Homey Pro Review: Great Potential, But Check Device Support First

Following the U.S. launch of the $69 Homey Bridge, the $399 Homey Pro has officially arrived in the United States, bringing a more powerful, privacy-focused smart home hub option to consumers who are looking to move away from purely cloud-reliant ecosystems. The lower-costing Bridge model, which was reviewed earlier in the year, received a generally positive reception for its simplicity, but its capabilities were bottlenecked by subscriptions and device limits. The more expensive Pro model steps in to remove most of those recurring fees and operational limitations, while introducing optional ethernet connectivity for an additional $29 and laying the groundwork for upcoming Matter support, including Matter over Thread.

Depending on the specific mix of hardware already deployed in a smart home, the Homey Pro demonstrates immense potential as a localized command center. However, compatibility hurdles mean it may not suit every household’s existing ecosystem.

Under the hood, the Homey Pro represents a substantial performance leap over the original 2019 Homey Pro model, with the manufacturer claiming roughly 3.5 times more CPU performance. The Pro model also packs double the storage and memory found in the Bridge, coming equipped with 8GB of storage and 2GB of RAM. These hardware upgrades serve a very specific, crucial purpose: unlike the Homey Bridge, which relies heavily on cloud infrastructure to process operations, the Homey Pro is engineered to execute smart home management and automations locally whenever possible.

This local-first architecture offers significant advantages for user privacy. Furthermore, it ensures that the smart home remains operational during internet outages, allowing household members to control connected devices and execute local automations without missing a beat, provided those systems do not inherently depend on external cloud servers to function.

From a feature and capability standpoint, both the Bridge and the Pro models handle the core tasks of a smart home hub similarly. Users can add and manage devices, build automation routines, and take advantage of largely overlapping radio hardware. In the U.S. market variant, the hub supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, infrared, Zigbee, and Z-Wave.

However, the pricier Pro model expands this wireless portfolio by incorporating a dedicated Thread radio, an 833MHz radio designed for older legacy devices, and lifts the restrictive five-connected-device limitation imposed on the lower-cost Homey Bridge. While operating the Bridge beyond its initial device limit incurs a monthly fee of $2.99, the Pro model completely eliminates device-tier subscriptions. The sole recurring cost associated with the Pro is an optional cloud backup fee, which is priced at $0.99 per month for users who want off-site redundancy.

The out-of-the-box setup process for the Homey Pro is notably straightforward. After powering the device using the included USB-C cable and power adapter, setting up the hub simply requires downloading the mobile app and answering a few foundational questions about the home layout. The software smartly prompts users to define how many floors the home has and which specific rooms are located on each level, an onboarding touch that serves as a welcome time-saver compared to the configuration workflows found in many competing smart home ecosystems.

Once connected to a home wireless network—the Pro supports both 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi bands—the process of adding devices begins. Homey promotes compatibility with more than 50,000 devices, a staggering figure that implies universal support. In practical testing, however, bridging real-world hardware into the ecosystem can reveal gaps. While popular ecosystems such as Lutron Caseta switches, Philips Hue smart bulbs, and Sonos wireless speakers integrate smoothly, the hub can fall short with other common brands.

Testing reveals compatibility roadblocks with hardware such as Schlage door locks, Ecobee thermostats, Nanoleaf bulbs and light strips, Govee electric kettles, Wyze security cameras, Eve Home accessories, Logitech video doorbells, and various smart plugs. Some omissions are easily explained by the current absence of native Matter support on the Pro, which is anticipated to roll out later in the year. For instance, smart plugs that rely strictly on Matter-over-Thread protocols will not link up initially. When a Matter device operates purely over Wi-Fi, integration is possible, but Thread-based accessories remain unsupported until firmware updates arrive.

Beyond missing protocol support, integration challenges often stem from brand-level discrepancies where a manufacturer is supported, but specific newer model variants are absent from the app’s database. For example, while non-traditionally shaped Nanoleaf lighting panels like triangles, hexagons, and lines appear in the app, standard bulbs and even older Nanoleaf Essentials products may not be recognized. Similarly, attempts to link a Schlage Encode Wi-Fi lock can result in a "no devices found" error message despite the brand appearing in the directory, while integrations for other Wi-Fi appliances like gooseneck kettles can yield error responses.

Ecosystem gaps also appear in heating and lighting accessories. While Ecobee is listed as a compatible brand, compatibility within the app is restricted to older hardware like the Ecobee 3 Lite and specific room sensors, leaving newer models like the Ecobee Thermostat Premium out in the cold. Cync by GE smart plugs likewise lack a native integration pathway. Households heavily invested in legacy Zigbee and Z-Wave devices may experience smoother integration, but consumers with modern Wi-Fi and specialized smart accessories should exercise caution.

Because compatibility varies wildly based on individual hardware inventories, prospective buyers are advised to verify support before purchasing. While the Homey website hosts a searchable list of product integrations under its app directory, the most reliable method is to download the free Homey app and search for specific hardware models directly. For devices that are successfully supported, the response time is impressively swift, reacting nearly instantly to commands issued through the Homey interface.

For developers and technical hobbyists, the Homey Pro offers an escape hatch for unsupported hardware through custom integrations. Accessible via the hub’s web interface, users can generate an API key and utilize provided code examples written in JavaScript and Node.js to build custom connections. The underlying architecture of the Homey Pro essentially functions as a Node.js server. While this capability is powerful for tinkerers, it remains a niche feature that mainstream consumers will likely never utilize.

For day-to-day management, the Homey mobile app provides a modern, clean interface that surfaces both basic and advanced features effectively. Assigning devices to specific rooms and floors is straightforward, though managing those assignments currently requires navigating back into individual device settings after the initial pairing process rather than sorting them during onboarding.

The app also features intuitive device controls and a comprehensive energy-tracking system that provides estimated smart home power consumption in near real-time as well as historical views. Because this feature relies on manually entering the wattage of individual connected devices, it requires some upfront effort during setup. However, the system dynamically scales estimates based on device states—such as dimming a light bulb to 50 percent capacity, which instantly halves the calculated power draw. When accessing the management dashboard via a web browser, users can also review local environmental data including ambient temperature, barometric pressure, and humidity. If a connected device natively reports actual electricity consumption, the hub automatically surfaces that precise telemetry.

When it comes to building automations and routines, Homey utilizes a system called Flows. Functionally reminiscent of Home Assistant automations rather than the simpler routines found in mainstream consumer ecosystems like Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, or Google Home, Flows adopt an IFTTT-style "When… and… then…" logical structure. This allows for multi-condition branching, including "else" parameters and the ability for one Flow to trigger another. Basic Flows can be built effortlessly inside the mobile application, while advanced modes accessible through the web interface unlock complex programmatic logic and granular control.

Ultimately, the Homey Pro delivers a compelling vision for a local, privacy-centric smart home hub equipped with a comprehensive suite of wireless radios. In an industry increasingly dominated by cloud-dependent services, the hardware fills an appealing niche, backed by a polished user interface and robust automation tools.

At a price point of $399, however, the value proposition depends entirely on whether a household’s existing hardware collection is supported out of the box. While device compatibility will undoubtedly expand as software updates arrive, prospective buyers must weigh current limitations against their existing smart home setups, or consider alternative platforms like Home Assistant if comprehensive device support is an immediate priority. For those whose device ecosystems align with Homey’s current library, the hub offers a powerful local management experience, provided support is verified beforehand.