What is the key difference between Plugwise MCP and Home Assistant?

Plugwise MCP belongs to the Home Automation category with local stdio execution, while Home Assistant belongs to the Home Automation category with cloud HTTP/SSE execution.

How do I install Plugwise MCP or Home Assistant in Claude Desktop or Cursor?

Copy the mcpServers JSON configuration snippet provided on this page into your claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json file and restart your AI client.

Are Plugwise MCP and Home Assistant free or paid?

Plugwise MCP operates under a Free / Open Source model (other). Home Assistant operates under a Free / Open Source model (OAuth 2.0).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Plugwise MCP lists 16 tools with 2 views and 2 GitHub stars. Home Assistant lists 6 tools with 2 views and 0 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Plugwise MCP and Home Assistant together in the same MCP host?

Yes! MCP hosts like Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and VS Code support configuring multiple servers under the mcpServers object simultaneously.

Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison

Plugwise MCP vs Home Assistant

In-depth architectural comparison of the Plugwise MCP and Home Assistant MCP servers. Compare execution transports, security boundaries, tool capabilities, quality scores, and ready-to-paste client installation snippets for Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code.

At a Glance & Executive Verdict

Plugwise MCP

Home Automation · Local stdio

Quality: 55/100 (Good) | Auth: other

Home Assistant

Home Automation · Remote HTTP/SSE

Quality: 68/100 (Great) | Auth: OAuth 2.0

Verdict Summary: Choose Plugwise MCP if you need specialized Home Automation tools running via a local process. Choose Home Assistant if your workspace requires Home Automation integration with remote web transport. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Plugwise MCP when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Home Automation domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: other (Free / Open Source).
You have access to required keys: HUB1, HUB1IP, HUB2, HUB2IP, PLUGWISE_HOST, PLUGWISE_PASSWORD, OPENAI_API_KEY, PLUGWISE_AGENT_MODEL.
Primary tools included: add_hub, list_hubs, connect.

Explore Plugwise MCP Details

Choose Home Assistant when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Home Automation domain.
You prefer remote streaming HTTP/SSE transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: OAuth 2.0 (Free / Open Source).
Primary tools included: Remote MCP access to Home Assistant, Live state, history, layout, and camera inspection, Device control.

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Plugwise MCP Tommertom Home Automation	Home Assistant VerifiedHome Automation
Summary	TypeScript-based smart home automation server for Plugwise devices with automatic network discovery. Features comprehensive device control for thermostats, switches, smart plugs, energy monitoring, multi-hub management, and real-time climate/power consumption tracking via local network integration.	Homeway’s remote MCP server gives your favorite AI the power to understand, control, and customize your Home Assistant home from anywhere. Explore your home’s layout, live states, history, and camera snapshots; control devices; build dashboards, automations, scripts, scenes, blueprints, and themes; manage integrations, add-ons, backups, and configuration files; and troubleshoot with logs, templates, and Home Assistant APIs. Free, private, and easy to set up, Homeway puts you in control with granular AI permissions and no public exposure of your Home Assistant server.

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Plugwise MCP Tools (16)

add_hub

Add a new Plugwise hub by providing its name (used as password). Scans the network to find the hub and stores it in the /hubs folder as a JSON file for future use. The hub name is the unique identifier printed on the back of your Plugwise device.

list_hubs

List all registered Plugwise hubs from the /hubs folder and in-memory registry. Returns hub information including name, IP address, model, and firmware version for each discovered hub.

connect

Connect to a Plugwise gateway (Adam, Anna, Smile P1, or Stretch) and retrieve gateway information. If no host is provided, automatically connects to the first discovered hub. Returns detailed gateway information including model, type, version, hostname, and MAC address.

get_devices

Retrieve all Plugwise devices and their current states, sensors, and capabilities. Returns comprehensive information for all connected devices including thermostats, switches, sensors, and other appliances. Includes current readings, capabilities, and operational states.

Ready-to-Paste Client Configurations

Paste either (or both) of these JSON server blocks into your client config file (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json).

Plugwise MCP Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tommertom-plugwise-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "plugwise-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "HUB1": "YOUR_HUB1_HERE",
        "HUB1IP": "YOUR_HUB1IP_HERE",
        "HUB2": "YOUR_HUB2_HERE",
        "HUB2IP": "YOUR_HUB2IP_HERE",
        "PLUGWISE_HOST": "YOUR_PLUGWISE_HOST_HERE",
        "PLUGWISE_PASSWORD": "YOUR_PLUGWISE_PASSWORD_HERE",
        "OPENAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_OPENAI_API_KEY_HERE",
        "PLUGWISE_AGENT_MODEL": "YOUR_PLUGWISE_AGENT_MODEL_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Home Assistant Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "home-assistant": {
      "url": "https://homeway.io/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

Plugwise MCP is categorized under Home Automation and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, Home Assistant belongs to Home Automation using remote streaming HTTP/SSE transport. Select Plugwise MCP when you need capabilities focused on home automation and Home Assistant when you require tools for home automation.

More alternatives to Plugwise MCP More alternatives to Home Assistant Home Automation category hub Canonical compare URL