Why I Switched BACK to Home Assistant (Goodbye Homey Pro)

I lasted exactly a few months. In my last video, I moved my entire smart home to the Homey Pro for simplicity and family reliability. Today, I’m telling you why I officially packed it up and moved everything back to Home Assistant. When you have a high-density mesh network with over 40 Z-Wave 800-series devices, a 90% success rate just isn't good enough for your light switches. From major lag bottlenecks and the "popcorn effect" to failed group commands when turning off the entire first floor, the Homey Pro’s internal Z-Wave 700 antenna simply couldn't handle the traffic. In this video, I’re diving deep into the return to Home Assistant, rebuilding a rock-solid Z-Wave mesh from scratch using the gargantuan Zooz Z32 Z-Wave 800 antenna, and leveraging Z-Wave JS UI for real diagnostics. Plus, I didn't go back to writing YAML manually—I completely superpowered this setup using AI (Claude MCP server and Gemini) to write, test, and deploy all my automations. Products Mentioned: Homey Pro: https://amzn.to/4dCSANW Home Assistant Connect ZWA-2: https://amzn.to/4wLJdo8 Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2: https://amzn.to/3RRkzSM Beelink Mini PC: https://amzn.to/4tFZoQR SONOFF Zigbee USB Dongle: https://amzn.to/4wMDyhE Video Chapters 00:00 – The Backlash & Setting the Record Straight 00:41 – Why I Left Home Assistant Initially 01:38 – The 90% Problem: Z-Wave Lag & Bottlenecks 03:18 – The Hardware Flaw: Z-Wave 700 vs. 800 03:37 – Rebuilding HA with Massive Antennas 04:19 – Superpowering Automations with AI 05:35 – Addressing the Comments: Node-Red, LG, & Price 08:00 – Final Verdict: Can I Ever Leave HA Again? 🔔 SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE SMART HOME & SMARTPHONE REVIEWS    / @scottstek   👍 DID THIS HELP? If you found this video helpful, please give it a 'Like' and let me know in the comments. It truly helps support the channel! Disclaimer: Some of the links in this description may be affiliate links. This means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps support the channel and allows me to continue making videos like this.