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Matter Alpha’s first-month report describes replacing most of an older Zigbee setup with Matter devices for lighting, controls, climate, sensors and power monitoring. The author says the system is easier to maintain, but Matter-connected wall switches still lack features available in their Zigbee counterparts, and the account does not establish that every device or function worked reliably.
Matter Alpha has reported on a month spent rebuilding a new apartment’s smart-home setup around Matter-compatible devices, replacing most of its older Zigbee equipment across lighting, controls, climate, sensors and power monitoring. The account points to a practical trade-off for people considering the standard: fewer separate hubs and a more unified setup, but some device features remain unavailable when products are controlled through Matter.
The writer began with an existing smart-home system and kept most network credentials, allowing the main controllers to be powered back on while old device entries were cleared. The report says several standalone bridges became unnecessary as the author reduced reliance on Zigbee. For bridging proprietary local-network devices into Matter, the writer used software options including eWeLink Cube and Homey Self-Hosted Server.
For new Matter products, the author used Home Assistant as the primary controller, then shared selected devices with Apple Home for phone control. The report says Home Assistant Link, previously called Home Assistant Cloud, was used to connect with Google Home and Amazon Alexa. This describes the author’s arrangement, not a test of every possible Matter controller or ecosystem configuration.
Lighting and wall controls came first. The author installed about 10 Aqara EU Switch H2 and Dimmer Switch H2 units, which use Thread in the reported setup, to operate fans and ceiling fixtures. The apartment also received smart ceiling lights from Govee and Nanoleaf, IKEA pendant lights and bulbs, and ambient lighting using a Dreame light strip and bulbs from several brands. The source describes a broader rollout, but the supplied account does not give a complete device-by-device performance assessment.
Matter’s Convenience Has Limits
The account offers a real-world view of the difference between interoperability and feature parity. Matter can let compatible products appear within a shared smart-home setup, but the author’s experience suggests that exposing a device through the standard may not carry over every manufacturer-specific control. That matters for households deciding whether to replace working Zigbee gear or buy new products based on cross-platform support.
Reducing the number of bridges may also simplify a system and reduce physical clutter, as the writer says happened in this apartment. But the report is a single user’s experience, not a controlled comparison of reliability, cost, responsiveness or wireless interference. Readers should treat the benefits as the author’s observations rather than a guarantee that another home will see the same results.
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From Zigbee Bridges to Matter
The author moved into a larger apartment and used the opportunity to start over rather than carry forward a setup built around older Zigbee devices and a mixture of other products. The goal was to use Matter across several parts of the home while retaining a central controller and access through major platform apps.
The report does not describe a completely hub-free home. It names Home Assistant and Apple devices among the controllers in the setup, and describes software bridges for some products. Its use of “all-Matter” is best read as the project’s direction: the writer says nearly all older Zigbee gear was replaced, while also describing controllers and bridging tools that support the overall system.
““When adding new Matter devices, I always start with Home Assistant as the primary controller.””
— Matter Alpha report author
Which Features Still Fall Short
The report says the Aqara switches lack decoupled relay mode and offer few dimmer configuration options when exposed through Matter. It does not detail which software versions, firmware or platform updates were in use, or whether those limitations apply to every installation. The source also does not provide systematic measurements of connection reliability, response time, or how the setup performed across a full month of daily use.
The account’s supplied material describes the initial hub and lighting setup but does not include complete results for every category named in its overview, including climate, sensors and power monitoring. It is also unclear whether later updates or alternative neutral-free switches addressed the author’s concerns.
The Search for Better Switches
The author says the current switches are being used to get the apartment running while they look for better neutral-free wall-switch alternatives. The report does not name a replacement or give a timeline for changing the installation. Any further conclusions about the Matter setup would depend on whether later devices, software updates or platform support restore the missing controls.
For readers planning a similar rebuild, the account supports checking the specific features needed in each product and the controls exposed by the intended platform before replacing existing equipment. The source provides no broader market comparison or independent testing, so the next useful milestone would be a more detailed update on device performance and feature support over time.
Key Questions
What did the author set up during the first month?
The report describes Matter-focused lighting and wall controls, including about 10 Aqara switches and dimmers, ceiling lights, smart bulbs and a light strip. The author also outlines a controller arrangement using Home Assistant, Apple Home and connections to Google Home and Amazon Alexa.
Did the author remove every hub?
No. The report says some standalone Zigbee bridges were retired, but the setup still uses smart-home controllers and software bridging tools. It describes reducing hardware rather than eliminating all hubs or controllers.
What did not work as expected?
The author says the Matter-connected Aqara switches lacked decoupled relay mode and had limited dimmer configuration options. The account does not establish that those limits affect every Matter device or setup.
Does the report prove Matter is more reliable than Zigbee?
No. It is a single-user account and does not provide controlled reliability or speed measurements comparing the protocols. The author reports changes in setup and device features, not a definitive comparison.
Source: matteralpha.com
