Home Center Lite Review: Is It the Right Smart Home Controller for You?

If you’re building a Z-Wave–based smart home, you’ve probably come across the Home Center Lite from Fibaro. It’s a compact, powerful hub designed to control lights, sensors, blinds, heating, alarms and more from one place. In this Home Center Lite review, we’ll break down what the hub can (and can’t) do, who it’s best for, and how it compares to newer controllers so you can decide whether home center lite is still the right choice for your setup.

What Is Home Center Lite?

Home Center Lite (HCL) is a Z-Wave smart home gateway made by Fibaro. It’s a small, Ethernet-based controller that talks to Z-Wave and Z-Wave Plus devices (sensors, switches, thermostats, sirens, etc.) and lets you automate them via scenes, schedules and mobile apps.

Key points:

• Runs a web-based interface you access from a browser or mobile app
• Designed for small to medium homes and apartments
• Connects to Z-Wave devices plus some third-party systems via plug-ins
• Uses wired Ethernet (no Wi-Fi built in)

Although Fibaro now pushes its newer Home Center 3 and Home Center 3 Lite hubs, the original Home Center Lite is still in use and available from some resellers, especially for Z-Wave–focused systems.

Home Center Lite Specs at a Glance

This is a lightweight controller: powerful enough for a typical Z-Wave apartment or small home, but not meant for huge or very complex setups.

Key Features of Home Center Lite

1. Z-Wave Smart Home Hub

Home Center Lite acts as the “brain” of your Z-Wave network. It can control Fibaro modules and other certified Z-Wave devices like:

• Dimmer and relay switches
• Door/window sensors
• Motion and temperature sensors
• Roller shutter controllers
• Sirens and smart plugs

Because it’s Z-Wave, you don’t need to rewire the house — most modules sit behind existing switches or plug into outlets.

2. Web-Based Interface & Mobile Apps

You configure Home Center Lite via a web interface and control your home via Fibaro’s iOS and Android apps.

You can:

• Add/remove Z-Wave devices
• Create scenes using a visual “block” interface
• Set schedules and timers
• Monitor sensor values and device status remotely

Several reviewers highlight that the interface is powerful but can feel advanced for non-technical beginners, especially once you go beyond simple on/off automations.

3. Scene-Based Automation (Magic & Block Scenes)

Home Center Lite supports:

• Magic scenes – simple “IF trigger THEN action” logic
• Block scenes – more complex logic built with drag-and-drop blocks (AND/OR, time conditions, etc.)

You can create automations like:

• “If motion detected after sunset → turn on hallway light”
• “If temperature drops below 20°C at night → turn on heating”
• “If door opens while alarm armed → trigger siren + send notification”

Note: Unlike Fibaro’s higher-end controllers, HCL does not support LUA scripting, so you’re limited to graphical scenes and can’t write custom code.

4. Voice Control and Integrations

Fibaro provides integrations for:

• Amazon Alexa
• Google Assistant
• Siri Shortcuts (via iOS app)

There are also plug-ins for selected third-party systems (Philips Hue, Sonos, some IP cameras, etc.), but Home Center Lite is limited to about five plug-ins / virtual devices, which is one of its key constraints.

If you plan heavy use of integrations like Hue, Sonos, alarms and AV systems all at once, this limitation matters.

Pros and Cons of Home Center Lite

Pros

• Compact and discreet – small form factor that’s easy to hide or mount anywhere
• True Z-Wave hub – excellent support for Z-Wave devices with mesh networking
• Powerful automation via block and magic scenes
• Remote control & monitoring from mobile apps and browser
• Solid reliability – designed as a dedicated gateway, not a cloud-only toy
• No mandatory subscription fees for core features

Review aggregators give Home Center Lite around 80% average expert rating, citing strong capabilities for its size.

Cons

• No Wi-Fi – you must connect via Ethernet; some users see this as limiting compared to modern Wi-Fi hubs
• Limited resources – lower RAM and storage mean fewer scenes and plug-ins compared to newer controllers
• No LUA scripting – advanced users can’t write custom logic
• Single IP camera support – only 1 MJPEG camera is officially supported
• Older platform – largely superseded by Home Center 3 and Home Center 3 Lite

If you want a hub that’s highly extensible or future-proof with multiple radio standards (Zigbee, BLE, etc.), HCL starts to feel dated compared to Fibaro’s newer products or multi-protocol competitors.

Home Center Lite vs Home Center 3 Lite (Important!)

One common point of confusion: Home Center Lite (HCL) and Home Center 3 Lite (HC3L) are different products.

Key Differences (Simplified)

If you’re buying new today and want the Fibaro experience, Home Center 3 Lite is generally the better choice unless you’re specifically getting HCL at a steep discount or inheriting an older system.

Home Center Lite vs Other Smart Home Hubs

How does Home Center Lite stack up against other popular controllers?

Versus DIY Platforms (Home Assistant, OpenHAB)

• Home Center Lite:
  • Easier initial setup
  • Polished UI and native Z-Wave management
  • Less flexible, no direct coding, limited plug-ins
• Home Assistant / OpenHAB:
  • Extremely flexible, supports many protocols and integrations
  • Requires more technical knowledge and maintenance

If you enjoy tinkering and want absolute flexibility, a DIY platform might win. If you want a dedicated, out-of-the-box Z-Wave gateway, HCL is more plug-and-play.

Versus Cloud Hubs (SmartThings, Aqara, etc.)

Cloud-centric hubs often:

• Support multiple protocols (Zigbee, Z-Wave, Wi-Fi)
• Rely heavily on internet/cloud services
• Offer simple apps but less local control

Home Center Lite emphasises local processing and direct Z-Wave control. If you care about low latency and your automations running even when the internet is down, that’s a strong plus.

Setup & Daily Use: What to Expect

Initial Setup

1. Connect Home Center Lite to your router via Ethernet.
2. Power it on and access the web UI from a browser.
3. Create an admin account and run through the setup wizard.
4. Start adding Z-Wave modules by putting them in inclusion mode.

Fibaro provides manuals and online training resources to guide you through installation and configuration.

Everyday Use

• Use the Fibaro mobile app to switch devices, trigger scenes, or check sensors.
• Configure more advanced scenes via the web UI.
• Voice-control key scenes (e.g., “Goodnight”, “I’m home”) via Alexa or Google Assistant.

Most day-to-day actions become automatic once you’ve built your scenes — lights, blinds, heating, and security can all respond to time, presence, and sensor data.

Who Is Home Center Lite Best For?

Home Center Lite is a good fit if:

• You mainly use Z-Wave or Z-Wave Plus devices
• Your home is small to medium-sized (e.g., flat or modest house)
• You want local control over cloud-only solutions
• You like graphical automation and don’t need custom LUA code
• You find a good price on HCL and don’t necessarily need the very latest hardware

It’s less ideal if:

• You plan to integrate many IP cameras, AV systems, or dozens of plug-ins
• You want support for Zigbee, Matter, or Wi-Fi devices directly
• You expect to scale to a very large home with 100+ devices
• You prefer scripting and highly advanced rule engines

In those cases, a newer Home Center 3 / Home Center 3 Lite, or a more extensible platform like Home Assistant with a Z-Wave dongle, might be better long-term bets.

FAQs About Home Center Lite

1. Is Home Center Lite discontinued?

Fibaro’s focus has clearly shifted to Home Center 3 and Home Center 3 Lite, but HCL is still documented, and some resellers continue to sell it. If you’re buying today, check whether you’re comfortable investing in older hardware.

2. How many devices can Home Center Lite handle?

Official materials and resellers mention up to around 230 devices, but practical performance is better if you stay well below that, especially with scenes and plug-ins enabled.

3. Does Home Center Lite support Wi-Fi?

No. It has an Ethernet port only, so it must be connected to your router with a cable.

4. Can I use it with Philips Hue, Sonos, etc.?

Yes, but only via plug-ins — and Home Center Lite is limited to roughly five plug-ins/virtual devices, so you can’t go crazy with integrations.

5. Can I write LUA code on Home Center Lite?

No. LUA scripting is reserved for higher-end Fibaro hubs. HCL supports magic and block scenes only.

Conclusion: Is Home Center Lite the Right Smart Home Controller for You?

So, is Home Center Lite still a good choice in today’s smart home landscape? If your goal is a reliable Z-Wave–centric system in a small or medium home, with solid local control, polished apps, and powerful graphical automation, the home center lite can absolutely do the job — especially if you find it at an attractive price.

However, if you want a more future-proof hub with modern hardware, support for newer Z-Wave 700 devices, better performance and optional scripting, the newer Home Center 3 Lite or full Home Center 3 are stronger long-term options.