# @homey staff ... is Homey dead? ☠️ **URL:** \ **Category:** Questions & Help\ **Created:** [June 1, 2022, 8:06pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/homey-staff-is-homey-dead/64295 "2022-06-01T20:06:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Dijker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Dijker](https://community.homey.app/u/Dijker)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 12:45pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/homey-staff-is-homey-dead/64295/42 "2022-06-05T12:45:10Z")
> [@Mojo](#): > > Where do I apply? > [@\[Links\] Athom websites and user accounts](https://community.homey.app/t/links-athom-websites-and-user-accounts/43/1): > > **Athom Alpha Tester Program** > The purpose of this program is to give developers a chance to adjust their Apps to the latest firmware, before the firmware is released. It is important to be aware of the fact that the updates you will be receiving are very experimental, receive very limited QA testing and can possibly brick your Homey. Therefore it is not recommended to use the AATP updates on a Homey that you are heavily dependent on. It is always possible to unsubscribe from this channel and revert back to the Experimental channel. > > - [https://go.athom.com/aatp-apply](https://go.athom.com/aatp-apply) Please read the application carefully, it is not just asking and then getting early access. If you apply and are requested to join you sign a NDA and are also asked to install, test and give feedback on AATP Only Firmware’s and Mobile App versions, You also sometimes get Early Access to Athom Homey Apps, and or WebApp functionality in return for your bug reporting and constructive feedback. Athom keeps the the number of AATP members low and long time Inactive members are removed sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![robertklep](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/robertklep/32/160628_2.png) [@robertklep](https://community.homey.app/u/robertklep)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 1:15pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/homey-staff-is-homey-dead/64295/43 "2022-06-05T13:15:24Z")
> [@Adrian\_Rockall](#): > > Athom can’t win either way. If they talk about things they are working on then everyone is saying when will it be ready and complain about it being late. > When they release things early and there’s problems, users complain about it not being ready. You’re acting like Athom is the only company in the entire world that has to deal with that. In this day and age, it’s perfectly normal (or rather, it’s _expected_) for a company to openly discuss what they are working on, or at least to acknowledge that there are issues that they are trying to solve (most users will care much more about their issues or feature requests being acknowledged and not so much about exact timelines). ---
**Author:** ![Adrian\_Rockall](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/adrian_rockall/32/13209_2.png) [@Adrian\_Rockall](https://community.homey.app/u/Adrian_Rockall)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 2:00pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/homey-staff-is-homey-dead/64295/44 "2022-06-05T14:00:00Z")
> [@robertklep](#): > > You’re acting like Athom is the only company in the entire world that has to deal with that. Not at all. I agree it is a problem that many companies have to deal with. > [@robertklep](#): > > In this day and age, it’s perfectly normal (or rather, it’s _expected_) for a company to openly discuss what they are working on I’m not convinced the majority of companies are so open. I agree there are some but from my experience it is a minority. Most companies don’t want to divulge their new features from a competitive point of view as they don’t want to loose their lead. I’m not suggesting Athom are keeping quite for that reason, but I have seen on here over the years the amount of stick they got when they were more open and misjudged time scales. ---
**Author:** ![robertklep](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/robertklep/32/160628_2.png) [@robertklep](https://community.homey.app/u/robertklep)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 2:07pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/homey-staff-is-homey-dead/64295/45 "2022-06-05T14:07:23Z")
> [@Adrian\_Rockall](#): > > I’m not convinced the majority of companies are so open Fair enough. What I meant to say was companies that make a similar product. Homey is very much a community-driven product, and I find it very strange that Athom apparently doesn’t feel it’s part of that community by actively participating in it. ---
**Author:** ![Edwin\_D](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/edwin_d/32/136417_2.png) [@Edwin\_D](https://community.homey.app/u/Edwin_D)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 2:11pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/homey-staff-is-homey-dead/64295/46 "2022-06-05T14:11:46Z")
About non-communication: I know Thread and Matter will not save the world from all interoperability issues. That’s what we all have Homey or Home Assistant for. But what is Athom going to do to support devices that are being sold right now, and more to come? Are they secretly building it in to Homey Pro but not telling us because it will hurt their competitive edge? That makes no sense. Is the hardware even compatible? The zigbee chip is way old. Or are they building new hardware that is compatible and not telling us? Then Homey Pro is dead indeed. Or are they expecting other hubs to take care of it (that may make in the end make Homey obsolete, as Homey’s goal is no other bridges, and Homey does not have extension ports for USB dongles). Or are they just not doing anything about it because they have other priorities? Home Assistant is giving workshops, explaining it will support it and building a new kit that has support out of the box. How is communicating that hurting them? ---
**Author:** ![Dijker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Dijker](https://community.homey.app/u/Dijker)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 2:18pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/homey-staff-is-homey-dead/64295/47 "2022-06-05T14:18:44Z")
> [@robertklep](#): > > In this day and age, it’s perfectly normal (or rather, it’s _expected_) for a company to openly discuss what they are working on I remember when they still did that, where very open , [constantly](https://forum.athom.com/discussion/1956/deadline-and-just-wondering) being reminded when something was delayed. Although I could live with the delays as many others, but the number of users constantly asking and discussing that without having a complete picture and criticising their delays, decisions, choices grows and clearly communicating to early or to much info didn’t work for them. You know the Dutch expression ‘De beste stuurlui staan aan wal’ (Literally: “The best helmsmen stand ashore” ) But Easy saying, and easier complaining on Social Media while they are doing the best they can and are also protecting ideas they didn’t release yet. I Expect they don’t want to do a small or half release now and have chosen to wait to release when it is finished according to their standards. With so many [vacancies](https://homey.app/nl-nl/careers/) I think there is no other risk than that they can’t develop and release faster. And I think Homey has a strong community seeing the number of members that said they stoped with Homey in favor of other / more complex / more open solutions still return for some reason 😉 ---
**Author:** ![robertklep](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/robertklep/32/160628_2.png) [@robertklep](https://community.homey.app/u/robertklep)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 2:19pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/homey-staff-is-homey-dead/64295/48 "2022-06-05T14:19:48Z")
> [@Edwin\_D](#): > > But what is Athom going to do to support devices that are being sold right now, and more to come? Well, some guy on Youtube said Matter doesn’t work. ---
**Author:** ![robertklep](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/robertklep/32/160628_2.png) [@robertklep](https://community.homey.app/u/robertklep)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 2:27pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/homey-staff-is-homey-dead/64295/49 "2022-06-05T14:27:29Z")
> [@Dijker](#): > > I remember when they still did that, where very open , [constantly](https://forum.athom.com/discussion/1956/deadline-and-just-wondering) being reminded when something was delayed. So here’s a novel solution for that problem: don’t set deadlines. That doesn’t mean issues and/or features cannot be discussed. > [@](#): > > With so many [vacancies](https://homey.app/nl-nl/careers/) I think there is no other risk than that they can’t develop and release faster. “Enschede of Utrecht”. It’s funny how Dutch companies, even relatively young ones, still adhere to 20th century company paradigms where workers can’t be trusted unless they work at an office every day. > [@](#): > > And I think Homey has a strong community seeing the number of members that said they stoped with Homey in favor of other / more complex / more open solutions still return for some reason 😉 Secretly persuading people to move to the blue side 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Edwin\_D](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/edwin_d/32/136417_2.png) [@Edwin\_D](https://community.homey.app/u/Edwin_D)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 2:30pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/homey-staff-is-homey-dead/64295/50 "2022-06-05T14:30:14Z")
> [@robertklep](#): > > Well, some guy on Youtube said Matter doesn’t work. So Athom could say we do not believe it, and this is why. Or they can tell us what it can and cannot do and what that means for Homey. Now I just think they are ignoring the market they are supposedly catering to and/or have no clue. Or they are hoping it will silently blow over. They are supposed to help us consumers understand what it means for their product. ---
**Author:** ![Adrian\_Rockall](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/adrian_rockall/32/13209_2.png) [@Adrian\_Rockall](https://community.homey.app/u/Adrian_Rockall)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 2:48pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/homey-staff-is-homey-dead/64295/51 "2022-06-05T14:48:03Z")
> [@robertklep](#): > > and I find it very strange that Athom apparently doesn’t feel it’s part of that community by actively participating in it. I can’t disagree with that. It would be nice if they spent a bit more time communicating with the community about problems that arise. They would probably find one post on here would prevent many questions to support and save their time in the long run. ---
**Author:** ![Dijker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Dijker](https://community.homey.app/u/Dijker)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 3:03pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/homey-staff-is-homey-dead/64295/52 "2022-06-05T15:03:22Z")
> [@robertklep](#): > > some guy on Youtube said Matter doesn’t work. no, more a kind of: ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/uploads/athom/original/3X/7/a/7acffe4c1680103dfbe8dfc7b659d953e4c2ea35.png) So what Paul Hibbert in my opinion tries to explain: @Edwin_D How many device that support Matter do you already have and how many not supporting matter are you going to replace when one Controller or Bridge (doesn’t matter if that would be Homey ) would support it. If matter is making integration between devices of different brands easier I think that is one for long term, Homey Pro is taking that place now for me. Unless IKEA has an AATP like channel I am not interested in a [“IKEA launches DIRIGERA – the Matter ready hub for smart products and a new IKEA Home smart app”](https://about.ikea.com/en/newsroom/2022/05/25/ikea-launches-dirigera-the-matter-ready-hub-for-smart-products-and-a-new-ikea-home-smart-app) until it is actually in the store. but a list of [59 devices](https://matter-smarthome.de/en/overview-products-compatible-with-matter/) that directly integrate with matter is impressive [1] 1) Read all footnotes. Also great, the Impact of announcing a new product, ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/uploads/athom/original/3X/8/9/891e489fceb37d379f5e7ff0fe5ad765c0a784d7.png) ---
**Author:** ![nickevackerdag](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/nickevackerdag/32/48871_2.png) [@nickevackerdag](https://community.homey.app/u/nickevackerdag)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 3:11pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/homey-staff-is-homey-dead/64295/53 "2022-06-05T15:11:07Z")
Yes, that would probably be the best thing to do. I have paused my use of Homey, and might take it up again if bridge gets out of beta, so I don’t want it bad enough to post an issue ticket to them directly just for complaining. If they don’t care to read their own forums, I’m fine with that. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dijker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Dijker](https://community.homey.app/u/Dijker)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 3:27pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/homey-staff-is-homey-dead/64295/54 "2022-06-05T15:27:04Z")
> [@nickevackerdag](#): > > I have paused my use of Homey, and might take it up again if bridge gets out of beta, Perfect, I can suggest everyone: stop complaining, Status is here: (Yeah I know it is already 3 months old.) > **[The new Homey — Beta Status](https://homey.app/en-us/wiki/homey-beta-status/)** and for new / un-acknowledged issues / bugs and constructive feedback: > Found an issue? Please [report it here](https://homey.link/homey-cloud-feedback). Then it is directly visible to the responsible support / developers and they don’t have to spit thru the unstructured Community forum. Until then Live Happy and join the community for nice ideas ---
**Author:** ![Edwin\_D](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/edwin_d/32/136417_2.png) [@Edwin\_D](https://community.homey.app/u/Edwin_D)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 3:42pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/homey-staff-is-homey-dead/64295/55 "2022-06-05T15:42:11Z")
The question the video tries to answer is: is it going to be an improvement or solve interoperability issues all on it’s own. Most likely not. But the question Homey users will have is: Will I be able to link those devices to Homey Pro/cloud and do I need extra hardware. Or will Athom force me to by Homey Pro 2 or whatever they will call it. What developers will want to know is: will the Homey firmware make my life easier or will all integrations need to reinvent the wheel. Or is is going to be impossible. Right now I’ll settle for: does Athom even have a plan? ---
**Author:** ![robertklep](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/robertklep/32/160628_2.png) [@robertklep](https://community.homey.app/u/robertklep)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 3:58pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/homey-staff-is-homey-dead/64295/56 "2022-06-05T15:58:17Z")
> [@Dijker](#): > > but a list of [59 devices](https://matter-smarthome.de/en/overview-products-compatible-with-matter/) that directly integrate with matter is impressive That’s more than the number of Zigbee devices Homey can handle according to Athom, though. Also, it’s not about having Matter support _right now_, it’s about thinking one year or so ahead. Even if Athom is working on Matter/Thread support, keeping quiet about it seems very silly to me, so I will just assume they aren’t working on it. And if that’s the case, given the current state of the hardware, that one year ahead will fly by very fast. ---
**Author:** ![Edwin\_D](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/edwin_d/32/136417_2.png) [@Edwin\_D](https://community.homey.app/u/Edwin_D)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 9:53pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/homey-staff-is-homey-dead/64295/57 "2022-06-05T21:53:15Z")
> [@robertklep](#): > > Also, it’s not about having Matter support _right now_ Thread is already out there, so I do not think it will be long before these devices gain traction. There’s a list below of products you can buy right now: > **[Thread Benefits](https://threadgroup.org/What-is-Thread/Thread-Benefits)** > > Thread solves the complexities of the IoT, addressing challenges such as interoperability, security, power and architecture requirements. ---
**Author:** ![fkooten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/cdc98d/32.png) [@fkooten](https://community.homey.app/u/fkooten)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2022, 12:36pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/homey-staff-is-homey-dead/64295/58 "2022-06-06T12:36:25Z")
I agree, I disconnected my Homey bridge and will sell it. My Homey pro is doing ok ---
**Author:** ![Alessandro\_Rossi](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/alessandro_rossi/32/37432_2.png) [@Alessandro\_Rossi](https://community.homey.app/u/Alessandro_Rossi)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2022, 1:30pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/homey-staff-is-homey-dead/64295/59 "2022-06-06T13:30:23Z")
Personally, I think the most important part of the “ **Homey Pro vs. Home Assistant** ” comparison is summarized in the following excerpt: “_Home Assistant offers a configurable and customizable interface with integrations, add-ons, and advanced automations that are created & shared by a worldwide community._ _Homey Pro on the other hand is designed to work right out of the box. With an easy setup, guided pairing processes, and intuitive Flow creations, Homey is the better plug & play smart home hub._” I am passionate about home automation, general technology and computer technology, but with insufficient skills to fully master Home Assistant (_even if I’m using it for 3-4 years_), which remains a very powerful hub but fully exploitable by a “_elite group of semi-professionals_” (joking 🤪). Homey is much more intuitive and user friendly; I use Home Assistant almost exclusively to expose non-directly compatible devices to Homey. Just my two cents, as an average and lazy user (_home automation is the daily bread of us lazy people_ 🥖 🕶). ---
**Author:** ![Henk\_Renting](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/henk_renting/32/87634_2.png) [@Henk\_Renting](https://community.homey.app/u/Henk_Renting)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2022, 3:26pm UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/homey-staff-is-homey-dead/64295/60 "2022-06-06T15:26:16Z")
> [@robertklep](#): > > Is it really? At my place too: yes. My Homey Pro is super stable. For a long time now… Just check either what forum about either what electronic device and you will always find enough problems. Hardly anyone ever posts how few difficulties they have regarding a specific electronic device… > [@Mojo](#): > > that doesn’t prove to me, that Homey isn’t dead. I can only conclude, on what I can see I hope my doctor doesn’t work that way if I ever end up at an Intensive Care Unit…. 🙂 > [@Mojo](#): > > I didn’t ask you … I asked the Homey staff … it said that were clearly in the subject. Why having this discussion here in the first place then? As @Peter_Kawa pointed out in the first reply you should mail Athom directly, as they do not read along here (or at least so they say) and hardly ever reply here. You might disagree with that working method (I do); but it is what it is. ---
**Author:** ![Otter](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex025/user_avatar/community.homey.app/otter/32/11467_2.png) [@Otter](https://community.homey.app/u/Otter)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2022, 7:15am UTC](https://community.homey.app/t/homey-staff-is-homey-dead/64295/61 "2022-06-07T07:15:32Z")
My homey pro is chugging a long nicely! I haven’t had a problem for a while now so thats really great. But I understand there needs to be progress! The homeydash has some unfinished business that I’d like to see resolved. And I really hope they will improve a lot more on the hub/dash front! Maybe even some hardware related upgrades, a homey with a screen perhaps just like a mountable tablet or google hub form factor. On the software side, never change a winning team. Just expand with more integrations! [Previous page](https://community.homey.app/t/homey-staff-is-homey-dead/64295.md?page=2) [Next page](https://community.homey.app/t/homey-staff-is-homey-dead/64295.md?page=4)