Thanks, Miao. I think there are a couple of points worth clarifying.
You’re right that Home Assistant Cloud provides a very easy way to connect HA to Alexa and Google Assistant, and that a hardware Matter Bridge could be attractive to users who want a simple, local alternative without configuring developer accounts or exposing their HA instance.
However, I wouldn’t equate HA integration with Alexa/Google with using Nabu Casa. HA provides other ways of achieving this, including free self-managed integrations, so the comparison is not really “paid cloud service vs. one-time hardware purchase.”
More importantly, I’m not sure Alexa or Google Assistant are necessarily the main reason for HA users to add another voice-control layer. Home Assistant itself has evolved considerably in this area, including local and cloud-based AI/LLM integrations that can provide much richer interaction with the home than traditional voice assistants.
So for an existing HA user, I still see the Matter Bridge primarily as a convenience and interoperability product rather than filling a major gap in HA.
That’s why I’d personally be more interested in SONOFF devices supporting Matter/Thread natively. That would remove the need for a bridge altogether and make the devices useful across HA and the major smart-home ecosystems directly.
It’s really a matter of how things are divided up. For example, in one scenario, I use Google Home on one floor and Alexa on another.
However, I don’t want to share the same devices across both Alexa and Google Home; each system should only receive the devices corresponding to that specific floor!
They run on Docker these days; some are hosted on iHost, while others—still in development—aren’t hosted there yet but can be installed on iHost. It all relies on private repositories and the like. I use them for learning purposes and for implementations with some clients who are happy with the results!
I really just need improvements to the dashboards and the range of supported devices!
Nowadays I have both types, but the best option would be to use an entity that supports TV controls—like adjusting the volume, changing audio and video sources, and things like that.
Yes, I realized that air purifiers are now available, and I am making the necessary adjustments so they work properly!
One thing that hasn’t been asked about—but would be very well-received—is the possibility of the ZbUltra or iHost accepting devices via MQTT; this would greatly simplify the process of adding MQTT devices to the ecosystem!
Type: Motion Sensor Ikea of Sweden ‘MYGGSPRAY’ type E2494.
What happens: For iHost add device, the device in pairing mode will be discovered and the 11 digit code is required to be entered, then the Wi-Fi ssid and Password after which the pairing process will not progress any further. The pairing progress will not complete.
This situation is the same for all Matter over Thread devices with the iHost. On occasions they may pair but within hours, or even minutes, they will fall offline. Amazing, but Matter pairing is still in Beta!
So iHost can discover the Matter-over-Thread device, accepts the code, takes the Wi-Fi credentials… and then apparently decides that this is enough excitement for one day.
If the same happens with other Matter-over-Thread devices, it sounds less like an IKEA problem and more like a missing piece somewhere in iHost’s Thread/Matter support. But MYGGSPRAY has also been reported to cause commissioning problems in Home Assistant, so perhaps we shouldn’t blame iHost for everything just yet. It may simply be one of those Matter devices that enjoys keeping everyone guessing. Considering that MYGGSPRAY is Matter 1.4 certified, it is rather interesting that getting through commissioning seems to be a different matter altogether.
And yes, calling Matter “still in Beta” suddenly feels surprisingly accurate.
Yes this sensor is rather special but the same occours with the IKEA plugs, the Alpstuga sensor, Eve plugs etc. On the rare ocasion they pair they then fall offline or simple don’t respond.
Honestly, pretty much every Thread device I’ve come across has managed to do something weird at some point. But at least on the Home Assistant side, things seem to be steadily improving as OpenThread and the Matter integration mature. For the last couple of months, my Thread network has been remarkably trouble-free.
I’m using several IKEA devices (GRILLPLATS or KAJPLATS GU10) myself and haven’t had any issues with them. The BILRESA remotes, for example, used to give me recurring trouble not that long ago. Lately? Boringly stable. Which is exactly how I like my smart home. So I wouldn’t write iHost off just yet. Some of today’s “hardware problems” may well turn out to have been tomorrow’s software updates.
Exactly. I’m up to 28 Thread devices now (15 routers / 13 endpoints), and they’ve all been really stable, with great response times, both in HomeKit and SmartThings. So hopefully, in the end, I’ll be able to bring them into Node-RED via iHost. I’ll be patient.
