One of the key themes we’re seeing with smart homes is compatibility. Matter technology aims to bridge the gap between the various smart home platforms. Outside of Matter, HOOBS is one of my favorite products to extend the usefulness of HomeKit. It’s built on top of Homebridge as a commercial product that’s well supported. In early 2023, HOOBS Pro looks like a heavy hitter for building the best smart home system.
HomeKit Weekly is a series focused on smart home accessories, automation tips and tricks, and everything to do with Apple’s smart home framework.
What is HOOBS?
HOOBS is a commercialized version of the open-source Homebridge project. If you’re not someone who wants to run your own server and tinker with a lot of settings, but want the benefits of Homebridge, then HOOBS is for you. It comes in three different ways. The first is with an actual box that you plug into your network. The second comes preloaded on a micro SD card. The third is downloading the HOOBS image for free (there is a donation option to support development). If you purchase the SD card or download the image, you’ll also need to buy and set up a Rasberry Pi, case, power adaptor, etc. to get it set up.
Installation is easy after you unbox the device. Once you plug it up to your network and to power, you visit http://hoobs.local to begin the setup process. The main benefit of HOOBS is that you get all of the advantages of Homebridge without having to set it up yourself. The wizard walks you by configuring a username and password, adding the device to HomeKit, and adding devices. After you get it set up, you can have it run off of Wi-Fi as well. Since the box is so small, it’s easy to store next to your router. This entire process took around 10 minutes from start to finished. If you want to browse the whole catalog, you can check out the directory that HOOBS has built.
What is HOOBS Pro?
HOOBS Pro aims to eliminate the need for all other smart home hubs and enables direct pairing and control for over 5,000 devices. It has custom hardware specially designed for use with smart homes. It includes increased power enabling fast accessory response time and camera streaming. HOOBS Pro includes a square-shaped enclosure made of anodized, brushed aluminum. A plastic top allows for antennas to have a farther reach.
Top comment by JustNeedItForDev
Assuming Matter takes off, buying this now seems like a waste, especially when you can set this up with a raspberry pi, mesh kit, "high speed" micro SD card and a couple of hours for about $100, but that's just my opinion.
HOOBS Pro includes:
- 1.6 GHz Quadcore ARM Cortex-A53
- 16 GB Ultra Fast Embedded Storage
- 2 GB LPDDRA DRAM
- USB-C
- 1GB ethernet
- 2.4/5 GHz Wi-Fi802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
- Bluetooth v5.0
- Thread Border Router Mesh Module
- 2 x USB 3.1 for future expansion
- Acts as Zigbee 3.0 hub so you can use 2,400+ Zigbee accessories
HOOBS Pro’s Thread and Zigbee mesh networking capabilities allow you to pair smart devices directly, without the need for additional hubs or adapters. HOOBS Pro delivers high performance without a fan. The aluminum enclosure funnels the heat the system generates out without a fan so HOOBS Pro is completely silent.
Software-wise, HOOBS Pro has a multilayer embedded Linux system with integrated fleet management that enables secure over-the-air updates with quick rollbacks in the event of issues. The multi-partition file system is designed for continuous stability, data integrity, and easy recovery.
HOOBS Pro is now available for preorder with an expected shipment date of March 2023, and I’ll have a full review when I can get my hands on one of them. If you’re passionate about smart home technology and want to have access to any device in HomeKit, then HOOBS Pro looks to be a great way to build a strong foundation in 2023. HOOBS will also launch a new cloud service and automation technology in 2023.
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