after trying Homey SHS paired with my Home Assistant installation using an Aeotec Z-Stick Pro 10, I decided to switch to Homey Pro (2026) but I was a bit disappointed with the Zigbee coverage.
Now I want to understand whether it’s better for me to add Zigbee router devices or use the Homey Bridge.
Does Homey handle everything locally, and does it stay that way even without internet if the devices are connected to the bridge?
Currently, I have Homey installed in the basement where I have a small UPS that keeps my FTTH line active for about 30 minutes during a power outage, along with my Fortigate firewall with Fortiswitches and FortiAP access points powered by the switches, and the Synology NAS where Home Assistant was running in Docker and now also my Homey Pro (2026).
So the question is, if internet goes down, does everything remain operational including the Homey Bridge, or does it go offline?
It’s unclear if you want to use the Bridge together with an HP2026, or with Homey SHS, because it serves two very different purposes depending on that:
with the HP2026, the Bridge will just act as any other repeater
with Homey SHS, the Bridge will provide the hardware required for protocols like Zigbee (and also Z-Wave, BLE, IR, RF), and it will be the Zigbee controller
In the first case, the Bridge is just overpriced and you are better off buying 3 or 4 Zigbee devices capable of routing for the same price as the Bridge
In the second case, you should consider that the Bridge Zigbee hardware is outdated and limited, and you’re better off running Zigbee somewhere else (like in HA, or with Zigbee2MQTT) and interface with Homey SHS through apps.
I decided to migrate everything to my Homey Pro (2026) which I received and installed a couple of days ago. However, I noticed that, installed in the same spot where I have Home Assistant with the Aeotec Z-Stick Pro 10, the Zigbee network of Homey Pro 2026 is not as stable and strong as the one I had with the Aeotec Z-Stick Pro 10.
I’ll follow your advice and replace some old Shelly devices with modern Zigbee equivalents that have router functions, and at that point I should solve the network coverage problem… I hope.
To answer your question: with HP2026, it’s just a ZigBee and ZWave router (so that works offline). For the IR and RF features, it only requires internet during startup. It can work locally afterwards
I have recently added some Shelly PM2 Gen4 devices to control roller shutters. Works perfect. Use the webapp to change the Shelly’s to the zigbee firmware, at the same time calibrate the shutters, and change other settings if you want to. I have disabled bluetooth and Wifi-accespoint, but kept WIfi, so that I can simply access them again if necessary.
Linking them to Homey using the Shelly app, choosing the appropriate PM2 Gen4 Zigbee integration, and the devices are up and running. They don’t need internet for normal operation.
