When Sigenergy pulled its original HomeMax gateway from the UK market, it caused a fair bit of head-scratching. Installers had concerns. Homeowners had questions. And the feedback was loud enough that Sigenergy had little choice but to head back to the drawing board.
Fair play to them - they actually did.
Fast forward to today and we’ve now got the fully reworked replacement: the Sigenergy Home Pro, available in two versions - SP and SPF. We got hands-on with the SPF this week, filmed the whole thing, and stacked it directly against the old gateway. And honestly? The improvements are noticeable. In some areas, genuinely impressive.
In this review, we’ll walk you through what’s changed, what’s actually better, and what you absolutely need to know before choosing between the SP and SPF models.
If you’ve watched our Heatable YouTube video, you’ll recognise many of the upgrades - from the improved IP rating to the redesigned bypass switch and updated inverter compatibility.
Let’s dive in…
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A Fresh Start: What’s Actually New?
The first thing you’ll notice is the name change. The old HomeMax is gone, replaced by two new models: the Home Pro SP and Home Pro SPF.
They may look fairly similar at first glance, but the difference between them is anything but cosmetic - your choice determines whether you’ll get true whole-home backup or not.
Visually, the Home Pro looks sharper. It’s a touch more compact than before - still bigger than a Tesla Gateway 2, but slimmer and far tidier than the original Sigenergy unit. The biggest design upgrade is at the bottom.
Sigenergy has completely reworked the cable entry system so that everything now feeds in from underneath. No rear entry, but in its place you get a neat moulded cable cover that hides all the conduits. The result is a much cleaner, more premium finish that installers will genuinely appreciate.
Then there’s the IP rating. The original HomeMax shipped with IP54, which caused plenty of frustration for outdoor installs.
To stay compliant, many installers had to add bulky external hoods or protective covers - not exactly the sleek look you’d expect from a modern gateway.
The new Home Pro fixes this with an upgrade to IP55, making it noticeably more weather-resistant.
In real terms, it means you can now mount the gateway outdoors without resorting to ugly aftermarket shields. This single change removes one of the biggest complaints installers had with the old unit.
🎥 Prefer video? Check out our YouTube video about the new Sigenergy Gateway below:
Internal Upgrades You Don’t See - But Definitely Benefit From
Pop the cover off and the improvements continue.
The old HomeMax relied on a metal bus bar to link its internal breakers. It wasn’t inherently unsafe, but working around a chunky piece of energised metal in a tight enclosure wasn’t exactly anyone’s favourite job.
In the new Home Pro, Sigenergy has replaced that setup with fully insulated cable links. The result is cleaner, safer, and far less prone to accidental contact. Installers no longer need to worry about getting “introduced” to live gear at the wrong moment.
The internal layout has also had a tidy-up. Everything is clearer, better organised, and far easier to work on. The Smart Port remains, which is good news if you’re integrating Enphase microinverters, a heat pump, or an EV charger.
In our install, we paired Enphase micros with the new Sigenergy battery through this port, and the system immediately pulled live generation data into the app. No faff. No fiddling. It just worked.
One of the biggest upgrades, though, is the addition of a proper bypass switch - something the old HomeMax seriously lacked. Here’s why it matters: if the grid goes down, the gateway keeps your home powered. Great.
But if the gateway itself ever fails? With the old model, you were basically stranded until an engineer could get to you.
The new bypass switch fixes that in one move. Flip the switch and the gateway is bypassed, instantly reconnecting your home to the grid.
No downtime, no drama, and no sitting in the dark waiting for a call-out. For homeowners, it’s a massive reliability upgrade. For installers, it’s fewer emergency phone calls.
Inverter Support: A Small Step Back or a Practical Change?
The previous gateway shipped with support for multiple inverters as standard. That’s no longer the case.
Out of the box, the new Home Pro supports one inverter, with the option to add a second if needed - but you’ll have to buy the additional breaker separately.
For most UK homes, this won’t make any difference at all. The majority of systems run a single hybrid inverter, so one slot is plenty.
But for larger properties or anyone planning serious expansion down the line, it’s worth noting the added cost and the slight reduction in flexibility compared to the old model.
Warranty Improvements & Consistency
When the original HomeMax first launched, its two-year warranty was one of the biggest criticisms. Sigenergy listened and later upgraded every unit to a five-year warranty - a much more respectable level.
The new Home Pro keeps that five-year warranty from day one. It’s not the longest in the industry (GivEnergy still leads with ten years), but it’s solid, competitive, and a clear improvement over where Sigenergy started.
SP vs SPF: The Most Important Decision You’ll Make
This is the part where a lot of customers - and, to be blunt, quite a few salespeople - end up confused.
Sigenergy now sells the gateway in two versions:
Home Pro SP:
The standard single-phase model. It’s cheaper, perfectly functional, but in most UK homes it cannot provide whole-home backup.
It’s often used in lower headline quotes because it keeps the price down - but it does so by removing the feature many people actually want.
Home Pro SPF:
The “Single-Phase Full” version. It’s rated at 125 amps and can power the entire home during an outage.
This is the version we installed, and in reality, it’s the version most UK households genuinely need if they want proper whole-home backup.
Here’s the crucial bit:
A lot of homeowners think they’re getting full backup, but unless the quote clearly specifies SPF, they usually aren’t.
And this isn’t the customer’s fault - the naming is confusing, and some installers deliberately use the cheaper SP model to make their pricing look more competitive.
If whole-home backup matters to you, always check the product code on your quote before signing.
How Does Sigenergy Compare to Other Gateways?
To put the new Sigenergy Home Pro (SPF) into context, here’s a straightforward comparison showing how it stacks up against some of the most common alternatives in the UK. It gives you a clear sense of where the Home Pro shines - and where its rivals still have the edge.
Feature/spec | Sigenergy Home Pro SPF | Tesla Gateway 2 | GivEnergy Gateway | SolarEdge Home Backup Interface |
Whole-home backup | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial/circuits only |
IP rating | IP55 | IP65 | IP65 | Indoor only |
Smart port integration | Yes | Limited | Yes | Yes, but it’s brand locked |
Inverter compatibility | Works with many brands | Only Tesla | Only GivEnergy | Only SolarEdge |
Bypass switch | Yes (built in) | No | Yes | No |
Max supported inverters | 1-2 (with add on) | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Warranty | 5 years | 10 years | 10 years | 12 years |
Indoor/outdoor install | Both | Both | Both | Indoor recommended |
System openness | Very open | Closed | Semi-open | Closed |
AC coupling support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Limited |
Price range | Mid-range | Higher | Low-mid | Mid |
How Does Sigenergy Stack Up?
Overall, the Sigenergy Home Pro SPF sits comfortably in the middle ground between Tesla and GivEnergy.
Tesla is more premium but heavily locked into its own ecosystem. GivEnergy is cheaper but less flexible when it comes to mixing brands or retrofitting.
Sigenergy’s real strengths are the Smart Port, the bypass switch, and its openness to multi-brand setups - all of which make it a strong choice for hybrid systems, retrofits, and anyone who doesn’t want to be tied to a single manufacturer.
Does It Fix the Problems With the Old HomeMax?
In short: yes - almost all of them.
The weak weather rating? Fixed.
The cramped, risky internal layout? Much safer.
The lack of a bypass switch? Sorted.
Messy cable management? Genuinely improved.
System compatibility? Still one of its biggest selling points.
And while the SP/SPF naming is still a bit confusing, it’s at least clearer than before.
It’s obvious Sigenergy listened to installer feedback. The Home Pro feels far more mature - a product redesigned for real-world homes, not just ideal conditions in a test lab.
Final Verdict
The Sigenergy Home Pro SPF is now one of the strongest gateway options for UK homeowners who want reliable whole-home backup, wide compatibility, and a future-proof design that works with both hybrid and AC-coupled setups.
It’s not flawless - the single-inverter default and the five-year warranty leave room for improvement - but the upgrades are meaningful across the board. Compared to the original HomeMax, it feels like an entirely different product.
If you’re going with a Sigenergy system, here’s the one piece of advice that matters most:
Choose the SPF model unless you are absolutely certain you don’t need whole-home backup.
For most people, that’s the deal-breaker.
Next Steps For Your Battery Journey:
When planning to install battery storage for your home, there are several important factors to consider. Make sure to refer to the following guides to help you make informed decisions:
To dive deeper into these topics, head over to our advice section, check out our YouTube channel for informative videos, or read a customer case study to see how others have benefited from their battery installation.
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