uMQTTBroker VS Tasmota

limited on 8266 https://github.com/martin-ger/uMQTTBroker

You could use MQTT as a form of communication for all the devices, and make all your messages retained, so whenever some device updates the status, all subscribed devices will receive the new message, and because the messages are retained any new device will imediatly receive the retained messages, essencially syncing all current and future devices. Technically you will have an MQTT server, or better know as broker in this context, so a RPi would a good ideia, but an ESP8266 might be sufficient, I've beber tried it though A quick search on Google lead me to this link: "GitHub - martin-ger/uMQTTBroker: MQTT Broker library for ESP8266 Arduino" https://github.com/martin-ger/uMQTTBroker .

All of my office devices are connected to Sonoff S31 smart plugs, flashed with Tasmota on their own locked-down VLAN, and can be controlled via voice, Alexa, Tasker automation on my Android, NFC tags at my office door and various scripts triggered via my StreamDeck (on Linux). This all works fantastic, and I can turn on or off my devices, including my printer, when I start or end my day at work.

The best alternative firmware example for true IOT devices is Tasmota [1]. Erase manufacturer firmware for every ESP devices the day after purchase to avoid those careless manufacturer firmwares.

[1] https://tasmota.github.io/docs/

The ESP8266 based Sonoff S31 and ESP32 based Switchbot plugs, both flashed with either Tasmota or ESPHome, are my go-to options for US WiFi smart plugs with power monitoring.

And if you want to turn your ESP8266 into a standalone appliance, with a web interface and directly editable config that doesn't need a build step, Tasmota is another great option.

https://tasmota.github.io/docs/