Homey Unveils Portal Smart Home Controller With Touchscreen and Dial
Athom has announced the Homey Portal, a new desk- or wall-mounted smart home controller featuring a 2.8-inch round touchscreen and a stainless steel dial. Preorders are open now ahead of December shipping.
On September 1, 2026, in Berlin, Athom officially launched the Homey Portal, a new hardware device designed to serve as a desk- or wall-mounted touchscreen smart home controller equipped with a tactile dial. The company, led by CEO Stefan Witkamp, has positioned the hardware as a significant step forward in domestic automation control. According to the confirmed announcements from the launch event, preorders for the new device have officially opened at an introductory promotional price of $249/€249. Customers who secure the hardware during this initial preorder window can expect their units to begin shipping out to buyers in December.
The physical design of the Homey Portal incorporates several distinct hardware elements tailored for everyday interaction. The device features a 2.8-inch round touchscreen paired with a stainless steel dial, offering users a tactile method of navigating their connected environments. For power supply, the unit is powered by USB-C, making it flexible for placement either mounted on a wall or resting flat on a desk surface. When discussing the overarching philosophy behind the development of the new controller, Stefan Witkamp provided clear insight into the company's goals, stating, “We’ve always wanted a smart home to feel as simple as flipping a light switch.”
Elaborating further on the user experience and the frustrations of contemporary automation systems, Stefan Witkamp also noted that the objective was to allow users to interact with their living spaces “instead of doing everything through an app.” Despite housing its own display and physical input dial, the Homey Portal requires a connection to a Homey platform option in order to function properly. Users must pair the device with either a Homey Cloud subscription—which is priced at $3.99 a month—or connect it to an independent Homey hub, such as the Homey Pro Mini hub priced at $249 or the more advanced Homey Pro hub priced at $449.
Once connected to the broader Homey ecosystem, the Portal gains access to a vast array of compatible technology across the modern consumer electronics landscape. The platform supports an expansive ecosystem comprising 70,000 supported devices spread across 2,000 supported brands. This extensive compatibility ensures that users can manage lighting, climate, security, and entertainment systems from various manufacturers directly through the newly introduced hardware interface. Following the conclusion of the initial promotional preorder phase, the regular price for the Homey Portal will increase to $299/€299.
The launch of the Homey Portal in Berlin broadens the hardware portfolio managed by Athom and its CEO Stefan Witkamp, competing within an interconnected landscape that includes major technology entities like Apple and LG, while drawing coverage from industry publications such as The Verge. By bridging the gap between software-heavy smartphone applications and physical, tactile home controls, the company aims to redefine how consumers interact with the tens of thousands of smart devices currently installed in residential properties worldwide.
