Why Your TV Is the Perfect Smart Home Hub
Your TV is already the biggest, most central screen in your home—so why not make it your smart home brain too? With Homey’s new apps for Android TV and LG webOS, your television can double as a smart TV smart home hub, giving you instant access to devices, scenes, and automations without reaching for your phone. Instead of juggling separate hubs or constantly switching apps, you can launch Homey directly from your TV interface and control everything with the remote you already use. This approach taps into where people naturally gather: the living room. From lights and thermostats to smart plugs and more, your most-used controls become part of your everyday TV experience. The result is a cleaner, more convenient way to manage your smart home, especially for households where not everyone wants to install or learn yet another mobile app.
What You Need: Compatibility and Requirements
Before turning your television into an Android TV smart home control hub or LG webOS smart home dashboard, check a few basics. First, you need a compatible TV: any Android TV device that can install apps from the Google Play Store, or an LG smart TV running webOS on models released from 2021 onward. Availability may still vary by model and region, so confirm in your TV’s app store. On the smart home side, you’ll need a Homey setup. The new TV apps work with Homey Cloud, Homey Pro, Homey Pro mini, and self-hosted Homey Server deployments, so most existing Homey users are covered. Make sure your TV and Homey system are connected to the internet and signed in to the same Homey account. Once these pieces are in place, your TV is ready to become the visual command center for your whole smart home ecosystem.
How to Install and Log In on Android TV and LG webOS
Setting up TV automation with Homey is straightforward. On Android TV, open the Google Play Store, search for the Homey app, and install it. On LG webOS, head to the LG Content Store and do the same on a compatible 2021-or-newer model. When you launch the app for the first time, a QR code appears on the screen. Use your phone’s camera or a QR scanner to open the login page, then sign in with your Homey account. This QR login means you skip typing passwords with your TV remote. Once logged in, the interface is optimized for remote navigation instead of touch, so you can move through menus, confirm actions, and switch dashboards using simple directional buttons. After this one-time setup, Homey will be ready every time you open the app from your TV’s home screen.
Using Your TV as a Smart Home Dashboard
After setup, your TV becomes a full-featured smart home dashboard. Homey places your Favorites front and center—these can be your most-used devices, Flows (automations), and Moods. With a few clicks of the remote, you can dim lights for movie night, trigger a bedtime routine, or switch off everything when you leave the house. Dedicated Devices and Flows sections give deeper control when you need it, letting you adjust individual devices or manually start automation sequences from the couch. This tight integration turns everyday tasks into quick TV actions: pause your show and lower the blinds, or check that everything is off before you head to bed. Because it is running on the same TV interface you already use, Homey’s dashboard feels like a natural extension of your entertainment setup, not a separate system to manage.
Beyond the Living Room: Homey.tv in the Browser
Your smart home dashboard is not limited to the TV. Homey also offers a browser-based experience at Homey.tv, bringing a similar interface to any modern browser, including those built into many vehicles. This means your TV automation setup extends naturally to driving scenarios: for example, you can open your smart garage door before you even pull into the driveway, or switch on porch lights as you approach home, all from your car’s screen. Because it runs in a browser, Homey.tv works alongside your existing Homey Cloud, Homey Pro, Homey Pro mini, or self-hosted Homey Server configuration with no extra hardware. Together, the TV apps and Homey.tv create a unified experience—your living room screen, laptop, and even car can all access the same smart home controls, making automation feel accessible from wherever you happen to be.