One of the key themes we see in smart homes is compatibility. Matter technology aims to bridge the gap between different smart home platforms. Apart from Matter, HOOBS is one of my favorite HomeKit extension products. It is built on Homebridge as a commercial product that is well supported. In early 2023, HOOBS Pro looks like a powerful tool for building the best smart home system.
HomeKit Weekly is a series of articles covering smart home accessories, automation tips and tricks, and everything related to the Apple smart home system.
What is HOOBS?
HOOBS is a commercial open source version of the Homebridge project. If you're not someone who wants to run your own server and fiddle around with a lot of settings, but wants to take advantage of Homebridge, then HOOBS is for you. This happens in three different ways. First, with a real box that you connect to your network. The second comes with a pre-installed micro SD card. The third is a free download of the HOOBS image (there is a donation option to support development). If you purchase an SD card or download an image, you will also need to purchase and set up a Rasberry Pi, case, power adapter, etc. to set it up.
Installation is easy after unpacking the device. After you connect it to the network and turn on the power, you go to http://hoobs.local to start the setup process. The main benefit of HOOBS is that you get all the benefits of Homebridge without having to set it up yourself. The wizard will guide you through setting up a username and password, adding a device to HomeKit, and adding devices. After you set it up, you can also run it without Wi-Fi. Since the box is so small, it is easy to store it next to the router. The whole process from start to finish took about 10 minutes. If you want to see the whole catalog, you can check the catalog created by HOOBS.
What is HOOBS Pro?
HOOBS Pro aims to eliminate the need for all other smart home hubs and enables direct pairing and control of over 5,000 devices. It has special hardware specifically designed for use in smart homes. It includes increased power for fast accessory response times and camera streaming. HOOBS Pro includes a square-shaped anodized brushed aluminum body. The plastic top allows the antennas to have greater reach.
HOOBS Pro includes:
- 1.6GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A53
- 16GB Ultra Fast Onboard Storage
- 2GB LPDDRA DRAM
- USB-C
- 1GB Ethernet
- 2.4/5GHz Wi-Fi802.11 a /b/g/n/ac
- Bluetooth v5.0
- Thread Border Router Mesh Module
- 2 x USB 3.1 for future extensions
- Acts as a Zigbee 3.0 hub so you can use over 2400 Zigbee accessories
HOOBS Pro Thread and Zigbee mesh networking capabilities allow you to directly link smart devices without need additional hubs or adapters. HOOBS Pro delivers high performance without a fan. The aluminum chassis dissipates system heat without a fan, so HOOBS Pro is completely silent.
Software On the other hand , HOOBS Pro has a multi-tier embedded Linux system with integrated fleet management that provides secure over-the-air updates with fast rollback in case of problems. The partitioned file system ensures continued stability, data integrity, and ease of recovery.
HOOBS Pro is now available for pre-order with an expected delivery date of March 2023. there is a full review when I can get my hands on one of these. If you're passionate about smart home technology and want to be able to access any HomeKit device, then HOOBS Pro is a great way to build a solid foundation in 2023. HOOBS will also launch a new cloud service and automation technology. in 2023.
