The new Homey Pro Mini
Athom has introduced the Homey Pro Mini, a streamlined and cost-effective alternative to its top-end Homey Pro hub.
Priced at $199, the Pro Mini features built-in support for Ethernet, Zigbee, Thread, and Matter, and runs on the same Homey OS as the full-sized Pro.
Homey’s smart home system allows users to connect a wide range of smart home devices and set up automations, referred to as “Flows.”
It also includes energy monitoring tools through Homey’s Energy Management System, which launched recently.
Despite its compact size, the Mini can handle up to 20 Homey Apps, enough for most households, as the average user installs fewer than that (14, we’re informed.)
The Mini trims costs by leaving out native radios for Z-Wave, Bluetooth LE, and Infrared, but these protocols can be added to a Mini-led system by pairing with the Homey Bridge accessory, which is priced at $69.
The Bridge also expands Zigbee range too.
This announcement comes in the he wake of LG’s acquisition of Athom, back in July, which saw the Korean giant take an 80% stake in the Dutch smart home brand, with plans to acquire the remaining 20% over the next three years.
There was initial speculation about how the acquisition might affect current Homey users, it seems as if the Homey brand and platform will continue to operate autonomously, which is a similar to Samsung’s approach with SmartThings – although plans are afoot to get Homey tied in with LG’s ThinQ smart home platform.
The Pro Mini’s emphasis on local operation makes it an appealing alternative to platforms like Google Home or Amazon Alexa for users who prioritize data privacy and reliability.
With a quad-core ARMv8 processor, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of internal storage, the Pro Mini offers solid performance for smaller or medium-sized smart home setups.
Those with more complex requirements might want to look at the original Homey Pro, which boasts additional processing power and a broader range of built-in features.
When we reviewed the Pro on my smart home site, The Ambient, we stated that there is no other system that offers the power that Homey Pro does.
The Mini offers most of those features, at less than half the price.
Pre-orders are now open in the U.S. and Canada, with the first units shipping in April 2025. A European launch is planned for later in the year.
