Homey Pro mini: affordable hub?
The Homey Pro mini, a compact smart home hub, can centralize control for most small-to-medium homes, offering an alternative to SmartThings [https://www.the-ambient.com/reviews/homey-pro-mini-review/]. It highlights how Matter and new hubs are making whole-home automation more accessible [https://www.the-ambient.com/reviews/homey-pro-mini-review/]. Worth a look for DIYers.
The Homey Pro mini, priced at $199, is available for pre-order in the US and Canada, with shipments expected in April 2025. A European release is slated for later in the year. The hub aims to provide a privacy-focused, local-first smart home experience, processing data on-premise for minimal latency and increased reliability. It supports modern connectivity standards like Matter, Zigbee, Thread, and Gigabit Ethernet. Users can expand compatibility with Z-Wave, Bluetooth LE, 433 MHz, and Infrared devices using the Homey Bridge. The mini runs the full Homey Pro OS, including features like Advanced Flow, Energy monitoring, and Insights. Compared to the standard Homey Pro, the mini has 1 GB of RAM, suitable for running approximately 20 apps, and a single RGB LED. The original Homey Pro includes built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Z-Wave, 433 MHz, and Infrared, while the mini requires the Homey Bridge for these. LG acquired Athom, the company behind Homey, in mid-2024, reinforcing its commitment to local smart home control.
