Just curious, for those that are using any of these devices what has your experience been? Would be interested in your thoughts when using them with Home Assistant. I have not pulled the trigger on any Matter devices myself, the protocol until recently did not look to polished and just not ready for prime time IMO.
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I’ve successfully integrated Matter / WiFi devices into my Home Assistant, but don’t have any Thread devices yet. The Matter devices I do have work really well in HA, even devices (like some Govee lights) that the HA community indicated I’d have problems with. I also have some Tapo outlets and light switches. I use HA in docker, managed with docker compose. All of my Matter devices respond quickly, and I actually try to not integrate them with vendor apps. I just want to see how long I can get by with local-only connectivity.
Though I have an Aqara M3 and an Apple TV, I purchased the ZBT-2 recently for future use of Thread. That would help me integrate a U400 which I’m thinking about getting.
Lastly, I’m able to share all of my Matter devices from HA to HomeKit.
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In the beginning I had issues with matter devices from different brands. Since I tend to be an early adopter that’s something I just had to deal with. Over time I started to realize which were the problem devices and I removed them from my smart home. Now all the matter devices I have I can share from my platforms and they run smoothly. Every matter device I have in Home Assistant work flawlessly
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That’s sounds great. One of my fears is I start switching out my devices and they don’t work/ work well/ or are worse than what I replaced them with. I like to get in early on certain items so I feel your pain. Good to hear it is working well.
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Have you had the opportunity to test the ZBT-2 at all?
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I use Matter on many of my devices. you have to be careful with Google Home and Apple home conflicting if you have both in your house from my experience.
I really want to prioritize thread devices, but there’s been a really slim roll out of device devices that include thread from what I found so far.
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Actually when it comes to Thread and Matter I have zero problems with Home Assistant. If I do have issues it’s with the manufactures app on iOS.
When I open Home Assistant the device seems to be working just fine and shows no issues.
For me the biggest headache is how each company implements Matter differently and they have different install processes.
Yeah it’s getting better (maybe) or I’m getting more used to goofy processes and they are wearing me down.
When using Matter and Thread you should not need to install the manufactures app/create another account in order to install the device.
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I’m trying to everything to matter/thread as devices become available.
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Well I Won’t use apple stuff so for me that is not a issue. 
The different install processes is a issue I seem to hear/see a lot, correct me if I am wrong but I thought if you were using a thread router /device that was supposed to fix that issue? That may be 100% wrong, since I have not starting switching over I am clueless.
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Have you had the opportunity to test the ZBT-2 at all?
It just arrived today according to my doorbell camera. I assume it will work flawlessly in HA since it is designed and built by Nabu Casa.
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I just started using Matter, and I only have three devices. I have mixed feelings about Aqara, as it doesn’t allow me to add my Matter device, an slzb-m3u, to its app. It only allows its own hubs, which means that part of the setup experience is lost. In this regard, Aqara fails.
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Hi, this isn’t actually a failure on Aqara’s part, but rather a misunderstanding of device classes:
The SLZB-MR3U is not a Matter End Device, not a Matter Controller, and most importantly, not a Matter Bridge. It is purely a Thread Border Router (network infrastructure). That is why it technically cannot be added to the Aqara app.
As a side note: Most hardware Matter Controllers (like the Aqara Hub M3, Apple HomePod, or Google Nest Hub) are manufacturer-locked or closed systems. They expect end devices (from third parties) to communicate according to the Matter standard.
Software Matter Controllers (like Home Assistant), on the other hand, are usually open. They are designed specifically to use specialized hardware like the SLZB as a radio antenna.
For example, if you create a Matter Bridge in Home Assistant, you can then add it to Aqara via an Aqara Hub, to Apple via a HomePod, or to Google via a Nest Hub.
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Help me out here. I thought if you have Thread /border router that was the magic sauce that allows all your Matter devices to “seamlessly” work together no matter who made them.
I think there’s some confusion here over Matter and Thread. They are not the same, and knowing the difference will help with your set up.
Matter is an application layer protocol/standard, while thread is network level. Matter can work over Wifi, Ethernet, Thread, or various protocols using bridges. You’ll see terminology like “Matter over Thread” which indicates the Matter communication protocol leveraging the thread network protocol. If you are using Matter over Thread, yes you definitely need a Thread Border Router.
But there is also the requirement for a Matter Controller. These are technically different technologies though many companies have bundled them together into single hubs (Aqara M3 as an example).
So Home Assistant can act as the Matter Controller, allowing your matter devices from different brands to work together. But for thread devices you still need a thread border router. Home Assistant at least is pretty good about leveraging existing TBRs in your set up such as an Apple TV, HomePod, Eero Router, or even an Aqara M3 hub.
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It’s exactly as Robert Coletti says. If you want to know more, please feel free to take a look at my Matter and Thread Guide.
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Thanks! That makes sense so TBR’s scale the network; Matter Controllers manage the devices — buy more routers for capacity, not more controllers. Other thing and this is just what I have heard/understand since I have not went the Matter/ Thread route and honestly I do not see a reason why I would want to is Matter/Thread works on a perfect world scenario, the network manages itself, there is no reason for Hooman intervention, if there is a problem it will self heal…problem is that we do not live in a perfect world and nothing is set it and forget it. Unlike Zigbee for example with T/M systems there is no way to look at your network so when, not if there needs to be troubleshooting your only choice is to 1. guess what device needs to be moved around or 2. go buy more routers that you may or may not need and hope you fix the issues. Again I don’t use the tech and all of this is my understanding so don’t yelling at me LOL. Now if you are not a power user or you don’t have a ton of devices, would never look at a coverage map then the whole M/T thing would more than likely be just fine, IMO.
Actually, regarding the “flying blind” part: That is mostly true for closed ecosystems like Apple Home or Google Home, which hide the technical details by design.
However, the Matter specification explicitly includes the Thread Network Diagnostics Cluster (0x0035). Since Home Assistant is an open controller, it can read these attributes (like RSSI, LinkQuality, PacketCounts).
Additionally, with hardware like the SLZB-MR3U running as an OpenThread Border Router, you even get access to the OpenThread topology visualization. So, as a power user, you definitely have access to diagnostic data.
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That is good to know!!
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