Detailed Review of All Available and Compatible Matter Thread Devices in Q3 2024.
Matter is a standard protocol for smart devices and is supposed to simplify the compatibility of smart home devices.
Its biggest promise so far is to make all smart devices communicate with each other, irrespective of ecosystem, platform, or manufacturer.
It means that you no longer need to be checking if a device is working with Google Home, HomeKit, or Alexa because Matter works with all of them.
This setup is ideal for multi-platform smart homes. So, if you have a Samsung smartphone, your spouse has an iPhone, and your children have a Fire tablet, then it is possible to control all your Matter-compliant devices with your smartphones and tablets.
In this article, you will find a comprehensive list of Matter Thread devices as of 2024. But first, we will try to define Matter and Thread.
What Does Matter?
Matter is the newest standard developed by a coalition of major players in the smart home industry, including Apple, Amazon, Samsung, and Google.
This new communication protocol simplifies connections in your smart home and make purchasing, installing, and using smart devices easier.
Its principal purpose is to facilitate the connectivity of smart gadgets to communicate with each other, irrespective of the platform or ecosystem.
With Matter, you can coordinate all your smart gadgets using Android and iOS smartphones and tablets, or even your preferred voice assistant.
Matter works mainly through two wireless protocols: WiFi and Thread. Since there is no need for cloud dependency, you could easily control your smart home devices faster and more conveniently.
Matter also has built-in security, so you can be more comfortable while buying Matter-compatible devices.
Another impressive thing about Matter is that it can accommodate your existing devices. In fact, there are several upgrade paths for specific devices.
For instance, you can make your Zigbee devices work with Matter through the existing hubs. Likewise, you can make some WiFi devices Matter-compatible with an over-the-air firmware update.
Matter and Thread
Thread is a wireless protocol that powers IoT devices. It is supposed to make these devices work faster and more efficiently.
With Thread, devices communicate with each other more seamlessly and use less power. Like Matter controllers, Thread devices are platform-agnostic.
In other words, Thread devices can communicate with the closest Thread device with ease. This wireless protocol uses a low-bandwidth mesh network of 802.15.4 radio technology.
It works almost like existing wireless protocols like Z-Wave and Zigbee. But its major uniqueness is that it doesn’t need a bridge or central hub.
Thread devices can communicate directly with each other, thus eliminating intermediaries. It is therefore faster, making it ideal for larger networks.
The other difference with other protocols like Zigbee is that Thread is IPv6-based, which means that Thread devices can communicate with the internet directly without the need for a hub.
Zigbee requires a hub to connect to the internet. Another thing that differentiates it from other smart home protocols is that Thread is IP-based.
For this reason, you can connect it easily to any IP-based gadget like computers, smartphones, and WiFi routers.
Any Thread device that you use in your smart home automatically becomes an end device or router. An end device is a battery-operated device like a door lock or motion sensor.
A router is a gadget that is plugged into a power source, for instance, a smart plug and light bulbs. A Thread network can work with up to 150 devices at a time, including 64 routers.
Besides this, it can also accommodate several Thread-border routers. This way, a Thread network can connect to several other IP-based networks.
Why Thread Is a Better Smart Home Wireless Protocol Than the Existing Protocols
As alluded to earlier, Thread was built to be an IoT power protocol. It also supports low latency. Thread is ideal for devices that can sleep for a longer time, wake up shortly to send a single packet, and then sleep again, thus preserving battery life.
Several other smart home protocols were mainly designed to work with other applications. For instance, Bluetooth was designed as an alternative to wire.
Threads ability to communicate directly, as well as their capability to handle larger numbers of devices, means lower latency.
According to several reputable tests run by Silicon Labs, Thread leads the way when it comes to latency. It thrashed Bluetooth and Zigbee in these tests, especially when subjected to a large network of smart devices.
Another positive thing about Thread is that it can work as a routed mesh. What it means is that Thread devices are proactively looking for the most convenient route to get to other devices in a network.
This leads to reduced power consumption and latency.
Matter Devices
All the major platforms, including Google Home, Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, and Samsung SmartThings, have made some of their products Matter-compatible.
This means that you can use their smart voice assistants, smart speakers, apps, and hubs to control Matter devices.
Google Home
Already, Google has made all its Nest smart speakers and displays Matter controllers. New versions come with Thread built in.
These include the 2nd-generation Nest Hub, Nest WiFi Pro, and Nest WiFi. These devices are also Thread-border routers. Here are Google Home’s Matter Thread devices:
- Nest Hub Max
- Nest Hub (second generation)
- Google Nest WiFi Router/Point
- Google Nest WiFi Pro
Amazon Alexa
Amazon has bought several devices for the Matter platform. Already, a total of 17 Echo devices are Matter-compatible.
But some of these devices will connect over WiFi. But Amazon has already updated its 4th-generation smart devices to be Thread devices.
With this, we expect more device types to be Matter-complaint, including blinds, thermostats, and sensors. With that said, here are several Matter Thread devices from Amazon:
- Eero Pro 6E, 6 Plus, Pro 6, and PoE Gateway
- Eero Max 7
- Echo (4th-gen)
- Echo Show 8 (3rd-gen)
Samsung SmartThings
Samsung is one of the big players promoting the protocol. Several SmartThings apps are Matter-compatible. Specifically, there are several Matter-compatible devices, such as the latest smart TVs.
Here are Thread devices that are Matter compatible as of Q3 2024.
- Samsung SmartThings Hub v3
- Samsung SmartThings Station
- Aeotec SmartThings Home Hub
- Samsung Smart Monitor M80C (2023)
- Samsung Smart TVs CU8000 and CU7000 (2023)
- Samsung NEO QLED 4K and 8K (2023)
- Samsung Soundbar HW-Q990C (2023)
- Samsung SmartThings Hub Dongle
- Samsung MicroLED TV MNA 89 MSIBA (2023)
- Some Family Hub refrigerators
Speakers
- Google Nest Hub (2nd generation)
- Google Nest Hub Max
- Apple TV 4K (2nd generation)
- Apple TV 4K WiFi + Ethernet (2022 version)
- Apple HomePod Mini
- Apple HomePod (2nd generation)
Lighting
- Wemo Smart Dimmer
- Wemo Smart Plug
- Wemo Smart Light Switch
- Eve Light Switch
- Eve Energy
- Wemo Stage Scene Controller
- Nanoleaf Shapes, Lines, and Elements
- Nanoleaf Essential A19 Bulb
- Nanoleaf Essential Lightstrip
Smart Sensors
- Eve Weather
- Eve Room air quality monitor
- Eve Door and Window
- Eve Water Guard leak sensor
Others
- Eve Thermo Radiator Controller
- Eve Aqua
- Eve Motion Blinds
- Nabu Casa Home Assistant Yellow
- Hubitat Elevations Model C-8 Hub
- Comcast xFi Advanced Gateway
- Home Assistant (Sky Connect dongle)
- Schlage Encore Plus Smart
- Eero WiFi routers
Upcoming Matter Thread Devices
- Home Pro Hub (Thread/Matter Update 2023)
- Echo Hub
- HOOBS Pro (Thread/Matter 2023)
- Aqara Hub M3 (coming in 2024)
- Samsung Family Hub refrigerator (coming in 2024)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Does Thread eliminate the need for a bridge or hub?
Yes, it does eliminate the need for these intermediaries.
While it still requires a border router to connect the Thread network to the internet, it eliminates the need to have a different bridge for connecting to devices.
This is possible because Matter Thread devices can easily connect to any Thread border router.
Do you need a border router to be able to use a Thread device?
You do not need a border router to enable Thread devices to connect to each other.
But you should note that you need a border router if you want Thread devices to communicate with other networks on the internet or in your home.
Will Thread function without an internet connection?
One of the main advantages of Thread is that devices can communicate even when the internet is down.
The network is generally self-configuring, self-managing, and self-healing.
Why is it not possible to upgrade Zigbee devices to Thread if Thread was built on Zigbee?
Just like Thread, Zigbee runs on 802.15.4 radio frequency technology. So, some Zigbee products, especially the current ones, can be upgraded to Thread.
However, given that Thread is IP-based, it has different resource requirements. Generally, if products are not built with the right resources, it is almost impossible to upgrade.
Wrap it up.
If you already have Matter Thread devices, you won’t need any other hub or controller to be able to connect devices to Matter.
Having a Thread built-in WiFI router makes a lot of economic sense. You do not need to purchase additional gadgets to shut up Matter products.
The good thing is that all four big players in the smart home space have already introduced several Thread-enabled devices to the Matter platform.
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