I see there is now an adapter for the Pro, any chance the bridge will get one? POE option would be even better.
Having the bridge not rely on wifi would be awesome.
When they announced Homey Cloud (which the bridge connects to), Athom said that WiFi is the future, so Ethernet probably wonāt come to the Bridge.
On the other hand: the (later released) Homey Pro mini comes with a built-in Ethernet connection. Maybe the Bridge v2 will have that too.
I donāt think so. Most Bridge users probably donāt even have Ethernet connections at the place where they put the Bridge, since the Bridge is meant for the less technical users. And adding it will increase the price too, while the Bridge is meant as a cheap antenna for Homey Cloud for users who donāt want to pay the price of the Pro.
If you would add stuff like a Thread antenna or Ethernet, it will get just as expensive as a (second hand) Homey Pro, which they probably want to avoid
An Ethernet module would cost about ā¬10 wholesale, and Athom would probably pick the same multi-PAN SoC for Zigbee/Thread as the Homey Pro, which costs about ā¬3.50 wholesale (which is actually cheaper than the outdated CC2530 thatās handling Zigbee in the current Bridge). So perhaps a bit more expensive, but not a whole lot.
Another way would be to use an ESP32 that supports Ethernet over USB, so they could reuse the current Ethernet dongle.
Fair point. The original target audience was Homey Cloud users. However, this seems to have changed somewhat, as the Bridge currently is also promoted by Athom as the go-to add-on for Homey SHS.
I would most certainly pay a few quid extra to have onboard PoE GbE for the Bridge and the Pro, just like the Mini has. It makes it so much more convenient and versatile having the choice between PoE single cable for power and data, or WiFi with separate USB power.
The Raspberry Pis the Pro and Mini are based on are capable of it. And like you said, the newer chip they could use in the Bridge is actually cheaper. In my opinion it is a no brainer for the next generations of the devices.
Hey guys, Iām using this thread for some very preliminary market research.
What would the benefit to you personally be for an Ethernet port on your Homey Pro or Homey Bridge? Would you relocate it or keep in the same position? And if you would relocate, to where?
Why / how is the ethernet port different from an ethernet adapter?
For those who would like PoE rather than regular Ethernet: do you already have a PoE switch? Would you buy one specifically for Homey Pro or Homey Bridge?
Not saying anything will come out of this, but I am interested in your opinion.
Using Ethernet cable rather than WiFi for Pro and Bridge means fewer devices fighting for the precious airwaves. Also less interference on the device itself, as Zigbee, Thread, Bluetooth, and WiFi all use the 2.4GHz frequency band.
Neater and tidierā¦ a cleaner and less cluttered appearance. Ease of cable management. (If it wasnāt for the considerably less memory of the Mini, I would have definitely got one over the Pro purely for the onboard Ethernet socket and PoE).
Yes, several. I power my ReoLink cameras, a number of Raspberry Piās, my WiFi APā, and my Aqara M3 Hub all off PoE. But if needed I would upgrade other network switches to PoE if it meant I could get power and data to my Homey Pro (2026) and Bridge (in satellite mode). Also, loosing the 480Mbps USB 2.0 bandwidth bottleneck currently in play on my Homey Pro (2026) and having the full fat GbE connection like the Mini has would be of great benefit too. I have many devices trying to vie for that precious network bandwidth, including a number of 4K ReoLink cameras, that since the change to the locally converted WebRTC camera streams seems to be clogging up that connection a little: example screenshot of a speed test run on my Pro (2026) which shows the difference in upload and download bandwidth used quite well (I have 900Mb symmetrical broadband, with 2.5GbE network switches, that all have a 10GbE fibre back haul to a a fibre optic SFP+ core switchā¦ so the USB Ethernet adapter of the Pro (2026) is the limiting factor here). These are very typical results for both the up and downstream values, and demonstrate the load on the available 480Mbps bandwidth, especially the Download component.
My Aqara M3 Hub having GbE PoE means I was very neatly and tidily able to ceiling mount it on my landing ceiling, in the most central location in my house. Giving it the least interference, and best reach to my devices possible. While keeping the install very neat, tidy and professional looking.
Using Raspberry Piās for a number of projects (that the Homey Pro is based on) I know that they are capable of GbE PoE, which just makes it all the more frustrating that I canāt take proper or full advantage of this.
Native GbE is always going to be faster and more stave than a USB 2 dongle or WiFiā¦ meaning a faster more snappy response, that is more stable and reliable. And a single cable for both power and data is always going to look nearly and less cluttered. Itās win win as far as I am concerned.
Curious about this one, as I actually prefer having the Ethernet port separate from the Homey Pro itself. Mine sits on the TV console, and having just a single USB-C cable running to it, with the Ethernet cable tucked away inside the cabinet, actually makes cable management easier in my opinion 
The Homey Pro mini is much more of a ātuck it away in the utility closetā kind of device anyway, so I donāt think itās much of an issue there.
Additionally, at least theocratically speaking, this also allows Ethernet and PoE to be offered as separate purchases rather than building either into Homey Pro itself, potentially driving up the base price for everyone, including those who donāt need them.
Without PoE you are restricted on how far from a mains power outlet you can locate Homey. USB starts to have real problems when the cable exceeds 2-3 meters in length. Whereas Ethernet cables with PoE can run up to 100 meters, so you can basically locate it anywhere in any size home. And if you donāt have a PoE switch, no problem, PoE injectors are cheap as chips, and still allow the same cable length. Plus USB dongles are a messy pain in the posterior.
And my main gripe with not having on-board RJ45 socket for Ethernet is the USB restriction of 480Mbps instead of full fat GbE (which the Mini does have). Surely the flagship product should have the best connectivity and bandwidth? In my personal opinion the flagship product should have at least gigabit Ethernet, if not multi-gigabit (more and more home networks are starting to have multi-gigabit capabilities these days, with the ever increasing amounts of data and connectivity between devicesā¦ this is obviously more important when it comes to camera streams and multimedia streamingā¦ my personal home network monitoring sees multiple TB of data traverse my network daily, for media, backups, downloads etc).
Plus, yes you do only have a single cable coming out the back of your Homey Pro, but itās just moving the mess of the dongle and all the wires a couple meters awayā¦ PoE itās one cable as far as the eye can see 
And as the Raspberry Pi that the Homey Pro is based on is gigabit Ethernet capable, I canāt see how it would drive the cost up that much offering a different socketā¦ if so why is the Mini cheaper than the Pro?
Thanks @Drako74, this is super valuable.
If anyone else has any thoughts to share, please feel free to do so.
Great, good to see you here!
Currently using Homey Pro 2023 with an Ethernet Dongle, itās out of sight in the utility closet. I try to have all smart home stuff and gadgets out of sight, Iām actually only interested in the functional use of them not to display anything.
(Even though I like the transparant Homey Pro 2026 I received! 
)
Less cables, less clutter. Right now the ethernet adaptor is a but of a mess, and letās also not forget the many users wiring it wrong 
Yes Ubiquity, feeding APās and some other equipment with PoE.
Not sure that is the case. Lots of people (like myself) use it when self hosting so they can connect devices to their server.
Iād pull a network cable and power it with POE if the option was available.
Something Iām curious about: for those who find the external dongle messy, do you have your Homey Pro on display, or is it tucked away like @DaneedeKruyffās? I think that makes a difference.
For reference, how mine is set up;
If I could afford to have my house completely re-wired I would have Ethernet cabling throught the house, and power all my low voltage eletricals via PoEā¦ and add a lot extra while at it. Like smart blinds, LED lighting, every room audio, voice assistant, climate control, security, WiFiā¦ literally everything I could. PoE is the future of the connected smart home in my opinion.
Iām waiting for the day when WiFi AP manufacturers team up with smart home tech companies, and produce WiFi APs that also contain Zigbee, Z-Wave & BLE antennasā¦ then you just have a couple of discreet APs ceiling mounted that your whole home connects toā¦ and your smart home hub connects via Ethernet and sits quietly hidden away controlling everything.
On display or not, having the external dongle is extra wiring, and extra possible points of failure. And like @DaneedeKruyff mentioned, a point of confusion for some users who get the multiple USB connections it requires the wrong way around. A single Ethernet cable to plug in is about as simple as it gets, and a lot less messing about no matter if itās on show or not. I donāt understand why if itās visible or not is such a point of concern? Can you elaborate on this fixation please?
Where my Pro 2026 is, downstairs back of house:
And my Bridge upstairs front of house:
If you look at my setup, running a stiff Ethernet cable up the cabinet to the Homey would be far more difficult than using a relatively thin USB-C cable. This way, the cable clutter stays neatly hidden inside the cabinet. And since the Homey Pro is designed to be placed in the open rather than tucked away, I imagine most people would prefer this setup.
This would be even worse for people who donāt use PoE but do want to connect Homey Pro via ethernet, in that case they would either need to buy a PoE switch or have two cables to deal with.
This is more @ChefsSlaadās area, but adding PoE to Homey Pro itself could add upwards of $10 to the bill of materials (donāt quote me on that, rough math), which isnāt insignificant. Homey Pro mini supports Ethernet only, not PoE. Since the CM4 already has an Ethernet controller, the only additional cost is the physical connector.
Firstly, you can get flat and very flexible Ethernet cables in a wide variety of colours that are reasonably easy to hide, just as much as a USB cable. Plus, correct me if I am wrong, but the Pro Mini has both an Ethernet port and a USB port, and presumably you would still have a USB port for local image backupsā¦ so there would be the choice of PoE or USB power. The important part being having the choice.
I think you might be misinformed about how PoE works. Just because a device has a PoE capable port, does not mean it has to be powered by PoE. The device when connected to the Ethernet cable will negotiate with the PoE switch or Injector for power or not, and if so what power rating it requires (PoE, PoE+, PoE++ etc). A large number of PoE capable devices also have the option to be powered by a USB or barrel jack power port, but still connect data via the RJ45 socket.
A PoE HAT (which is more than just the controller, but a whole extra circuit board, so more cost) is only about Ā£10-20, so I canāt imagine just the IC to make it work in a device costing that much. But I would certainly pay the extra 10er to have the choice.
@ChefsSlaad - I think there is also a psychological factor in combination with a userās expectation.
Homey Pro is the flagship product that is marketed as such. Users expect similar level connectivity out of the box. An Ethernet connector is a basic and standard type of connector included in many network devices, but not in a Homey Pro (nor Bridge), though the hardware seems prepared/capable.
Yes, you can of course ask users to buy and use the Ethernet dongle. Technically that works, of course, but you are basically asking users to buy an additional accessory to get the better method of network connectivity, which users might and will expect to be already included in the Homey hub itself.
Then there is the matter of cost: I doubt whether including an Ethernet connection to the Homey hub itself would increase the cost of the unit with a similar amount as the Ethernet adapter cost.
Currently, in addition to the earlier mentioned expectation aspect, Athom is asking users to pay an additional amount for the Ethernet adapter. Of course the price of the adapter itself is not the issue (for many users), but the psychological effect of asking users to pay extra for something that they expected to be included and is standard nowadays might not sit well.
@Doekse - My Homey Pro is in my TV cabinet (but visible). I use it in āstealth modeā so to say, so with the led ring switched off. The cable is not visible.
