Not all Homey's capabilities require the internet in order to work. Homey will still be able to manage your home using your Flows, and you will be able to control Homey via the smartphone app while at home. A lot of extra awesomeness is gone, though.
Functionality that requires internet
Homey uses the internet for a number of things, including:
- Voice recognition and processing
- Login to Homey from anywhere in the world
- Downloading new updates
- Inviting and authenticating new users
- Retrieving information for apps that need an internet connection, such as "Weather alarm"
Obviously, without an internet connection, the above functionality cannot work. This means that Homey's functionality is relatively limited when there is no internet.
Offline possibilities
Offline Homey will still be able to manage your home, as Homey is not dependent on cloud services to operate (unlike some other systems). Functionality that remains available offline includes:
- Controlling your home with the Homey Smartphone App while you're on the same Wi-Fi network
- Executing flows that don't need internet, for example, sensor-based ones
- Voice output, allowing Homey to speak via a Flow for example
- Logging of your local sensor data in the Insights module
Note: Some devices (including most smart thermostats) require Homey to connect to them using the internet (and do not have a local workaround). Homey might not be able to control these devices while offline.