I’ve had the Homey Pro since launch but have only a handful of devices connected like a couple of zigbee light bulbs, Aqara temp/humidity sensor etc. I’ve now decided to replace my current home alarm system that I pay for monthly for, with something I can manage by myself. So the plan is to st art off with buying up to ~30 window/door sensors, possibly Aqara Window/Door Sensor T1 (or any other, recommendations?).
So my question is - how do I best have it all connected to Homey to then set up flows? Should I focus on buying a single brand like Aqara sensors (or some other brand) and an Aqara hub that I then connect to Homey? Or a generic “zigbee matter/thread gateaway” from Amazon? Or can I (or should I?) connect the devices directly to Homey? I also imagine that I will at some point start replacing all old light bulbs/spot lights with smart devices with zigbee or matter.
So what is the best solution when one starts having 50+ zigbee (or matter) devices? Do I need a hub dedicated to those devices that is then connected to Homey or do I just connect them directly to Homey?
When using another hub to connect these devices there are some things to keep in mind.
This hub will create a different zigbee network and the strength of it will depend on the amount of powered devices which are creating connection points (routers). If you go the matter/thread route this network can be merged into an existing thread network to make a very solid network.
The bigger advantage of using a specific brand hub over a “generic” hub is that you will get firmware updates for your devices. I have been using zigbee2mqtt myself which also provide updates, but so far none of my battery powered devices get updated with new firmware.
Usually, a zigbee network can handle 40 to 50 devices on the same channel before it starts to slow down and you would need another hub to connect to. With thread that number is much higher, as a thread network can have about 16 routers and each router can have about 500 end devices (reverence)
Unified Control:
With HomeyLink, you can control devices connected to a secondary Homey Pro from your primary one, providing a unified interface for managing smart home devices across different locations or areas within your home.
Scalability:
If you have a large home or multiple locations, linking multiple Homey Pros allows for seamless management without needing separate interfaces.
Simplified Management:
It simplifies the process of monitoring and controlling devices that might otherwise require separate hubs or networks.
Considerations for Zigbee Devices
Network Structure:
Each linked Homey Pro will still manage its own Zigbee network unless you use additional software solutions like Zigbee2MQTT to integrate these networks under one management system.
Device Limitations:
While each Homey Pro can handle many devices (thanks to mesh networking), using multiple hubs might be necessary if you exceed the practical limits of device connections per hub or need better coverage across larger spaces.
Please realize Homey uses a shared chip for zigbee & Matter-over-Thread.
The Home Assistant community advices to use separate devices for both protocols, to avoid instability and other vague issues. Which is unfortunately not possible with one Pro 23.
The Pro 23 can handle up to 200 zigbee devices, but I’d devide that number in two.
A Hue bridge for instance, has a 50 device limit for a reason. Maybe it can handle more, but that can cause a higher risk of an unstable network.
Very useful zigbee info, to avoid common configuring- and tuning mistakes:
