Hub M3 Matter over Thread

Everything Matter
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Does the M3 Hub support Matter over Thread or can it be used as a Matter Border Router? I am trying to integrate it into HomeAssistant, without much success.

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Yes, the M3 is a Thread border router that can be integrated into Home Assistant as a Matter bridge. Have you installed the Matter Server add-on? Which part are you having problems with?

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I am running HomeAssistant in a Docker environment with a separate Matter Server (can’t run the Addon with Docker). I can see the Aquara M3 in the Thread settings, but I am unable to set the preferred network.

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I would not suggest this unless you are locked into ZHA. They crowd the IoT networks more than they help mesh it. Better off Z2M and not using a proprietary hub.

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You would not suggest to use Matter over Thread?

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If the zigbee option is available, no I would not.

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Firstly, it depends on whether your devices are dual-protocol and whether you can select Zigbee or Thread mode. If so, Zigbee usually offers a wider range of functions, but that doesn’t mean you need them all. For example, I use the Aqara W100 via Matter, which meets my needs perfectly. If you also have Matter-only devices, it is a good idea to set up a Matter server in Home Assistant, as this allows you to control all your devices centrally.

Recently, someone on the forum said that they were going to switch a few mains-powered devices from Zigbee to Thread to strengthen the Thread mesh, because a device using only Matter over Thread didn’t have a strong enough signal.

However, they also wanted to use a feature that was only available in Zigbee mode. They then said that they didn’t need this feature everywhere, so, if I recall correctly, they switched some devices to Zigbee and others to Thread.

So it is impossible to make a general statement without knowing the details in advance.

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That’s a good point. I have many Zigbee devices, some of them are multi protocol, but I might be better off with a strong Zigbee mesh for now.

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works better for me with thread than zigbee

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