From Streaming Screen to Smart Home Hub
The television is quietly taking on a new role: smart home hub TV. Instead of being just a destination for movies and shows, the biggest screen in the house is becoming a central dashboard for TV-based home automation. Homey’s new apps for Android TV and LG webOS showcase how this shift works in practice. Once installed, users simply scan a QR code to log in, turning their familiar TV interface into an Android TV smart home control panel or an LG webOS smart home dashboard. Favorites such as lights, thermostats, and scenes sit front and center, so you can adjust a lamp or launch a bedtime routine without digging through nested menus. This evolution aligns with a broader industry trend: as streaming platforms mature, manufacturers are layering on new capabilities that treat TVs as multi-purpose computing devices rather than single-function entertainment boxes.
Inside Homey’s Android TV and LG webOS Experience
Homey’s latest apps are tailored specifically for remote-first navigation, not touchscreens. After logging in via QR code, users land on a clean interface where Favorites provide one-tap access to their most-used devices, Flows, and Moods. That means dimming lights for movie night, arming a security system, or triggering a “Good Morning” routine directly from the couch. Dedicated sections for Devices and Flows allow deeper management of complex setups, from smart plugs and sensors to multi-step automations. Crucially, these TV apps plug into the broader Homey ecosystem, working with Homey Cloud, Homey Pro, Homey Pro mini, and self-hosted Homey Server deployments. On the TV side, the LG webOS app supports compatible smart TVs released in 2021 or later, while Android TV coverage extends to a wide range of set-top boxes and smart TVs that already power everyday streaming.
TVs as Viable Alternatives to Dedicated Smart Home Hubs
As platforms like Homey move onto living room screens, smart TVs are emerging as credible alternatives to standalone hubs. For many households, a TV is already the most frequently used device in the home, with a convenient remote always within reach. Turning that screen into a smart home hub TV consolidates control, eliminating the need to reach for a phone or buy a separate touchscreen panel. The experience also benefits from the TV’s size: dashboards and device states are more legible, and household members who don’t own the primary user’s phone can still manage lights, blinds, or scenes. While dedicated hubs may still offer advanced automation and local processing, TV-based home automation reduces friction and hardware clutter. The result is a more accessible, communal control surface that fits naturally into existing living room habits.
Beyond the Living Room: Browser Dashboards and In-Car Control
The shift toward multi-functional screens is not limited to the TV itself. Homey’s browser-based platform, accessible via homey.tv, extends smart home control to any compatible browser, including those in vehicles such as Teslas. This means you can, for example, open your garage door or adjust indoor lighting from your car’s display before you arrive home, using the same Flows and devices configured on your living room TV. By keeping the interface consistent across Android TV smart home control, LG webOS smart home apps, and browser dashboards, Homey reduces the learning curve and reinforces the idea that screens are interchangeable windows into the same automation layer. As more platforms adopt similar strategies, the line between entertainment systems, in-car consoles, and traditional smart home interfaces will continue to blur, creating a more unified and flexible control experience for connected homes.