matter, the new standard for networking smart home components, is getting a little closer: a Matter-compatible USB stick has recently been offered on the homepage of the smart home server software Home Assistant. Available from several European retailers, the Matter and Zigbee compatible gateway is available for around 40 euros. Deliveries are scheduled to begin at the end of January.
SkyConnect is also available from retailers in the EU.
Also included in this price is a short USB extension cable, which fixes an old problem if you’re running Home Assistant on a Raspberry Pi 4. Its USB 3 ports interfere with the operation of Zigbee sticks in the immediate vicinity.
The term “matter compatibility” is still interpreted quite generously at SkyConnect: the technical requirements are in place, in particular the presence of a chip for the new wireless network standard Thread (due to the multi-protocol SOC EFR32MG21 from Silabs). Matter should only be functional after a software update that is due in the near future.
“A future firmware update… “So at the moment only Zigbee works on the SkyConnect stick.
This is similar to Ikea’s approach: The furniture store has been selling its Matter-compatible Dirigera gateway since December, but it is still waiting for the right firmware and has so far only served as a Zigbee-compatible successor to the Tradfri gateway that has already been taken off the market.
According to the Home Assistant, ZigBee and Matter should be usable in parallel after the pending update for SkyConnect (date not yet known).
(hgb)
