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Matter Alpha’s reporter rebuilt most of a new apartment’s smart-home setup around Matter devices during the first month, covering lighting, controls and other household systems. The report says the setup reduced reliance on older Zigbee equipment, but Matter versions of some switches lacked features available through their manufacturers’ own systems.
Matter Alpha has published an account of its reporter’s first month building a mostly Matter-based smart home in a new apartment, describing a broad setup of lighting and controls alongside shortcomings in some device features. The report offers a practical snapshot of how a user combined Matter products and controllers, while finding that certain switches did not expose important functions through Matter.
The reporter said moving to a larger apartment provided a chance to rebuild the household system and replace nearly all of the previous Zigbee devices. The new setup covered lighting, controls, climate, sensors and power monitoring, although the supplied report excerpt gives its most detail on hubs and lighting. The reporter retained network credentials and brought existing controllers back online, then removed most old device entries.
For new Matter devices, the reporter said Home Assistant was the primary controller. Devices needed for manual phone control were shared with Apple Home, while Home Assistant Link was used to connect with Google Home and Amazon Alexa. The report says the move also allowed the reporter to retire some standalone bridges and use self-hosted software, including eWeLink Cube and Homey Self-Hosted Server, to bring certain proprietary LAN devices into the setup.
Lighting and wall controls were installed first. The reporter said about 10 Aqara Thread switches and dimmers were fitted to control fans, lights and ceiling fixtures. The setup also included Govee and Nanoleaf ceiling lights, IKEA pendant lights and bulbs, a Dreame light strip, and lamps using bulbs from several manufacturers. The report describes the neutral-free wiring support of the Aqara models as helpful for retrofitting existing wall boxes, but says their Matter versions lacked decoupled relay mode and offered limited dimmer configuration.
Matter’s Features Depend on Device Support
The report highlights a practical distinction for people choosing a smart-home standard: cross-platform connection does not guarantee every manufacturer feature will be available in each platform. The reporter said the switches worked in the new setup but did not match the functionality of their Zigbee counterparts, particularly for smart-bulb automation and dimmer settings.
That trade-off matters to residents planning a retrofit. A shared standard may help devices from different brands work through common controllers, while the specific functions available can still vary by device and software. The account suggests buyers should check whether a required feature is exposed through Matter before replacing an established system, especially for switches and dimmers that control smart bulbs.
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From Zigbee Devices to Matter
The reporter framed the move as a fresh start after previously using a mix of Zigbee switches, HomeKit fixtures and Matter lamps. Rather than replacing every part of the system at once, the account describes bringing existing controllers back online, clearing old device records and then adding new products with Home Assistant as the main point of setup.
The report also describes retaining some bridges and controller software where useful, while retiring hardware that was no longer needed. This was the reporter’s personal installation, not a controlled comparison of Matter with Zigbee or a survey of all compatible products. The findings are specific to the devices, platforms and features used in that apartment.
““When adding new Matter devices, I always start with Home Assistant as the primary controller.””
— Matter Alpha reporter
Features Still Missing From the Setup
The supplied account does not provide a complete inventory of how every category performed over the month. It names climate devices, sensors and power monitoring as part of the broader setup, but the available details focus mainly on hubs, lighting and switches. It is also unclear whether the reported switch limitations stem from the Matter standard, the particular Aqara models, platform support or software versions.
The article describes one household’s experience and does not establish how the same products perform across other networks or controller combinations. The reporter’s assessment of reliability over time, device counts by category and any specific outages or connection problems are not detailed in the supplied material.
Further Testing and Switch Alternatives
The reporter said they would continue looking for neutral-free wall switches that better support the required features. The account also leaves room for further testing as the apartment’s setup develops, particularly around the systems and device categories not described in detail here.
For readers considering a similar rebuild, the immediate next step is to confirm that a device exposes the needed functions in the intended controller, rather than relying on Matter compatibility alone. The report does not give a schedule for a follow-up or identify which alternative switch models the reporter may test.
Key Questions
What did the reporter set up during the first month?
The report describes a mostly Matter-based apartment setup with controllers, smart lighting, wall switches and dimmers, ceiling fixtures, bulbs and a light strip. It also identifies climate, sensors and power monitoring as areas covered, but provides fewer specifics about those devices.
Which controller did the reporter use first for Matter devices?
The reporter said Home Assistant was the primary controller for adding Matter devices. Selected devices were then shared with Apple Home, Google Home and Amazon Alexa through the arrangements described in the report.
What did not work as expected?
The reporter said the Aqara Thread switches and dimmers lacked decoupled relay mode and had limited dimmer configuration when used through Matter. The report does not establish whether the limitations apply to every controller or software version.
Does the report show that Matter is less reliable than Zigbee?
No. The account describes one household’s setup and specific feature gaps; it does not provide a controlled reliability comparison between Matter and Zigbee.
Source: matteralpha.com
