After adding the device via Bluetooth, it appears as a normal Wi‑Fi device, which makes sense because the firmware still connects to the eWeLink cloud (OTA, scenes, telemetry).
But after adding the same switch to a Matter ecosystem (Home Assistant, Google Home, Apple Home), the app creates a second entry labeled “Matter device”.
In the end, one physical switch shows up as two devices.
This is confusing because it looks like a duplicate, complicates scene management, and doesn’t happen with Matter devices from other brands.
Suggestion:
Show a single device entry with two protocol sections (eWeLink Cloud + Matter‑over‑WiFi), instead of two separate devices. Other vendors (Aqara, Eve, Nanoleaf) already use this approach and it greatly improves clarity.
One more question:
How are Matter‑stack updates handled? If the M5 is used only via Matter, will it still receive firmware/Matter updates? And how do these updates relate to the firmware updates delivered through the eWeLink cloud? Clear guidance on this would help users understand how updates work across both protocols.
I noticed that Sonoff doesn’t update devices through Matter. Updates are only performed through the eWeLink cloud. You can set automatic updates in the eWeLink app.
However, in Matter ecosystems (Home Assistant, Google Home, SmartThings), there will be no notification that an update is available.
You’re right that Sonoff devices are not updated through Matter, and platforms like Home Assistant, Google Home or SmartThings don’t provide OTA notifications because Sonoff doesn’t use the Matter OTA mechanism. However, it’s important to clarify that Matter does include its own OTA standard. Sonoff simply chose not to implement it. Instead, all firmware and Matter‑stack updates are delivered exclusively via the eWeLink cloud.
And that’s exactly the problem: for users who want to use Sonoff devices strictly as Matter‑only devices, this design choice is limiting. If someone avoids the eWeLink ecosystem on purpose, they have no native way to see update availability or trigger OTA from within Matter. In practice, they are forced to keep the eWeLink app installed and rely on Sonoff’s cloud anyway, which defeats part of the purpose of choosing Matter in the first place.
