Homey’s New Touchscreen Portal Aims to Simplify the Frustrating Smart Home Experience
For many, the promise of a “smart home” has been eroded by a reality of menu-diving, app-switching, and unnecessary complexity. Where once a simple flick of a physical switch sufficed, modern automation often requires a series of commands just to dim the lights. This week, the Dutch smart home platform Homey—recently acquired by LG—announced a potential solution: the Homey Portal, a dedicated touchscreen controller designed to restore tactile simplicity to the connected home.
A Physical Interface for a Digital World
The Homey Portal is a 2.8-inch round touchscreen device featuring an elegant stainless steel dial. Designed to be either desk-mounted or wall-mounted, it acts as a centralized, physical hub for your home’s ecosystem. The device relies on a USB-C connection for power and offers an intuitive interface where users can tap icons to manage lights, thermostats, blinds, and speakers. The rotary dial provides a satisfying manual way to fine-tune brightness, volume, and temperature without ever reaching for a smartphone.
“We’ve always wanted a smart home to feel as simple as flipping a light switch,” said Stefan Witkamp, CEO of Athom, Homey’s parent company. The goal is to provide a dedicated, accessible control point that eliminates the reliance on smartphone apps for everyday interactions.
Unmatched Interoperability
The primary hurdle for any smart home controller is the “walled garden” problem—the tendency for devices from different brands to play poorly together. Homey aims to bypass this with its vast ecosystem, claiming support for over 70,000 devices from more than 2,000 brands. The Portal supports major industry standards, including Matter, Zigbee, Z-Wave, and Thread, positioning it as one of the most versatile control panels on the market.
While the device does not feature a built-in microphone for voice commands, it integrates seamlessly with existing voice assistants, including Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Siri Shortcuts.
A Hub-Based Architecture
It is important to note that the Portal itself is not the hub; it is a controller that communicates with a Homey backend. Users will need to connect the Portal to one of Homey’s existing platform options, such as the Homey Pro hub, the Homey Pro Mini, or a self-hosted Homey server.
Homey emphasizes that these hubs provide essential local communication, ensuring that even if the internet drops, your automations and physical controls remain fully operational. Additionally, the company is rolling out a new feature that allows for direct device firmware updates via the Homey platform, bypassing the need for third-party manufacturer apps.
Pricing and Availability
The Homey Portal is currently available for preorder at an introductory price of $249/€249. Once the promotion ends, the price will rise to $299/€299. For homeowners looking to outfit multiple rooms—such as the kitchen, living room, and bedroom—the costs could add up quickly, especially when accounting for the required additional hardware hubs. Units are expected to begin shipping to customers in December.
As the smart home market becomes increasingly crowded with touchscreen switches from competitors like Aqara, Shelly, and Brilliant, Homey’s edge lies in its massive device library and its commitment to a “plug-and-play” experience. Whether this device can truly deliver on the dream of a seamless, uncluttered smart home remains to be seen, but it represents a sophisticated step toward a more intuitive future.
