NSPanel Pro – Matter integration visible as VIRTUAL_DEVICE_APP (117) and useless entities

NSPanel Pro
1

I connected NSPanel Pro with Home Assistant via Matter. In the Matter integration the panel appears as VIRTUAL_DEVICE_APP (117) by TEST_VENDOR. As a result, HA creates entities that do not correspond to the role and function of the panel - for example “battery” or “current_switch_position”. There are more such entities and they require manual removal/hiding.

It looks as if NSPanel Pro reports itself in Matter as a test device with generic attributes, rather than as a control panel. In practice the integration works, but the entities are useless and create clutter. Is this a known issue in the current NSPanel Pro firmware? Are fixes planned in Matter so that the panel will have a proper device profile and meaningful entities in HA?

In the firmware 4.x roadmap I did not find any information about Matter development. Does eWeLink plan further support for Matter in NSPanel Pro (e.g. an official device type instead of TEST_VENDOR), or is development focused solely on F‑Droid and apps?

I know that the current Matter specification does not include a dedicated device type for a control panel. This probably explains why NSPanel Pro has to report itself as a “test vendor device” or a generic switch/bridge, which results in irrelevant entities in Home Assistant.

Suggestions for solutions:

  • Work with CSA to introduce a new Device Type in Matter for control panels.
  • Until standardization happens, use an existing profile (e.g. Bridge + Generic Switch) in a more consistent way.
  • Limit cluster declarations in firmware only to those that actually make sense (i.e. without “battery” or “switch position”).
  • Add a mapping layer in firmware so that the panel reports itself as a Bridge and exports only connected devices.
  • Cooperate with the Home Assistant team on a dedicated Matter integration for NSPanel Pro that translates unusual attributes into logical entities.
  • Communicate clearly in the roadmap whether Matter remains a priority, or whether the panel should mainly be treated as an open “mini‑tablet” with apps.

Warm regards, as always :+1:

1 Like
2

Thanks for reporting. We did test Matter Bridge function of NSPanel Pro with Apple HomePod and Home App, but did NOT test it with Home Assistant. Because we thought it’s better to use Home Assistant Discovery Protocol to export NSPanel Pro and its sub-devices to HA instead of Matter Bridge.

But as a standard based function, NSPanel Pro’s Matter Bridge should work with Home Assistant, so we will test it against Home Assistant’s Matter server. Please allow us 1 week or 2 to get it done.

2 Likes
3

I’d like to understand which sub-devices you added. In principle, our Matter Bridge follows the Matter specification, and all capabilities and details should comply with it (and yes, the TEST_VENDOR value is indeed an issue — we’ll correct it in a future update).

Would it be possible for you to share a screenshot or a short video showing the entities you mentioned — such as battery or current_switch_position — that appear incorrect?

4

Of course, here’s the screenshot you asked for.

image
image640×477 29 KB

Unfortunately, the Battery entity stopped showing up after restarting the NSPanel Pro. As it happened, Zigbee support in the panel stopped responding after re‑synchronizing Matter, and I only managed to restore its functionality back to the power toggle.

Screenshot_20251205-092933
Screenshot_20251205-092933720×1600 82.7 KB

Thanks for taking an interest in the issue.

5

From your screenshot, I’m not quite sure what you consider abnormal.

Which part looks wrong to you? – “Current switch position“?

(Aside from the device info section — that part we already know needs correction.)

6

Indeed. Since there’s no switch in NSPanel Pro, there is no any switch position, is there? :slight_smile:
The same goes for the battery, if it’s displayed there.

7

We can now confirm that this diagnostic information is not provided by us. I suspect it was automatically added by Home Assistant based on the device capabilities we reported. We tried adding another third-party matterbridge to diagnose the issue, but we don’t have the corresponding devices on hand. Do you have an environment available on your side to verify this point?

8

I don’t have access to additional Matter bridges or specialized test environments, but I can compare how NSPanel Pro appears in Google Home or Alexa. If this kind of comparison is useful for your diagnostics, I’ll be happy to run it and share the results when I have some free time soon. Hopefully this will help clarify whether the extra entities are specific to Home Assistant or show up in other ecosystems as well.

9

Not necessarily. It’s pretty much the same story when you add the NSPanel Pro to Google Home

Screenshot_20251210-182222
Screenshot_20251210-182222720×1600 61.4 KB

or Alexa.

Screenshot_20251210-181310
Screenshot_20251210-181310720×1600 42.1 KB

The synchronized Zigbee devices are detected correctly and the basic functions work just fine. Basic being the key word here, because the rest of the entities usually decide to play dead. The worst offenders are the TRVZB — their Matter support is so limited it feels like someone shipped only half the manual.

Of course, I’m well aware that a big chunk of this comes from Matter still being a bit… undercooked. But in its current state, trying to control heating through it is a shortcut to frustration, so better to just walk away slowly and pretend we never had that idea. I’ll admit I was hoping firmware 4.2.0 would sprinkle some magic on the situation, but nope — nothing improved in that department.

@MichaelLearnsToCode To make things even more exciting, the cooperation with HA over MQTT also leaves plenty to be desired, and 4.2.0 didn’t fix a single thing I was counting on. Not that I don’t appreciate your efforts — they’re clearly massive, and the progress is visible — but it feels like you focused a bit too much on F-Droid and getting the HA Companion App running. Unfortunately, that seems to have come at the expense of communication features. Matter and MQTT remain… let’s say “moderately useful,” and nothing has improved compared to previous firmware versions.

So it looks like the only reliable way to bridge the worlds of eWeLink and HA through the NSPanel Pro is still SonoffLAN by AlexxIT. And yes, I know it takes two to tango, and Sonoff’s participation in the latest changes is, well… reluctant. As if they kept repeating, “We don’t like dancing.”

Example: I asked Sonoff about the SNZB‑02D‑R2 and the promised option to use an external sensor, supposedly requiring a newer firmware version. The answer? “Nope, nothing like that — the issue is with the NSPanel Pro, and 4.2.0 will fix it.” Spoiler: it didn’t. That’s just the latest example, but there are plenty more. It’s as if they don’t quite notice eWeLink’s efforts.

Anyway, enough grumbling. Got any ideas on how to unclog these technical‑communication‑organizational bottlenecks? :smiling_face_with_sunglasses:

10

We have synced the NSPanel Pro matterbridge with Samsung, Alexa, and other platforms, and did not encounter the diagnostic card issue you mentioned. This seems to be a logic added by Home Assistant. Additionally, we will address the vendor issue in the next version.