LOL .. Love this guy !
7 Likes
Nice video and all BUT I have 16 Matter devices and none of them have failed. I have them commissioned through Google Hub, then on to a Hubitat C8 Pro. They just work. Fast, easy and maintenance free. So take the video with a grain of salt. Everything has its pros and cons but for my system, I'm a very satisfied Matter user.
5 Likes
Hey didn't he used to work for HE??
And my experience mirrors his, it's not ready for primetime AT ALL
2 Likes
I have a rental property that I will probably be selling very soon.
I just put a bunch of Leviton matter devices in it for two reasons. First, I wanted control over lights and security features remotely using a Hubitat, but also because when I do sell it, those will go with the house and are easy enough to use, as the new owner can pair them with a phone app, etc. If I had setup Zigbee or Z-Wave devices, which are my preference at my other homes, then that could have been a mess for the new owners or at the very least a steep learning curve.
The matter switches, as Bryan said, just work, and I don't need them to do much more. I like they are able to integrate with all the features the Hubitat hub has to offer... At home, I don't care for Matter using my WiFi bandwidth, but in this particular location, I believe that will actually be easier for the new owners...
Anyway, I get its new and different, but it actually filled a need for me at the right time... And as for those switches, even without Matter, then have their own WiFi ecosystem and app as I mentioned earlier...
I would suspect Matter will be the JV, entry level path for new folks in the automation world... 
2 Likes
I'm not even sure what people are thinking when they say "embrace Matter". I've heard this thrown around and I don't get the idea of embracing anything in Home Automation. Do people want limited choices?
Just use what works and has the features you want. Are we going to throw away working and reliable devices to move to all Matter? That would be senseless and wasteful. I'm all set for adding a Matter device over IP or Thread, but I haven't bought one becasue there's nothing I want or need that I haven't already achieved with HomeKit, Zigbee, ZWave and Bluetooth.
Even if you were starting a Smart Home from scratch today, I wouldn't recommend limiting yourself to Matter only devices.
10 Likes
I agree with that... I personally like the other radio communication protocols like Z-wave and Zigbee because they don't impact my already saturated WiFi... That being said, in my rental, that is not so much of a concern and those WiFi switches work well. It was just a bonus they had a Matter firmware upgrade and so I didn't need any custom driver to make them work with Hubitat.
Gotta plug them for one more thing that I wish I would see in either the GE or Zooz line of products...
I installed these... The D215S-1BW.
https://www.leviton.com/products/d215s-1bw
But what makes them cool, are these... The DAWSC-1BW.
https://leviton.com/products/dawsc-1bw
These wireless three and four way switches that connect to the D215S are awesome... I would love to see something like this with the main switch Z-Wave or Zigbee...
1 Like
I was very skeptical for a long time, but I am very much warming to it since getting some real-life matter devices.
3 Likes
As a new protocol, there will be hiccups and gaps in documentation that may trip some users. While Pete's video resonates with some users, today, the experience can be easily improved. Take for example the Aqara sensor incident that he highlighted. Nowhere in the Aqara documentation (that I could find) is mentioned that a sensor can be added to a maximum number of controllers (fabrics). If he was aware that the device has a limit, he could have removed the sensor from one of his Matter controllers so he can add it to a new one. Now, the error that Hubitat showed didn't help, much, either, and that will be improved on our side in a future update, to better inform users of what "no memory" error really means.
9 Likes
From what I have seen, most manufactures are guilty of this. Matter devices are supposed to be able to connect to five different controllers (at least per the spec). Further, Apple Home uses two of the five available spaces when connecting a Matter device. I doubt this is really going to affect the "average" consumer, but for someone like Pete who has multiple different options, I can see this being a problem.
I just checked the specs this morning, because I wasn't sure if there is an actual limit imposed by Matter, and it is not. The limit is imposed by device manufacturer based on how many controllers a device memory can handle.
3 Likes
Thanks @bobbyD for the information! Not sure where I got the number 5 in my head. Either way, this number really needs to be available even if it will not affect the majority.
Some Nanoleaf devices only support 3 controllers, so between Apple Home, Alexa and Google Home, their limit may affect more users than those who limit at 5 or 6. So documentation becomes critical on the manufacturer side.
2 Likes
Well will you look at that!? The CSA got all the manufacuters to perfectly agree, so now home automation is easy for everyone! 
5 Likes
Back to the topic at hand, I have found some Matter devices to really fit some needs of mine. I currently have seven of https://www.amazon.com/THIRDREALITY-Matter-Multi-Functionality-Compatible-Google/dp/B0CGQYQFNV?ref_=ast_sto_dp in usage at my house and they have been great. My Christmas decorations ran on 5 Matter smart plugs. For me personally, Matter has allowed Hubitat to be my automation controller, Apple to be the dashboard, and Google to serve as the voice without needing to use Hubitat's integration (which I do use for my non-Matter devices).
What I really want to see is Matter binding come to fruition. Let me bind some Kasa Matter switches to my Hue bulbs and we are cooking!
1 Like
*However, no manufacturers have made use of it yet.*
4 Likes
Yup. The cynic in me says that we will only see Matter binding by the same manufacture (Kasa switches with Kasa bulbs) rather than across them. The flip side (if I'm understanding the spec correctly) is that a Matter controller creates the initial binding. I think it is similar to Zigbee binding, which leaves me slightly hopeful that Hubitat could possibly implement.
1 Like
Matter binding, as well as Matter Groups and Matter scenes, are still to be explored ..
3 Likes
I can't say that I disagree with his overall assessment of Matter. I have a few devices (Nanoleaf Bulbs) that i have had since the beginning. When they work, they work great. They do fine for several weeks, then slowly they will drop off one by one until eventually i have to remove them and re-include them.
I'm not about to go out and start replacing stuff with Matter, but I won't necessarily avoid it for new devices either. I will tend to favor matter over thread vs. matter over Wifi. I just hope that eventually Hubitat will allow provisioning directly in hubitat rather than bridging form another hub like HomeKit, etc. I do agree that Matter needs to focus on tightening up their standards and get them workking better rather than adding more device types.
2 Likes
Not sure if it's Matter the "protocol" that needs tightening up, or Matter the device manufacturer that needs better implementation. 
And yes, I am looking at you Nanoleaf....
8 Likes
I had 12 Kasa Matter switches. They worked great.... but then they would randomly drop off. I would have to reboot the switch wait, send a few commands and eventually they would come back.
I got annoyed returned them and went all Lutron .
I still have 6 Kasa matter plugs, one drops sometimes but its low impact so I will keep them and maybe firmware will fix them.
One thing that bugged me is that if I delete from Google home it seems to break the connection to hubitat?
1 Like
