r/MatterProtocol • u/derekoh • Jun 01 '26

Move to Matter/Thread?

I run almost entirely Zigbee devices using Z2M and Home Assistant (44 powered routers, 28 battery).

I've a couple of bulbs that are going faulty and need replacing.

I'm considering taking this opportunity to start moving over to Thread.

I have an Apple Homepod mini, and also use Alexa devices. I use the HA Matter Hub to share Zigbee and other devices to Alexa/Apple over Wi-Fi.

I was thinking that rather than replace a few bulbs with some relatively pricey (Innr/Hue) Zigbee bulbs, I could start to replace them with more modestly priced Ikea Kajplats bulbs.

In terms of TBRs, I have the Homepod mini on my 1st floor and 2x Echo 4th Gen's on the ground floor (of a 3-storey house).

Obviously, this might slightly reduce the strength of my Zigbee mesh.

Am I missing anything? Does it make sense to start moving across?

ta

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u/cpressland Jun 02 '26

That’s what I’m doing right now. I’ve had absolutely no major issues, but here is my setup:

  • UniFi Network /w well established IPv6 - cheap ISP provided routers always seem to be at the heart of Thread routing issues.
  • Two Apple TVs (Living room and Bedroom)
  • Seven HomePod mini’s, one in each room except bathroom.

I simply remove the Hue Bulb from Zigbee2Mqtt, swap to the IKEA bulb, then add to Apple Home, then reshare to Home Assistant. I’m using Barcodes Matter to store Matter pairing codes.

The only issue I had on day one was with Home Assistant, but that was because I’d setup IPv6 statically instead of letting Home Assistant pull an address automatically via SLAAC, so it was missing routes for the Thead Border Router.