What is the best thread boarder router to use with hubitat? I’m thinking a hard lined would be better than a WiFi one.
I am happy with my Apple TV (and HomePod; I don't actually remember which is serving as my actual TBR, but one of the nice things about Thread is that you normally don't need to care). Obviously, this would work best if you're already in the Apple ecosystem, so it may be good to share any other preferences you may have.
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Anyone using a home assistant as a Thread Border Router? I have one in place just to bring the Ecobee thermostat over using Home Assistant Device bridge but just wanted to know people's thoughts?
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On what hardware? I know that HA Yellow can be used as a TBR. Not sure about HA Green.
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The HA Green has no radios onboard whatsoever. One has to purchase those separately as USB dongles, like the HA SkyConnect which can be configured to run either as a Zigbee or Thread radio.
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I have USB dongles I was experimenting with for Zigbee and Z-Wave. I since removed the dongles but I can add them back.
I agree with @bertabcd1234, it depends what else you’re using in your home.
Apple, Google and Amazon all have TBR devices that also function within their respective ecosystems for other purposes. There’s also Aqara hubs that can act as TBRs, since some people like to use certain Aqara devices paired directly to an Aqara hub alongside Hubitat.
I can’t claim to be a Thread expert, but I doubt there’s that much of a difference from Hubitat’s perspective.
Here is the architecture I am thinking of,
[Thread Device]
↓
[SLZB-07p7 Dongle in Thread Mode]
↓
[Home Assistant VM]
├─ OpenThread Border Router (manages Thread mesh)
└─ Matter Server (exposes Thread devices via Matter)
↓
[Hubitat C-8]
+------------------+ +------------------------+ +------------------+
| Thread Device(s) |<----->| SLZB-07p7 (Thread Mode) |<----->| Home Assistant VM |
+------------------+ +------------------------+ | ├─ Thread Router |
| └─ Matter Server |
+------------------+
↓
+------------------+
| Hubitat C-8 |
| (Matter Controller)|
+------------------+
Google could likely confirm this for me, but I'd be grateful to instead hear from Thread gurus here in the community...
Am I correct that Thread (Matter?) spec 1.4 is the one that supposedly "unites" all household Thread meshes to a single mesh under one TBR (not sure if that means a no-kidding single TBR device, or just one overall brand [like Apple or Google])?
I'm probably not saying that right, so let's say you have Apple, Amazon, and Google TBR-capable devices... Previously, they'd each make their own Thread mesh (true?), but 1.4 somehow automagically puts them all together in a single mesh now?
Have the Big 3 (Apple, Google, Amazon) all adopted 1.4 already, or is that rollout still in progress?
That mess is the one thing that's held me back from even considering playing around with Thread so far...
I only have Apple and Google TBR-capable devices to navigate, but since that ZB/Thread/2.4-wifi radio spectrum is already so packed and tenuous, I've been leery to experiment.
Many thanks in advance for any ELI5 insights!
Since my home uses both Google and Apple Home, I have thread boarder routers from both. Using an iPhone to set everything up, my Nest WiFi Pros, Google Hub Maxes, and Apple TVs have all formed one thread network; though, I have no idea which device is my primary.
Almost. If I remember correctly, it look like Thread 1.4 was coming to Apple devices with the OS26 release in the next few weeks. Also, I'm pretty sure that my Google devices got upgraded at some point to Thread 1.4. I'll need to confirm when I get home later today with a network discovery app. I think only Amazon is really trailing in this regard.
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Many thanks! Now that you mention it, the Apple os26-for-1.4 thing does sound familiar.
And I forgot about sniffing around with a network-discovery app -- I'm pretty sure I have one as I recall goofing around with it in the very early days of Thread, so I should dust that off too.
Thanks again -- if you discover anything unexpected in your own sweep, I'd be grateful to hear.
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Current Equipment:
C8Pro, Echo Dots (No TBR), iPad/iPhone
My thought was to get the new Aeotec Hub 2 when it comes out as it is wired since all thread devices will have to use this device as the bridge for HE. Everything has to flow through the bridge so that is why I was thinking wired would be better.
Since you're already an iOS user, my advice would be for you to get an Apple TV 4K (the model with Ethernet). It works great as a TBR and is the best streaming media device available. Add a few more HomePod minis around the house, and you'll have a nice strong Thread Mesh network.
The Aeotec Hub v2 is primarily focused on being a hub for Samsung's SmartThings platform. Many of us know how well that platform has treated its users over the years. 
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I second that recommendation. If an ATV 4K is not an option, I'd recommend a Homepod Mini for this one reason - Apple's Matter onboarding experience is head and shoulders above anyone else's.
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Ok so I got my configuration done on Home Assistant. Pretty easy to flash the dongle with Thread firmware and then just set the VM on Proxmox to bring the entire USB port and it's devices into the VM. Installed the Open Thread Border Router and when configuring it found the USB seral device for the dongle. Also made sure the Matter interation was running.
On the Hubitat side so far I have matter enabled.
This is what the config looks like so far:
Ordered a Aqara Door and Window Sensor P2, Matter Over Thread device from Amazon as my test device and it should be coming in tomorrow for testing.
Well there goes a night of testing. For the life of me I couldn't get the darn Aqara Contact sensor to pair with Matter in Home Assistant, I put the sensor in paring mode, have the device near the boarder router antenna, scan the barcode with HA app and it looked like it was able to discover the device but then it would say make sure you are on a 2.4 GHz network and after about 30 seconds later it would give an error that a Thread Border Router is required for this device and it would exit pairing. Tried 5 times and no luck.
I then said well I have two Echo devices that can act as a border router and it was a breeze on the Amazon Eco. The only thing is it would not scan the barcode on the device and I had to enter the pairing number manually. Then I was able to generate a control code for the Hubitat. Entered the number on the add new matter device and in a few seconds everything was fine.
There seems to be lots of posts about Matter and HA being flaky unless you are using their device vs self hosting. I prefer to go the HA route because I don't want Amazon being the gateway for any thread Matter devices. I may try again later this week but for now I am taking a break.
@Mark520 Apple is rumored to be releasing a new Apple TV late this year so personally I would wait to see and get the latest AppleTV instead of the 2 year old model.
Personally I am using Home Assistant running on a Raspberry Pi 4 with a GL.iNet GL-S20 as my TBR. Not that I would recommend that setup but it was the easiest at the time as I didn't want to purchase an aging Apple TV knowing a new version was imminent.
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Or at least wait until the new one releases and prices drop on the current model.
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That would be ideal. However, who knows if/when Apple will release a new ATV? 
How does one determine this? I have two Home Pods and a Google Nest Hub, was wondering how I confirm they formed one thread network and are cooperating with each other.
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