Ok this is going to be interesting. I have been trying out the Amazon Echo as a Matter border router by adding a TP-Link Tapo Matter Smart Plug to one of my Echo through the Amazon app. Using the Amazon App I am able to turn the outlet off and on just fine. I can also see this device in both Hubitat and Home Assistant though Matter integrations.
Here is the rub. Every time I call to have this device turned off or on the Echo makes a call to Amazon even though Matter is supposed to be local control. To test I blocked the Echo from talking to the internet and I can still control the device, so I know the control is "local". I sense that Amazon is again playing the send me all your device status game again and I don't want them to have history of when I use devices to train any of their AI's or other purposes.
Is there any other Matter / Thread boarder gateway's out there that doesn't make a cloud report on Matter device usage?
I found this an interesting read:
Update
Scratch that local control works with internet disconnected I left the Echo blocked to the internet for 24 hours and this morning local control is gone. I had to unblock the Echo and now I can control the outlet.
Just to clarify, did you need to unblock Echo so that Echo could control the device, or did you have to unblock Echo so that Hubitat could control the device??
I can believe that AWS cloud wants the device status update, as routines, etc all run in that environment - So it makes some sense that the local TBR works, and you have local control (to some extend), but that it's reaching out to AWS to update the device status.
Reading you own link, it seems that Apple home, and Apple TBR's all work without the internet - It's still quite possible (likely even?) that Apple home sends updates back to their cloud around device status changes, but that doesn't impact local control - Wireshark is your friend here, to tell the "real story". -
Also, be aware with Multi Admin, even if Apple, HE, or HA DOESN'T report a status change to the internet, but it's provisioned with an with Google or Alexa, the status change update will be send to these additional controllers (due to multi-admin), and they (Alexa and Google) are going to likely report it back to the cloud. - So I guess be careful what you have as a Matter controller on your local network, and what's provisioned where.
Obviously, the HA Yellow approach, gives you even more local control options.
Initially yesterday after I blocked the Echo from the internet, I was able to do local control. But after I wrote my finding this morning, I tried to locally control it again and it no longer worked. I then unblocked it and it was controllable again.
