The first home that we upgraded to a smart home was actually our own because we found it impossible to find a customized, affordable and complete solution that didn’t cost a year’s worth of rent in Hong Kong.

We soon understood why it was so hard to find the perfect solution: the market is full of DIY products that don’t really support or work together through one app. On the other side, there are luxury, custom-made integrators with systems that only work with their proprietary devices and are extremely expensive.

So why did we go through the trouble of creating a custom-made and flexible solution? The answer is why we started Homi in the first place and why we do things the hard way.

Why most smart home products don’t work together

It’s fractured: Over the last few years, various fantastic smart home devices have been created but with no single protocol or “hub” to unify them, leaving many devices to work partially or not at all together.

It’s partial: While Google Home, Amazon Echo and Apple have tried to integrate the smart home world, it is still only partial. You may control your devices at home with voice commands but what about using a single app? As for the Apple HomeKit, the obvious answer is that it only works with iPhones and many of those HomeKit gadgets won’t work directly with non-HomeKit gadgets.

There’s almost no support once you’ve bought the device: How often have you had the frustration of buying a piece of (expensive) equipment and set it up to find a few months later that something is not working? Who do you turn to? In most cases, there will only be a hotline where someone will try to handle your queries over the phone, but what you really want is for someone to come and fix the system.

So why do we provide a custom-made and flexible solution?

Despite the challenges of using a custom-made service for creating a smart home, we couldn’t stand the idea of installing a home automation system that doesn’t completely fulfill our clients’ needs.

Here’s why:

To provide the most stress-free experience: This is how it should be when you purchase a home automation solution: you, the user, are there to imagine and design the way you want it to work, and we turn it into a reality. So all you need to do is sit back and enjoy.

It helps to create as close to a true smart home as possible: Though the smart device industry is little ways from creating a true smart home. By that, we mean a home like “Jarvis” in the Iron Man movies. But to the best of our ability, we want to unify smart home technology and smart home devices no matter the brand.

We want to make it less expensive: Truth be told, complete smart home solutions aren’t cheap. That’s why we offer flexible payment terms that allow for anyone to enjoy a smart home system for a minimal monthly subscription.

At Homi, we are proud to provide custom-made and flexible solutions. We aim to provide the best experiences and services for our clients as we help them create their dream smart home. If you would like to learn more about our products at the HOMI Store.