Shop E Store Dutch smart home specialist Athom has taken the covers off the Homey Pro Mini; a smaller, cheaper sibling to its flagship Homey Pro.
Priced at $199, which is half the cost of the LG brand’s flagship smart home hub, the Homey Pro Mini still has local control, a focus on privacy, and support for smart home connectivity like Ethernet, Zigbee, Matter, and Thread. .
There’s no Wi-Fi or Z-Wave, but the latter can be added back into the mix using a Homey Bridge.
You’ll also need a bridge to get Bluetooth LE, infrared, and 433 MHz connectivity on a Homey Pro Mini system.
The Bridge also increases Zigbee coverage via satellite mode, making it a valuable addition to larger setups.
The Pro Mini runs the same Homey OS as the excellent Pro, and offers integrations with over 1,000 smart home devices, including big-name brands like Philips Hue, Sonos, and Aqara.
Homey’s system allows you to create automations (called flows) and monitor energy usage through Homey’s recently launched energy management system.
Despite its smaller size, the Mini can still handle up to 20 Homey Apps. That’s quite a bit less than the 75 that the Pro offers, but it should still be enough for most households.
With a quad-core ARMv8 processor, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of storage, the Homey Pro Mini sounds ideal for smaller setups or beginners entering the smart home space. For those with more complex systems or higher demands, the Pro is still the best option, although much more expensive.
Athom has been rolling out smart home hubs since 2016. By my count, the Mini is the sixth version of the Homey hub.
The Enschede-based brand was recently acquired by LG, which plans to integrate Homey’s software into its ThinQ platform.
LG has assured us that Homey will remain independent and will continue to cater to power users and smart home enthusiasts, just as Samsung has done with SmartThings.
As the smart home landscape continues to evolve, Homey’s growing smart home ecosystem, fueled by community-driven integrations and support from LG, makes it a compelling contender for managing connected devices in a locally controlled, focused environment. in privacy.
The Homey Pro Mini is available for pre-order in the US and Canada now, with shipments expected in April 2025.
A European launch is planned for late 2025.
