LG acquires Athom

Off-Topic
121

This is exactly my struggle with HA and the reason my transition to HA is not going as fast as i would like it to go.

I just installed “Node-red” but the app keeps crashing, now i know (thanks to the manual posted by @robertklep) that i need to;

" 2. Set a credential_secret, which is used to encrypt sensitive data. This is just a “password”, which you should save in a secondary location."

I don’t know how to do this…
To have something running on HA is way harder then it is on Homey.
I can’t do this in the 15 minutes of spare time i have left on some days…
You really need to dive in a lot more to get things done.

I am going to ditch Homey in the end but damn… this learning curve… pfff…

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122

I’m getting a “look at us being great” vibe from that message…
Possibly because they did not receive an invite from a big player like LG.

123

At a personal level: well done @Emile and @Stefan Well done.
You made it happen. Not many can pull this off.

As for the company,
I really hope you do keep caring about your customers, unlike many others.

No one mentioned it yet, but now is the time to enable

local authentication, and real offline access & control

also for Pro 2019 models.
Because “clouds” are disappearing as quick as they appeared when big changes like this occur with companies.

I really now need the possibility for my Homey “Kügels” to be managed offline completely.

I hope this makes it to your todo list :white_check_mark:

All the best,
Peet

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124

Local authentication and local dashboard should be done before handing Homey to LG. Not everyone wants to be user of LG’s products. I’m happy with what I have now, I’m considers also turning off updates, but I don’t know for how long Homey Pro will work with authentication API in the future.
I’ve noticed that my simplest flows (when move detected, turn on the light) don’t work properly without Internet connection. There is a huge delay or it don’t work at all, and it’s weird because flow don’t rely on Internet connection.

I feel like I’ve been sold to other company, my privacy, my automations, it’s weird that you are buying product which is evolving, and may be bought and changed by other company in direction, you don’t want to. Would be different when Homey was truly local - you are the only owner and noone can change it. Like in old times. Now everything is in the cloud or rely on the cloud.

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125

So what is REALLY disappointing and ugly, is this news was spotted by a community member. What the hell were your communication services doing… we feel like trashes… sold for millions.

Why not communicating before… what a mess.

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126

So guys, let’s en masse request for real local access for all Pro models now!
To finally make Homey your Homey, not LG’s Homey, and get independent from that horrible cloud shit.

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127

It already is LG’s Homey.

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128

It’s the beginning of the end for Homey.

LG’s news release makes it clear what aspects they’re interested in: collecting customers usage patterns / data to train their AI algorithm, and integrating parts of Homey OS (probably stuff like energy monitoring) into their existing LG ThinQ app.

I find it curious how different the news releases are, with Homey claiming “We remain committed to making Homey the best privacy-first smart home platform” and LG’s opening line saying “Company to Gain Deeper Insights Into Customers’ Lifestyle and Usage Patterns and Accelerate LG ThinQ AI Home Business” … If customer data is being used to train AI models (among other things) then your platform is in no way “privacy-first.”

Given that this acquisition is primarily about data (and software), expect more push towards the cloud and more prioritization of LG’s own devices instead of competitors. It’s highly doubtful LG has any interest in growing Homey as a brand or selling $400 hardware hubs to a tiny subset of smart home enthusiasts.

I don’t see this being a good thing for developer ecosystem either. It’s one thing for community members to volunteer making apps to help the small “underdog” company that started on Kickstarter succeed. Less so when it’s a multi-billion dollar corporation benefiting from your countless hours of free work. Given that LG is a competitor to many of these companies like Samsung, Sony, etc I wouldn’t expect much in the way of official partnerships either. I can only see this being a bad thing in terms of app support.

These acquisitions always end up going the same way, with executives from the acquired company assuring their users that nothing will change, but it always does in the end. LG will allow Homey to operate “independently” for a while until they integrate what they want into their own products, and then the layoffs and potential closure will come in a few years after they acquire the remaining 20% stake in the company.

I don’t think it’s a wise idea to invest any time or money into Homey, realistically, I don’t see it lasting long-term.

10 Likes
129

Once you read this one, you get it’s the beginning of a Game Over countdown.

has acquired an 80% stake

How many developers would like to work for LG for free?
It’s all about a mindset and a TRUST concept Homey built for over 10 years…

What a waste.

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130

LG Electronics has acquired an 80% stake in Athom , with plans to integrate Homey’s connectivity capabilities into LG’s ThinQ platform.

This is the end of Homey. LG openly states our data like FB will be sold. I have cameras, Pc’s, Google assistant connected. There is a huge potential for home privacy loss. I am shocked this has happened.

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131

Always thought this would happen. I always thought that Google would do this, but fortunately not, because only then would this be the end of Homey. See what Google did with Google Earth (originally German) and what they did with Sonos.
Since the introduction of Homey Pro 2023 in the United States, they have received nothing but rave reviews from dozens of video vloggers. Together with Amazon Alexa, Home Assistant and Samsung’s Smart Things were the platforms with the greatest success. The Homey Pro has changed that.
Many users of Home Assistant and Samsung Smart thing have switched to the Homey Pro as the ultimate hub that makes Matter redundant. The advantage is the user-friendliness and ease of use. The disadvantage is the price, but apparently that is not the stumbling block.
LG is a Korean company, known worldwide and a major competitor of Samsung. By taking Homey under their wings, they immediately have one of the best smart hubs on the market. I expect that many manufacturers of smart home products will now ensure that an app becomes available for Homey. Just like with Google, Amazon, Smart things and Home Assistant. I read that LG now owns 80% and will possibly take over the remaining 20% ​​in three years.
That is the period they need to adapt their products. I expect a new hub within a few years, not with the Homey logo, but simply the LG brand name on it. What we are seeing now is a battle to control the smart home market. And yes, it is possible that we will be bored within a few years and will be saddled with a worthless Homey Pro 2023. But remember, nothing lasts forever, you don’t buy an electric car for life, even if they last anyway.
Time will tell, in the meantime I am enjoying the possibilities that Homey Pro provides me.

3 Likes
132

That’s not needed, you need to turn off TLS/SSL from the Configuration tab (make sure to save).

133

Just purchased my Homey Pro one week ago. I’m gonna return it today. Seen this story too many times with other tech companies. After all its not a cheap device. Lucky to have 14 days full return right. Sad thing I really liked it, but I can always just purchase a new one in 4 years when LG have acquired the company fully. :wink::wink:

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134

Too bad, my return period has long since ended. If Athom were still offering me this opportunity, I’d get a parcel ready straight away!

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135

Hold off on the panics. This could be a solid backing for the Homey Pro and so good growth potential and solid programming. Having moved from SmartThings v1, Homey Pro Advanced Flow is way easier. Sure there are examples of mergers that didn’t go as well as planned. But the mergers that went well tend not to take front page news. If in a few years and it’s not going well, then I’ll switch. It’s to early to panic.

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136

I wanted to share my perspective because I believe we all need to take a step back and assess the situation objectively;

As stated in the press release, it truly is business as usual. Everything we have been working on, including dashboards, device groups, and other projects, will continue as planned.

Instead of reinventing the wheel, LG has chosen to acquire Homey—arguably one of the best smart home platforms available (yes, I’m a bit biased here :yum:). This acquisition allows LG to immediately compete with other major platforms.

As Emile already said:

I understand that this news may be unsettling and raise many questions, but I want to reassure you that there is no cause for concern.

From a partnership perspective, which is my bread and butter at the company, I can offer some insights:

I joined Athom last September, having previously worked with Google. Transitioning from a major tech company to a smaller one required some adjustment. I often found myself explaining to external parties what Athom does and why our platform is valuable, when before at Google that wasn’t the case.

When reaching out to potential partners, it can take considerable effort to convince them to integrate with Homey rather than with Google Home, Amazon Alexa, or Samsung SmartThings. With Homey now being part of LG, this will change for the better. They will have to take us seriously now, which means more partners on the platform and ultimately a better experience for every single user.

And no, we won’t actively deny any company from joining the Talks With Homey partnership program. We are a neutral party here and believe that Homey only works if we remain this way. So you can still buy a Samsung, Philips, or Sony TV with the peace of mind that it will work with Homey. LG also understands that it won’t work if we start excluding brands.

Again, I truly understand your concerns. But give us a chance to prove to you that they aren’t needed. :wink:

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137

Companys can deny your program. What companys what to give away all their telematics to LG via homey? I would refuse.

I dont want to give away my work to LG to use for free.

Yesterday I requested to have my apps removed from the App Store. Sad to do it but I am happy I didn’t invest in the new homey now.

I hope more developers will remove their apps to show that we are not happy with this.

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138

I won’t be able to return it in a few years so better just do it today. In my experience, such merges almost never end well for the smaller company and it’s users. Anyway should I be wrong in this case I can always just buy a LG Homey Pro in a few years. :wink: Personally, I just don’t want to make that 400 euro bet.

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139

There is something I really expect from this change. Hopefully paid apps will come to the store to make app development sustainable and fruitful for developers.

140

Ok, that is " Swedish holiday app

And what would be the second one?

1 Like