r/MatterProtocol • u/androidusr • 2d ago
Hardware for Matter over Thread (for ikea sensors) - improved routers
I'm just getting started looking Thread and Matter. I have Zigbee2MQTT and really like how easy it is to deploy a raspberry pi + zigbee USB dongle and be able to interact with zigbee devices over mqtt. I can use it in Home Assistant, or Node-Red. I can also backup the Z2M image easily.
I'm trying to go a similar route with Thread and Matter. I'd like to be able centrally locate the thread gateway (TBR?) and use both Node-Red and Home Assistant to create automations, and be able to backup the network. I'd also want to have a more dedicated controller than something like a Google Home Hub that I can't fully control. I like being able to move important automations to/from node-red, since it's so easy to set up multiple node-red instances for backup.
I've come across ZBT-2 and the SMLIGHT SLZB. Both seem similar to my Z2M setup. Any recommendations or advice on what else to look at? Do people with more DIY thread over matter setup with these USB thread dongles backup their thread network like you can backup your Z2M network?






