Yes, I could set a dedicated DHCP address, but I have my network divided in a range for real dedicated addresses and a dhcp pool. And i don’t want to make addresses dedicated in the DHCP scope.
For me it isn’t a big deal, i can see the actual address of all connected devices immediately in my routers page. But i can imagine that not everyone is able to do that (quickly).
I think it’s best to give Homey a fixed IP by ur DHCP server.
It could have prevent a lot of trouble for many users alr having a hard time to find Homey when she was offline. But that’s just what i think. Also have the range devided and Homey is in the fixed part of it. For DHCP i reserved 50 adresses. If there are more peeps on my birthday the bar will be full. Rest of the devices i own ALL have a fixed IP.
Why bother with the IP address? Just use homey.local
This site can’t be reached
homey.local ’s server IP address could not be found.
Hmm that’s not good.
In most cases the dhcp server (when in the router) would also be the networks dns server and homey reports that address when obtaining its lease. Or do you have a reservation in your dhcp?
Yep. And DHCP server is running on a Synology.
Aha, So that’s why it’s not working for you. Rule of thumb, when creating a dhcp reservation, also add a dns entry.
Doesn’t work in my network too alas…
That’s to bad. Does your dhcp server show a name on it’s lease? Do you know how nslookup works?
We’re sidetracking a bit here, but having a good name resolution in your network would enable you to use names instead of IP addresses.
I guess accessing Homey using the http://homey.local trick works based on mDNS, you don’t need the regular DNS server settings for that and mDNS is for Home-networking enabled by default in Windows 10 ( and maybe many other OS’s )
I tried the trick and wondered which of the Homeys would respond.
Homey broadcasts its name (if you rename your Homey) as .local in the mDNS client.
So my 3 Homeys are available by their respective names http://homey.local http://homeyRD.local and http://homeyProd.local. You only need an Internet connection to log on.
Tsss, you are right. Very stupid of me… I renamed my Homey. Tried name.local and of course that DOES work… 
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No Internet connection, no connection with apps and browser to the Homey
That one of the reason Homee is still working in my house and steers all security relevant processes.
I got a Homey Pro. My goal was to replace the Home Assistant, and I heard from videos and publications that Homey Pro was an “offline” first device.
To be “offline” first, I understand it would let me access the panel from my local network when my satellite connection is not working. And that is not my experience because it is an online first process to authenticate.
I’ll give the example of an offline first company: Unify.
Their devices have a portal that you can connect online and many online features that are convenient and highly valuable; however, they charge a premium price for an offline first environment. That environment consists of having a list of authentication users that can authenticate when the internet is not working. No features stop working when the internet is not working.
I expected Homey Pro to stop working with devices requiring a cloud API to work, but it surprised me that I couldn’t authenticate to the device without the internet. This should be a P0 (Urgent) task to implement a way to allow the user to authenticate offline on their devices.
Here is how to do it properly:
- Do not redirect to a different domain when the user opens the local network IP or DNS.
- First, ping the online portal; if reachable, go ahead and redirect; otherwise, stay local.
- Once the user sets and authenticates the device online, copy the credentials with a local key and mutated hash so the user can use the same username and password without exposing your online stored hash.
- Have a local-only user/password if the user wants (unify is a perfect example of how this should be done).
Once this is done and users can log in, access the device without the internet, and change their configurations, the Homey company can advertise Homey Pro as an “offline first” device.
Until then, this “online device” has limited offline functionalities.
This is just a user forum. I guess you want to address Athom?
It’s been like this for years, so Athom just don’t care 
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I’m sure they follow their own community. They might not care about it, but maybe if a product manager learn that there is a short and quick track to do it, and a long term ideal track (adding local users support) maybe, that will help them to change it.
Tho I’m considering returning the product, as it fails on the highest requirement for me on a home automation product, that is to be fully functional offline.
I honestly can’t justify any automation device that requires cloud to work, as over the years the old hardware will not justify the expenses required to keep cloud servers supporting the hardware, therefore over the years even if I don’t change anything on my Zigbee network, this device will stop working and my house automation will stop working even nothing had changed.
It’s the reason why I prefer consuming HomeKit supported devices, as it requires to support the protocol that the product doesn’t do any online operation, and that makes the product and protocol future-proof.
A great example of disastrous cloud based device is MyQ, that recently removed third-party API, and included ads in their very slow app. And likely in a few years will require monthly service to keep working or just brick the devices.
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I do share your concerns, but I only wanted to point out if you want to talk to Athom (and be heard), you’d really write to https://homey.app/support.
I started also with HA for this reason, while it really is local only, and I’m quite concerned about the possibility of bankruptcy (see ThermoSmart debacle, or what about the vanMoof cloud just taken down, and no one caring a f*ck about their customers), or Athom heading an other direction one day, and they let go of “the Athom/Homey cloud”, just like that.
I own a Pro 2019, and Athom support told me it could be managed for max. 2 weeks without their cloud. It is not much better for the Pro 2023 so it seems.
But, one part of the marketing yells is true if I’m right: when Home runs unattended, it does not need the cloud (if you don’t use cloud based apps that is).
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It dont require always internet to work, is the official app that require cloud connection for comunicate with homey. Local api work without internet and you can make some operation with homey pro 2023 and an api key
It does check the license every 14 days; if it fails to update, the device stops working. It does require the Internet.
If they were local first, or local everywhere like advertised, they would be able to certificate with Apple HomeKit. Still, because their device requires the internet to validate and set up, it is a cloud device with limited local network functionalities, which will block the certification process for HomeKit-certified devices.
Sad that it is straightforward for them to fix it because to be an entirely local device, they don’t need to expose their dashboard; they only need a way to do the minimal/manual setup in the local network without connecting to the internet, and the device should stay working as long as in the local network and have power.
If they are not changing that, is either for greed or because they have plans in the future to force a cloud membership monthly fee to their customer base of the Homey Pro too.
It needs to refresh its authentication token every 14 days, there is no license check.
“Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity”
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