About to give up on Homey Pro

Off-Topic
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Hi All,

I recently purchased the Homey Pro 2023, the ethernet adapter, and the bridge. I’ve spent a few days diving in but I’m having a world of struggles with this hub and if I’m honest, I’m failing to see the appeal thus far.

I’ve managed to get my Lutron, Sonos, and Hue devices in and created a few flows but I can’t seem to get most of my other Homekit devices in. I also can’t seem to get this thing connected directly via ethernet despite using the adapter. I can’t find anywhere in the Homey app to configure it to use the ethernet instead of WiFi. I’ve also tried every single Matter device I have and can’t get a single one to add into Homey.

I purchased this hub because it looked like a great in between for someone using Homekit that wasn’t ready to jump into Home Assistant. Unfortunately, it seems a lot more complicated than I had expected and really not much easier than HA. I’m also learning that at least half of my devices are not supported.

I have many Eve accessories (contact sensors, button, etc.) and a few Nanoleaf bulbs and lightstrips that use thread, but not Matter that I can’t seem to add. It wasn’t obvious when purchasing, that thread devices were not supported unless they use the Matter Protocol. Even then, I can’t get any of my Matter devices to pair to Homey as mentioned.

I’ve tried with every single device. I open Homekit, go to the device, go to settings, “Turn On Pairing Mode”, copy the code, then open Homey app, Add Device, Matter, Paste the code and it fails.

I’m also discovering that I can’t add any of my Apple Devices, any of my cameras (Arlo and Wyze), and I can’t even seem to add my LG TV or washer and dryer without going out through the cloud. Not what I was expecting when all the reviews touted “local control”

I’ve dug into the forums and can’t seem to find solutions to the above. Am I just that ignorant or is this fairly pricey device really this limited? If anyone has tips on where to find the info to make the above work, I’m all ears and want to give this a legit try but am at the point I’m ready to just give up and send it back.

Update: Appreciate all the feedback. I spent a couple more days digging through the forums here and fighting trying to make this work and ultimately gave up on it and dived into Home Assistant. I’ve actually found that to be more intuitive and less frustrating and I can actually make it work with HomeKit. Perhaps I’ll try this again in a few years and see where it’s at.

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Did you read this?

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Regarding the ethernet dongle: at first, I couldn’t either but found out that I had reversed the cables. I had connected mine with the short usb-cable part into the Homey, but it’s the other way around, which I find a bit peculiar: the short piece goes into the power supply and then both cable from Homey and the ethernet cable needs to go all the way back to the power supply.

Also, in terms of adding devices, I initially had the same problem where devices that were absolutely working just fine, couldn’t be added to Homey. Turned out that it was because they were “living” on my IOT network and Homey Pro was added to our main wifi. Even though they should talk across these two wifi, it didn’t work out. After moving all my devices to the main wifi, I could add them successfully to Homey.

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In terms of the HomeKit stuff, you need to add them via the “HomeKit controller” app.

Vice versa, if you want some specific Homey devices to show up in HomeKit, you go to settings => experimental => turn on “expose to HomeKit”.

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That’s why you first look for a system that you want to build on and then buy the right devices.

The problem with many is that they have a colorful mix of all kinds of manufacturers.
Yes, it works, but you have to build it up properly.

If you then buy a Homey, you should perhaps simply remove everything again and start from scratch. Not necessarily buy a new one, but simply set up the system again.
Connections often overlap.

And the way I read it from you, the problem doesn’t seem to be with Homey.
Have you installed the apps on homey for the devices you want to add?

This is not meant to be an attack, but it is best to simply start building your system from scratch. Remove your devices from all existing systems and set them up on Homey.

Übersetzt mit DeepL (Translate anytime, anywhere with DeepL apps and extensions)

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Thank you Kenneth,

You’ve inspired me to dig in deeper. I do have a few questions if I may?

Does the HomeKit Controller not require addtional hardware or am I misunderstanding. Also, I have all my IoT and Homey on the same Vlan so that shouldn’t be an issue but just in case, what network considerations should I be aware of. I do have both mDNS and Snooping turn on for both the IoT network and my home network.

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Yes, I’ve done the background work and even looked into this before purchasing to ensure there were apps for most of my devices. And have since downloaded them. However, without deep diving into the forums, it’s not apparent that just because there is an app, doesn’t mean it’ll work. And it’s even less obvious that thread only works with Matter. Also not apparent when you find an app that it will require cloud connection. For example, I can’t connect to any of my TP-Link plugs without logging in to the cloud. This isn’t user error, it’s poor marketing.

No one starts building out a smart home based on the platform. It’s one of the things you learn as you go. I started building for Homekit as I liked the local control of the platform and thus I have a lot of thread devices. Homey Pro is advertised as a thread hub.

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First of all, welcome to the Homey Community!

To make sure you are aware of the forum rules, please read the Welcome to the forum! post here.

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You can look at this post: [HowTo] Connect Homey Pro (Early 2023) with Ethernet Only - aka Disable WiFi

Make sure it is connected correctly, as Kenneth states.

You have installed this app: Eve Hjem App for Homey | Homey and when adding device, you choose Eve and the correct device?

That is correct, the Homey is not truly local. Some integrations depends on the cloud.

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That feeling is now also by me.

The idea the community had to be a big part of the Homey experience start to break up.
Athom make sometime big change in the basis. Even there own flow carts breaking up.
When that happened and you make it known to them then they communicate not to all of us that the breaking up is not repairable.
You have to look in community apps to find a solution. Luckily there was.

Recently I give an user a working solution on a question in a flow.
What I get back was very different flow but worked there.
So I try myself that version because you never know. But it didn’t work.
The browser of the user was crashed and therefore change the flow.
There are thus now 2 flows. Only a differed one is working.

Further I see a big problem coming for me: The “skogsaas” dashboards.
My 1st dashboards was an “out-side” one. The 2 others “local” ones.
That 1st one I can only use that on the PC where it was made.
Can not copy/past that to “local” dashboard.

There is a completed new versions of “skogsaas” dashboards coming what is not compatible.
For my 1st one is that certainly a totally remake.

  • Here I “About to give up on Homey Pro”.

Hours and hours work to get what you want to see in your dashboard gone.
For the other 2: I hope there is some conversion otherwise …

When I like to making now a flow or a dashboard, giving help to others, I think: is it still useful to do or break it soon down gain.

For now I pause till that “skogsaas” dashboards situation is cleared.