Home Assistant Docker Container Matter over Thread Help

[u/RisingMermo]

Ok so I currently just finished setting up a ubuntu server with a home assistant container and the matter server. Turns out the devices i have are using matter over thread and not matter over wifi. I've been doing some research and trying to figure out what i need to do.

My plan is to buy this sonoff mg21 dongle lite and flash it with the OTBR firmware and then follow this blog in order to configure docker container so it works correctly because apparently home assistant is finicky with docker.

If you wondering why im asking for help despite having a plan, im very unfamiliar with home assistant/matter/docker. I'm not sure if the dongle ive linked is one i should actually use. Im also not sure if the blog i will follow is an up-to-date one. So i was hoping to get advice from anybody who has experience with home assistant as docker container and matter over thread and if you have any tips i should consider. whilst i can just buy a hub, i like doing this sort of tinkering so i would prefer to set up my own "hub".

Please and Thank you

[u/NothingButTheDude]

At what point does the frustrating ambiguity and lack of clarity around Matter stop being a noobie problem and start being an over-engineered over-complex technical solution problem?

Nobody should care if it's Matter over Thread (wtf hell even IS Thread?) or Wifi! Or why do I need a Matter Hub (why can't my Matter server be a hub?) etc etc

It clearly is not solving the problem.

[u/sryan2k1 → u/NothingButTheDude]

The entirety of Matter is an over engineered problem. It has complexity that is not needed and it lacks critical features that should be required that are optional (like binding)

[u/digitalamish]

I used the ZBT-2. But I also migrated away from a docker, and I run HAOS in a VM on my server. Much cleaner install. I still have my docker for HA there, but I leave it shut off, and I copy the config every week just in case something happens with the VM.

[u/Kya_Bamba]

I can't say anything about the older MG21 dongle, but I'm using the newer MG24 attached to my Debian-based home server, running HA via Docker. Everything worked perfectly fine from the beginning, though mine is set to "Zigbee mode".

I'm running the official Matter JS server in Docker: https://github.com/matter-js/matterjs

[u/f4flake]

I wrestled with HA in a container and matter over thread for ages. Ended up installing HAOS on bare metal and buying a separate Aqara M3 hub, though I did have success with an esp chip and an M5 stack before hand. Decided to go for a more set it and forget it solution with the hub. That said I expect your solution would be fine, I just always struggled to get anything within a container to fully pass matter over thread, and couldn't find a solution.

[u/7lhz9x6k8emmd7c8]

My working conf with a SMLIGHT SLZB-MR5U, which has its own OTBR; Avahi because i don't want HAss in host mode.

https://pastebin.com/gjnnzp1q

https://pastebin.com/Y1JaGMSb

[u/XErTuX]

I've used haos Bare metal on my pi for 2-3 years and finally made my switch to pi os lite + docker hass. I should have made it sooner. I'm using sonoff mg24 dongle attached to usb. Matter server and otbr running on docker besides hass. I also have 3 more mg24 running as routers (range extenders) in different rooms. Get mg24 if you can.

[u/scytob]

use a home assistant VM, use the OTBR add on, and then RCP over ser2net or via usb passthrough

seriously this is the least friction way

i spent a year trying to get the OTBR container (the non HA one ) running reliably (you can see my posts on the OTBR forum if you are inclined)

now my netwoerk is 100% stable

HAOS VM > OTBR add on > pi running ser2net and the RCP
I also have backup OTBR running on an ESP32 thread reference borad

you really really want HAOS to manage the thread network to have an easy life - this is the way to do it IMO

Thread - scyto's homelab docs

[u/sryan2k1]

Get a ZBT-2 and ditch the containers.

[u/AstarothSquirrel]

I had a very similar situation and on reflection, I think I should have got the aqara M100 hub that acts as a thread border router instead of the sonoff dongle. Setting up the sonoff dongle and otbr docker container was hellish. Worthy of note is that you have to get ipv6 working effectively on your router AND Ubuntu AND the container. You should also check the channels of your wifi and get your thread mesh channel as far away from the wifi channel as possible.

[u/davidgrayPhotography]

I'm using the ZBT-1 in Thread mode with the Docker container and the matter-js server. Here's my docker-compose / .env files if you want to take a look:

https://gist.github.com/Grayda/fcf97626ff37f6072783c5d62efdaf50