So ok, I actually DO know what Matter solves for vendors developing products.
Common standard to write against
Easily testable, and lots of code libraries
Your product will connect to "all hubs" with little to no work
Since your device has an IP, you get to collect all kinds of metrics and telemetry
But from the home automation enthusiast perspective, and the "hub developer" perspective, what would I GAIN by switching to matter devices?
As an enthusiast:
I now have to worry about all these devices on my LAN (mangement, security, possible performance impact [when there's a bug])
You have to worry all the nonsense that goes along with Wifi, and could compromise your home automation. To me the biggest benefit of zigbee/zwave is that it is totally separate and resilient for controlling the essential automations of everyday life. (and ZWave's awesome low-band frequency) Now you'll have to worry about wifi saturation from neighbors, your kids resetting the router, etc etc etc.
What happens if you want to cycle your SSID password?
As I understand it matter is just for basic functionality of devices when it comes to "ease of use". If you want to use advanced features...an LED strip on Inovelli switch...specific settings on Zooz switches...Hue animations...etc....you would still need a custom driver to expose/utilize those settings somehow right?
As a hub developer:
There's no more secret sauce, your product is only as good as the UI and automation engine you produce.
If the market moves to matter, you will be eaten alive by the "big guys" with an inferior product that cannot do advanced rules/routines, simply because "80% of users don't care about that other stuff"
May temporarily have an advantage for supporting "old and new", but that means almost no NEW customers just getting into home automation.
This isn't meant as a "poop on matter" post, or to try to fight matter, or resistance to new technology. I'm really just trying to understand. I dont see the benefit to....ME
No, it's local. And it also depends on the hub, Matter devices do not call home to a mothership. They are bound to the hub(s). Now if the hubs send out info (alexa and google) that's a different story. I think likely best privacy is Hubitat/Homekit, (this is a personal preference, your mileage may vary)
No, they basically create an ipv6 mesh... Be it matter over wifi or matter over thread... Performace of the hub and matter devices is where you would look.
Actually matter is very resilient. Lets say my matter coordinator (in the case a homepod/homepod mini) fails, it gets picked up by the next homepod in line. (well as long as I hvave more than one). Or any other matter coordinator on the fabric.
Nothing as it doesn't matter. (No pun intended) Matter devices create their own point to point ipv6 mesh. Wifi or bluetooth is only used to onboard to the coordinator.
Yes and now. It's a combination of the matter protocol being updated to expose certain things. (Lets take power reporting). Matter has to be able to expose that to be used elsewhere (such as hubitat). As matter versions progress, that eventually will be here. It's similar in exposing clusters on z-wave....
In the end if you have a C8 you could join the matter beta It's going fairly well.
Matter brings more connected devices running local that are potentially cheaper and can be integrated faster on the platform of your choice.
The secret sauce comes from mixing and matching different protocols to offer users a complete smart home environment.
"80% of users don't care" UNTILL they do, then they want to do more You don't know what you don't know until you realize you want more. Think of the cloud platforms - you don't know you need a local solution until you experience the first outage, then you start looking for alternatives.
Progress is never made by being stuck in the past. Progress is made by learning from the past to adapt to the future.
I'm running only IPv4, no v6, on my home network. My Matter WiFi device (Third Reality Night Light) attaches to my WiFi and pulls a v4 address. If I block the v4 IP the device stops working. The IPv6 stuff is all done behind the scenes within the Matter network/fabric.
Yep and that doesn't matter. The devices still create an ipv6 network to talk to eachother...
I haven't seen this. During my testing I used both my AP's and my firewall (ipv6) to block traffic from all my matter/wifi devices. It affected nothing but the native apps. Homekit and hubitat still ran them fine... I have the Matter Third reality night light, several matter outlets, and a couple of nanoleaf matter string lights. (Those are over thread though) and no issues.
Now I have run into some other problems but overall these kinds of things should only be discussed in the matter beta section.
On a UniFi router blocking the MAC ID results in immediate uncontrollable device from all 4 of the controllers I am using. The device recovers relatively quickly for all 4 controllers after removing the block.
Are you saying they the matter specification requires that devices ONLY have a link-local ipv6 address? I know the matter protocol itself is "all local", but you cannot really stop someone who creates a matter devices from phoning-home.
You will need wifi and bt to onboard to your coordinator (hubitat is not a coordinator). You will still need your coordinators to talk with the devices themselves.. So lets say you onboarded to your one homekit hub then you onboard to Hubitat but then disconnect the homepod, since your coordinator and border router is gone no, you won't be able to connect to your matter devices...
According to this diagram...only THREAD devices are actually stand-alone ipv6 network. And WiFi matter devices connect directly to your wifi access points.
So yea, thread devices, are totally isolated, much like Zigbee/Zwave. but Wifi matter devices, would be free to phone-home, and reliant on your home router.
Though if you're using a hub your dont fully control...there's nothing stopping the Thread border router from forwarding traffic from thread devices out to the internet.
Yes, Matter WIFI devices require WiFi to work. They don't need internet connectivity, but they do need WIFI, by definition.
Could they phone home/do bad things while on your wifi? Sure, just like any other WiFi device. So don't buy no-name/sketchy Matter WIFI devices?
In fact currently many Matter WIFI devices require phoning home to do firmware updates (a lot of devices don't support firmware update over Matter yet, as that was a relatively recent adder to the spec). You obviously can block them on the router and just not do firmware updates, if desired.
Yea, and even thread devices could phone home, if your Thread controller allows it. I'm sure if you're using a trusted hub like HE you'll be fine (ie given control). But I've got $10 that says Amazon/Apple/et al will be auto-allowing direct communication to any device/info/data they can.
I would call that more of a TBR / Matter Gateway issue than a thread device phoning home issue. But semantics.
That is like saying a zigbee device can "phone home" if your zigbee controller lets it...
Anyway, each to their own. No one is forcing anyone to use Matter. Those that are really concerned and care enough to do so are likely blocking outbound IPv6 in their outbound router anyway...
See I think that is VERY different. Zigbee devices don't talk IP, so they cannot be compromised to do nefarious things. Firmware updating will likely be devices pulling files from online repo's, which for all the good controls you can put it...code repos get compromised all the time. They will be targets for sure.
I'll be waiting to see exactly how much control i will have before I both with any matter devices because...like the original post was saying...
I still don't see how any of it is BETTER for ME, than what we have today.
I suppose all appliances like Washer/Dryer/Oven/Fridge will all start to ship with Matter....but I think I could count on one hand the number of times I actually USED those integrations for anything.
Doesn't everyone have a firewall between them and their service provider? Anyone who uses Verizon/Comcast or any other providers gear as their access point is asking for trouble.
I can set up a device on multiple services in just a few minutes. My light exists on Apple, Hubitat (join the beta if you want to try it out), Home Assistant, Alexa, manufacturer app. How much is that worth? Maybe a little, maybe a lot. IMO the area with the most potential are things like AV equipment, but that's also going to be the longest timeline due to their inherent complexity. Even light functionality is not completely implemented yet.
Firewalls don't block outbound communications by default (not home firewalls anyway)...and since the nature of these IPv6 networks is dynamic, you'd have a hard time blocking individual devices.
And depending on how a Thread router worked, you might not be able to specify individual devices at all.
You don't know what you don't know until you realize you want more. Think of the cloud platforms - you don't know you need a local solution until you experience the first outage, then you start looking for alternatives.
Those that are really concerned and care enough to do so are likely blocking outbound IPv6 in their outbound router anyway...
