Home automation: Homey Pro controller review

January 15, 2019· Michel Aguilera

In our last article on smart locks, we discussed new solutions for the home and home automation products. Today we are going to look at the subject a little further, by discussing new connected products that can be used in our homes. For those discovering the subject, I invite you to reread our previous articles on the topic. Today, we are going to talk about the Homey Pro home automation controller.

One ring to rule them all…

The idea behind a home automation controller is to centralise the management of the devices in the home, using specific scenes. We had mentioned Fibaro, as a manufacturer of components and of a very feature-rich controller. But the point of a controller would be to be able to talk to devices of all kinds (not only Z-Wave but other protocols or products). That is precisely what Homey offers. A short official intro video:

A pleasant, very responsive app interface: the first contact has everything to win you over. What’s more, you could put the Homey anywhere; its design was conceived so that it can pass for an ornament. With its clean look and its multicoloured LED ring, you could think it was an alien device.

Promotional video:

50,000 devices: that is the recognition promise displayed by the manufacturer Athom. The Homey controller has the particularity of being able to communicate with almost all wireless devices. It supports 7 different wireless technologies built directly into the box (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Z-Wave, 433 MHz, 868 MHz, Infrared and Zigbee).

The electronics, hidden under the plastic sphere, reveal a very clever design and superb integration:

Recognising our various devices in the home relies on integrating apps, a kind of module dedicated to the device to be interfaced, which brings each manufacturer’s specific management features into one and the same interface. You can find the apps and add-ons on the website: https://apps.athom.com

There is also a community around the product, with third-party developments too, available here: https://community.athom.com

One very attractive integration lets you reuse sequences with IFTTT (ideal, for example, when a device is not directly supported by Homey).

When we talk about interaction in home automation, we imagine being able to talk to our home, as in science-fiction films. That is precisely something possible with Homey. Either through an integration (Google Home, Amazon Alexa or Apple’s Siri) or by sending a text message via Messenger

This last feature only supports English, and even then with limited understanding of commands, but it is a start. Moreover, the Siri integration works only up to a point; some shortcut commands in the iOS app do not always seem to work.

To start adding automations, we are going to use sequential rules called Flows. Flows are rules you can create to automate certain tasks in your home, with all the devices and interactions you can imagine. They are accessible from the mobile app but also via a website: https://flow.homey.app

This is where all the magic of automation can come to life, by setting up flows. Interactions via IFTTT or with a voice system bring a truly magical dimension to everyday use.

For a slightly more in-depth overview, here is our unboxing and usage video:

In short, should you adopt it?

This product, which started with a Kickstarter campaign, is already in its 2nd development iteration. There are still a few issues, notably the built-in voice control (English only), which may put some people off (if you do not have a Google Home, for example). There is also no IR or RFX learning for unrecognised devices, which may lead you to use other gateways (IFTTT or Logitech Harmony, in some cases). What is certain is that Athom is offering a product that will greatly facilitate creating interactivity between multiple manufacturers, and that is the big plus that leads me to recommend this controller… especially if you have lots of devices to control from different manufacturers.

For those tempted to take the plunge, I am offering a 10% voucher (valid from 05.06.19 to 30.06.19) with our partner Swiss-Domotique. Use the PROMO CODE: H9AU2V6P