Homey Smart Home Hubs at Maplin: Which One Is Right for Your Home?

The right smart home hub turns a range of separate apps into one home that runs itself. Homey is one of the few hubs that talks to almost everything: over 50,000 devices from more than 1,000 brands, across Zigbee, Z-Wave, Matter, Thread, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, infrared and 433 MHz.

That matters because most homes end up mixed. Your smart bulbs speak Zigbee, an older door sensor speaks Z-Wave, a new plug speaks Matter, and the TV only listens to an infrared remote. Without a hub, each needs its own app and its own rules. With Homey, they sit in one app and work together in automations Homey calls Flows.

Maplin stocks three Homey hubs: the Homey Pro, the Homey Pro mini and the Homey Bridge. They suit very different homes, so this guide matches each one to the people it fits best.

The Homey Pro does everything locally with every radio built in; the Pro mini does the same for less by dropping some radios; the Bridge is the low-cost entry point that runs through Homey's cloud.

Both Pro models run the same Homey Pro software with no feature limits between them, including Advanced Flow, Energy and Dashboards. The 2026 Homey Pro doubles the RAM of the 2023 model and is supported until at least June 2031.

You have a few smart plugs and bulbs and want them to work together without spending much. The Homey Bridge costs £71.99, plugs into any socket and joins your Wi-Fi, so there is nothing to wire and nothing left behind when you move.

• Try this Flow: At sunset, switch on the living room lamp and close the smart blinds.
• Good to know: The free plan covers 5 devices; past that, Homey Premium is £2.99 a month. Automations run in the cloud, so they pause if your broadband drops.

You are buying new kit and want it to last. Matter and Thread are the new standards backed by Apple, Google, Amazon and Samsung, and the Pro mini is a Thread Border Router and Matter hub in a palm-sized box for £214.99.

• Try this Flow: When the last phone leaves home, turn off every light, drop the heating to 16°C and switch on the cameras.
• Good to know: It connects by Ethernet cable to your router, so place it near your router or a wired access point.

If you own Philips Hue, IKEA, Aqara or Tuya Zigbee devices, the Pro mini pairs them directly, with no need for each brand's own hub. That can free up several sockets and router ports.

• Try this Flow: When an Aqara door sensor opens after 11pm, turn the hallway Hue lights on at 20% brightness.

Your home has grown over years: Z-Wave sensors, 433 MHz sockets, an infrared air conditioner, Bluetooth gadgets and new Matter plugs. The Homey Pro has every one of those radios built in, so it can retire a pile of separate bridges and remotes.

• Try this Flow: When the bedroom passes 24°C, send the infrared "cool" command to the air conditioner and close the blinds.
• Already own a Pro mini? Adding a Homey Bridge gives it Z-Wave, Bluetooth LE, 433 MHz and infrared.

Homey Energy shows which devices use the most power and when. Pair it with smart plugs that measure consumption or a supported energy meter, then let Flows act on what it sees.

• Try this Flow: When the washing machine's plug draws under 5 W for 3 minutes, send "Washing done" to everyone's phone.
• Try this Flow: Turn off standby devices like the TV and games console at midnight.

You want automations that run with no internet, unlimited devices and room to grow. The 2026 Homey Pro has 4 GB of RAM for 100+ apps, plus HomeyScript (JavaScript) and Advanced Flow, a drag-and-drop canvas for complex logic.

• Try this Flow: A "Good night" scene that checks every door and window sensor, tells you which are open, and only then locks up and arms the alarm.
• Good to know: Because everything runs locally, your lights and sensors keep working through a broadband outage.

Instead of a Hue Bridge, an IKEA hub and a Z-Wave stick, one Homey covers them. Zigbee is built into all three models. Matter and Thread come with both Pro models, and Z-Wave comes with the Homey Pro and the Bridge.

Every Flow is a simple When… And… Then… card. When motion is detected, and it's after sunset, then turn on the hall light. Pro owners also get Advanced Flow, which links many triggers and conditions on one canvas.

Homey apps add support for brands like Philips Hue, Sonos, Nest, Ring, Shelly and IKEA. The Pro models also run community apps written by Homey users, which fill in niche and older devices. Already using Shelly? Our Shelly smart home guide pairs well with a Homey.

Homey works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, so you can trigger Flows by voice. Day to day, the Homey app on iOS, Android and the web controls everything from one screen.

What is the difference between Homey Pro and Homey Pro mini? Both run the same software locally. The Homey Pro adds Z-Wave, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 433 MHz and infrared, plus 4 GB of RAM for 100+ apps. The Pro mini has Zigbee, Matter and Thread, connects by Ethernet and runs about 20–25 apps.

Do I need a subscription with Homey? Not with the Homey Pro or Pro mini: there are no monthly fees. The Homey Bridge uses Homey Cloud, which is free for up to 5 devices; Homey Premium (£2.99 a month) unlocks unlimited devices.

Can I add a Homey Bridge to a Homey Pro mini? Yes. A Bridge gives the Pro mini Z-Wave, Bluetooth LE, 433 MHz and infrared, bringing it close to the full Homey Pro's device support.

Is Homey a Matter hub? Yes. Both the Homey Pro and Homey Pro mini are Matter controllers and Thread Border Routers. The Homey Bridge does not support Matter.

Can Homey replace my Philips Hue Bridge or other Zigbee hubs? In most cases, yes. All three Homey hubs have Zigbee built in, so Zigbee bulbs, sensors and switches can pair to Homey directly.

Does Homey work without the internet? The Homey Pro and Pro mini run automations locally, so Zigbee, Z-Wave, Matter and Thread devices keep working offline. The Homey Bridge relies on the cloud, and cloud-only devices need the internet with any hub.

Homey Pro vs Home Assistant: which is better? Home Assistant is free, open-source software that suits people happy to set up and maintain their own system. Homey Pro is a ready-made hub with a polished app, built-in radios and official support, so it suits people who want local control without the tinkering.

The best smart home hub is the one that fits the devices you already own and the home you're building towards.

• Starting small or renting? The Homey Bridge is the easiest way in.
• Building around Zigbee, Matter and Thread? The Homey Pro mini gives you local control with no monthly fees.
• Got a mix of old and new devices, or want room to grow? The Homey Pro (2026) does it all in one box.

Browse the full Homey range at Maplin and bring every corner of your smart home together.