations and telegram bots for the simple/shared ones.