openHAB

# Matter Binding

The Matter Binding for openHAB allows seamless integration with Matter-compatible devices.

# Supported functionality

This binding supports two different types of Matter functionality which operate independently of each other.

  • Matter Client

    • This allows openHAB to discover and control other Matter devices like lights, thermostats, window coverings, locks, etc...

  • Matter Bridge

    • This allows openHAB to expose items as Matter devices to other Matter clients. This allows local control of openHAB devices from other ecosystems like Apple Home, Amazon, and Google Home.

For more information on the Matter specification, see the Matter Ecosystem Overview section at the end of this document.

# Matter.JS Runtime

This binding uses the excellent matter.js (opens new window) implementation of the the Matter 1.4 protocol.

As such, this binding requires NodesJS 18+ and will attempt to download and cache an appropriate version when started if a version is not already installed on the system. Alpine Linux users (typically docker) and those on older Linux distributions will need to install this manually as the official NodeJS versions are not compatible.

# Matter and IPv6

Matter requires IPv6 to be enabled and be routable between openHAB and the Matter device. This means IPv6 needs to be enabled on the host openHAB is running, and the network must be able route IPv6 unicast and multicast messages. Docker, VLANs, subnets and other configurations can prohibit Matter from working if not configured correctly.

# Matter Client

This describes the Matter controller functionality for discovering and controlling Matter devices.

# Supported Things

The Matter Binding supports the following types of things:

  • controller: The main controller that interfaces with Matter devices. It requires the configuration parameter nodeId which sets the local Matter node ID for this controller (must be unique in the fabric). This must be added manually.
  • node: Represents an individual Node within the Matter network. The only configuration parameter is nodeId. A standard Node will map Matter endpoints to openHAB channel groups. This will be discovered automatically when a pairing code is used to scan for a device and should not be added manually.
  • endpoint: Represents an standalone endpoint as a child of a node thing. Only Endpoints exposed by Matter bridges will be added as endpoint things, otherwise Matter Endpoints are mapped on a node thing as channel groups. An endpoint thing will be discovered automatically when a node is added that has multiple bridged endpoints and should not be added manually.

# Discovery

Matter controllers must be added manually. Nodes (devices) will be discovered when a pairCode is used to search for a device to add. Bridged endpoints will be added to the inbox once the parent Node is added as a thing.

# Device Pairing: General

The pairing action can be found in the settings of the "Controller" thing under the "Actions" -> "Pair Matter Device"

Matter Pairing

This action will give feedback on the pairing process, if successful a device will be added to the Inbox.

See Device Pairing: Code Types for more information on pairing codes and code formats.

The same codes can also be used in the openHAB Thing discovery UI, although feedback is limited and only a single controller is supported.

Thing Discovery

# Device Pairing: Code Types

In order to pair (commission in matter terminology) a device, you must have an 11 digit manual pairing code (eg 123-4567-8901 or 12345678901) or a QR Code (eg MT:ABCDEF1234567890123). If the device has not been paired before, use the code provided by the manufacturer and ensure the device is in pairing mode, refer to your devices instructions for pairing for more information. You can include dashes or omit them in a manual pairing code.

If the device is paired with another Matter ecosystem (Apple, Google, Amazon, etc..) you must use that ecosystem to generate a new pairing code and search for devices.
The pairing code and device will only be available for commissioning for a limited time. Refer to the ecosystem that generated the code for the exact duration (typically 5-15 minutes). In this case, openHAB still talks directly to the device and is not associated with that existing ecosystem.

If the device seems to be found in the logs, but can not be added, its possible the device has been already paired. Hard resetting the device may help this case. See your device documentation for how to hard reset the device.

# Device Pairing: Thread Devices

Thread devices require a Thread Border Router and a bluetooth enabled device to facilitate the thread joining process (typically a mobile device). Until there is a supported thread border router integration in openHAB and the openHAB mobile apps, it's strongly recommended to pair the device to a commercial router with thread support first (Apple TV 4k, Google Nest Hub 2, Amazon Gen 4 Echo, etc... ), then generate a matter pairing code using that ecosystem and add the device normally. This will still allow openHAB to have direct access to the device using only the embedded thread border router and does not interact with the underlying providers home automation stack.

Support for using a OpenThread Border Router has been verified to work and will be coming soon to openHAB, but in some cases requires strong expertise in IPv6 routing as well as support in our mobile clients.

# Enabling IPv6 Thread Connectivity on Linux Hosts

It is important to make sure that Route Announcements (RA) and Route Information Options (RIO) are enabled on your host so that Thread boarder routers can announce routes to the Thread network. This is done by setting the following sysctl options:

  1. net.ipv6.conf.wlan0.accept_ra should be at least 1 if ip forwarding is not enabled, and 2 otherwise.
  2. net.ipv6.conf.wlan0.accept_ra_rt_info_max_plen should not be smaller than 64.

the accept_ra is defaulted to 1 for most distributions.

There may be other network daemons which will override this option (for example, dhcpcd on Raspberry Pi will override accept_ra to 0).

You can check the accept_ra value with:

$ sudo sysctl -n net.ipv6.conf.wlan0.accept_ra
0

And set the value to 1 (or 2 in case IP forwarding is enabled) with:

$ sudo sysctl -w net.ipv6.conf.wlan0.accept_ra=1
Net.ipv6.conf.wlan0.accept_ra = 1

The accept_ra_rt_info_max_plen option on most Linux distributions is default to 0, set it to 64 with:

$ sudo sysctl -w net.ipv6.conf.wlan0.accept_ra_rt_info_max_plen=64
net.ipv6.conf.wlan0.accept_ra_rt_info_max_plen = 64

To make these changes permanent, add the following lines to /etc/sysctl.conf:

net.ipv6.conf.eth0.accept_ra=1
net.ipv6.conf.eth0.accept_ra_rt_info_max_plen=64

Raspberry Pi users may need to add the following lines to /etc/dhcpcd.conf to prevent dhcpcd from overriding the accept_ra value:

noipv6
noipv6rs

NOTE: Please ensure you use the right interface name for your network interface. The above examples use wlan0 and eth0 as examples. You can find the correct interface name by running ip a and looking for the interface that has an IPv6 address assigned to it.

# Thing Configuration

# Controller Thing Configuration

The controller thing must be created manually before devices can be discovered.

Name Type Description Default Required Advanced
nodeId number The matter node ID for this controller 0 yes no

Note: The controller nodeId must not be changed after a controller is created.

# Node Thing Configuration

Nodes are discovered automatically (see Discovery for more information) and should not be added manually.

Name Type Description Default Required Advanced
nodeId text The node ID of the endpoint N/A yes no

# Endpoint Thing Configuration

Endpoints are discovered automatically once their parent Node has been added (see Discovery for more information) and should not be added manually.

Name Type Description Default Required Advanced
endpointId number The endpoint ID within the node N/A yes no

# Thing Actions

# Node Thing Actions

Name Description
Decommission Matter node from fabric This will remove the device from the Matter fabric. If the device is online and reachable this will attempt to remove the credentials from the device first before removing it from the network. Once a device is removed, this Thing will go offline and can be removed.
Generate a new pairing code for a Matter device Generates a new manual and QR pairing code to be used to pair the Matter device with an external Matter controller
List Connected Matter Fabrics This will list all the Matter fabrics this node belongs to
Remove Connected Matter Fabric This removes a connected Matter fabric from a device. Use the 'List connected Matter fabrics' action to retrieve the fabric index number

For nodes that contain a Thread Border Router Management Cluster, the following additional actions will be present

Name Description
Thread: Load external operational dataset Updates the local operational dataset configuration from a hex or JSON string for the node. Use the 'Push local operational dataset' action to push the dataset back to the device after loading.
Thread: Load operational dataset from device Updates the local operational dataset configuration from the device.
Thread: Operational Dataset Generator Generates a new operational dataset and optionally saves it locally.
Thread: Push local operational dataset Pushes the local operational dataset configuration to the device.

A Thread operational data set is a hex encoded string which contains a Thread border router's configuration. Using the same operational data set across multiple Thread border routers allows those routers to form a single network where Thread devices can roam from router to router. Some Thread border routers allow a "pending" operational dataset to be configured, this allows routers to coordinate the configuration change with current Thread devices without requiring those devices to be reconfigured (live migration).

# Channels

# Controller Channels

Controllers have no channels.

# Node and Bridge Endpoint Channels

Channels are dynamically added based on the endpoint type and matter cluster supported. Each endpoint is represented as a channel group. Possible channels include:

# Endpoint Channels

Channel ID Type Label Description Category ReadOnly Pattern
battery-voltage Number:ElectricPotential Battery Voltage The current battery voltage Energy true %.1f %unit%
battery-alarm String Battery Alarm The battery alarm state Energy true
powersource-batpercentremaining Number:Dimensionless Battery Percent Remaining Indicates the estimated percentage of battery charge remaining until the battery will no longer be able to provide power to the Node Energy true %d %%
powersource-batchargelevel Number Battery Charge Level Indicates a coarse ranking of the charge level of the battery, used to indicate when intervention is required Energy true
booleanstate-statevalue Switch Boolean State Indicates a boolean state value Status true
colorcontrol-color Color Color The color channel allows to control the color of a light. It is also possible to dim values and switch the light on and off. ColorLight
colorcontrol-temperature Dimmer Color Temperature Sets the color temperature of the light ColorLight
colorcontrol-temperature-abs Number:Temperature Color Temperature Sets the color temperature of the light in mirek ColorLight %.0f %unit%
doorlock-lockstate Switch Door Lock State Locks and unlocks the door and maintains the lock state Door
fancontrol-fanmode Number Fan Mode Set the fan mode HVAC
onoffcontrol-onoff Switch Switch Switches the power on and off Light
levelcontrol-level Dimmer Dimmer Sets the level of the light Light
modeselect-mode Number Mode Select Selection of 1 or more states %d
switch-switch Number Switch Indication of a switch or remote being activated true %d
switch-switchlatched Trigger Switched Latched Trigger This trigger shall indicate the new value of the CurrentPosition attribute as a JSON object, i.e. after the move.
switch-initialpress Trigger Initial Press Trigger This trigger shall indicate the new value of the CurrentPosition attribute as a JSON object, i.e. while pressed.
switch-longpress Trigger Long Press Trigger This trigger shall indicate the new value of the CurrentPosition attribute as a JSON object, i.e. while pressed.
switch-shortrelease Trigger Short Release Trigger This trigger shall indicate the previous value of the CurrentPosition attribute as a JSON object, i.e. just prior to release.
switch-longrelease Trigger Long Release Trigger This trigger shall indicate the previous value of the CurrentPosition attribute as a JSON object, i.e. just prior to release.
switch-multipressongoing Trigger Multi-Press Ongoing Trigger This trigger shall indicate 2 numeric fields as a JSON object. The first is the new value of the CurrentPosition attribute, i.e. while pressed. The second is the multi press code with a value of N when the Nth press of a multi-press sequence has been detected.
switch-multipresscomplete Trigger Multi-Press Complete Trigger This trigger shall indicate 2 numeric fields as a JSON object. The first is the new value of the CurrentPosition attribute, i.e. while pressed. The second is how many times the momentary switch has been pressed in a multi-press sequence.
thermostat-localtemperature Number:Temperature Local Temperature Indicates the local temperature provided by the thermostat HVAC true %.1f %unit%
thermostat-outdoortemperature Number:Temperature Outdoor Temperature Indicates the outdoor temperature provided by the thermostat HVAC true %.1f %unit%
thermostat-occupiedheating Number:Temperature Occupied Heating Setpoint Set the heating temperature when the room is occupied HVAC %.1f %unit%
thermostat-occupiedcooling Number:Temperature Occupied Cooling Setpoint Set the cooling temperature when the room is occupied HVAC %.1f %unit%
thermostat-unoccupiedheating Number:Temperature Unoccupied Heating Setpoint Set the heating temperature when the room is unoccupied HVAC %.1f %unit%
thermostat-unoccupiedcooling Number:Temperature Unoccupied Cooling Setpoint Set the cooling temperature when the room is unoccupied HVAC %.1f %unit%
thermostat-systemmode Number System Mode Set the system mode of the thermostat HVAC
thermostat-runningmode Number Running Mode The running mode of the thermostat HVAC true
windowcovering-lift Rollershutter Window Covering Lift Sets the window covering level - supporting open/close and up/down type commands Blinds %.0f %%
fancontrol-percent Dimmer Fan Control Percent The current fan speed percentage level HVAC true %.0f %%
fancontrol-mode Number Fan Control Mode The current mode of the fan HVAC
temperaturemeasurement-measuredvalue Number:Temperature Temperature The measured temperature Temperature true %.1f %unit%
occupancysensing-occupied Switch Occupancy Indicates if an occupancy sensor is triggered Presence true
relativehumiditymeasurement-measuredvalue Number:Dimensionless Humidity The measured humidity Humidity true %.0f %%
illuminancemeasurement-measuredvalue Number:Illuminance Illuminance The measured illuminance in Lux Illuminance true %d %unit%
wifinetworkdiagnostics-rssi Number:Power Signal Wi-Fi signal strength indicator. QualityOfService true %d %unit%
electricalpowermeasurement-activepower Number:Power Active Power The active power measurement in watts Energy true %.1f %unit%
electricalpowermeasurement-activecurrent Number:ElectricCurrent Active Current The active current measurement in amperes Energy true %.1f %unit%
electricalpowermeasurement-voltage Number:ElectricPotential Voltage The voltage measurement in volts Energy true %.2f %unit%
electricalenergymeasurement-energymeasurmement-energy Number:Energy Energy The measured energy Energy true %.1f %unit%
electricalenergymeasurement-cumulativeenergyimported-energy Number:Energy Cumulative Energy Imported The cumulative energy imported measurement Energy true %.1f %unit%
electricalenergymeasurement-cumulativeenergyexported-energy Number:Energy Cumulative Energy Exported The cumulative energy exported measurement Energy true %.1f %unit%
electricalenergymeasurement-periodicenergyimported-energy Number:Energy Periodic Energy Imported The periodic energy imported measurement Energy true %.1f %unit%
electricalenergymeasurement-periodicenergyexported-energy Number:Energy Periodic Energy Exported The periodic energy exported measurement Energy true %.1f %unit%
threadnetworkdiagnostics-channel Number Channel The Thread network channel Network true %d
threadnetworkdiagnostics-routingrole Number Routing Role The Thread routing role (0=Unspecified, 1=Unassigned, 2=Sleepy End Device, 3=End Device, 4=Reed, 5=Router, 6=Leader) Network true %d
threadnetworkdiagnostics-networkname String Network Name The Thread network name Network true
threadnetworkdiagnostics-panid Number PAN ID The Thread network PAN ID Network true %d
threadnetworkdiagnostics-extendedpanid Number Extended PAN ID The Thread network extended PAN ID Network true %d
threadnetworkdiagnostics-rloc16 Number RLOC16 The Thread network RLOC16 address Network true %d
threadborderroutermanagement-borderroutername String Border Router Name The name of the Thread border router Network true
threadborderroutermanagement-borderagentid String Border Agent ID The unique identifier of the Thread border agent Network true
threadborderroutermanagement-threadversion Number Thread Version The version of Thread protocol being used Network true %d
threadborderroutermanagement-interfaceenabled Switch Interface Enabled Whether the Thread border router interface is enabled Network
threadborderroutermanagement-activedatasettimestamp Number Active Dataset Timestamp Timestamp of the active Thread network dataset Network true %d
threadborderroutermanagement-activedataset String Active Dataset The active Thread network dataset configuration Network
threadborderroutermanagement-pendingdatasettimestamp Number Pending Dataset Timestamp Timestamp of the pending Thread network dataset (only available if PAN change feature is supported) Network true %d
threadborderroutermanagement-pendingdataset String Pending Dataset The pending Thread network dataset configuration (only available if PAN change feature is supported) Network

# Full Example

# Thing Configuration

Thing configuration example for the Matter controller:
Thing matter:controller:main [ nodeId="1" ]

Thing configuration example for a Matter node:
Thing matter:node:main:12345678901234567890 [ nodeId="12345678901234567890"]

Thing configuration example for a Matter bridge endpoint:
Thing matter:endpoint:main:12345678901234567890:2 [ endpointId=2]

# Item Configuration

Dimmer MyDimmer "My Endpoint Dimmer" { channel="matter:node:main:12345678901234567890:1#levelcontrol-level" }
Dimmer MyBridgedDimmer "My Bridged Dimmer" { channel="matter:endpoint:main:12345678901234567890:2#levelcontrol-level" }

# Sitemap Configuration

Optional Sitemap configuration:
sitemap home label="Home"
{
    Frame label="Matter Devices"
    {
        Dimmer item=MyEndpointDimmer
    }
}

# Matter Bridge

openHAB can also expose Items and Item groups as Matter devices to 3rd party Matter clients like Google Home, Apple Home and Amazon Alexa. This allows local control for those ecosystems and can be used instead of cloud based integrations for features like voice assistants.

# Configuration

The openHAB matter bridge uses Metadata tags with the key "matter", similar to the Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple Homekit integrations. Matter Metadata tag values generally follow the Matter "Device Type" and "Cluster" specification as much as possible. Items and item groups are initially tagged with a Matter "Device Type", which are Matter designations for common device types like lights, thermostats, locks, window coverings, etc... For single items, like a light switch or dimmer, simply tagging the item with the Matter device type is enough. For more complicated devices, like thermostats, A group item is tagged with the device type, and its child members are tagged with the cluster attribute(s) that it will be associated with. Multiple attributes use a comma delimited format like attribute1, attribute2, ... attributeN. For devices like fans that support groups with multiple items, but you are only using one item to control (like On/Off or Speed), you can tag the regular item with both the device type and the cluster attribute(s) separated by a comma.

Pairing codes and other options can be found in the MainUI under "Settings -> Add-on Settings -> Matter Binding"

# Device Types

Type Item Type Tag Option
OnOff Light Switch, Dimmer OnOffLight
Dimmable Light Dimmer DimmableLight
Color Light Color ColorLight
On/Off Plug In Unit Switch, Dimmer OnOffPlugInUnit
Thermostat Group Thermostat
Window Covering Rollershutter, Dimmer, String, Switch WindowCovering String types: [OPEN="OPEN", CLOSED="CLOSED"], Switch types: [invert=true/false]
Temperature Sensor Number TemperatureSensor
Humidity Sensor Number HumiditySensor
Occupancy Sensor Switch, Contact OccupancySensor
Contact Sensor Switch, Contact ContactSensor
Door Lock Switch DoorLock
Fan Group, Switch, String, Dimmer Fan

# Global Options

  • Endpoint Labels
    • By default, the Item label is used as the Matter label but can be overridden by adding a label key as a metadata option, either by itself or part of other options required for a device.
    • Example: [label="My Custom Label"]
  • Fixed Labels
    • Matter has a concept of "Fixed Labels" which allows devices to expose arbitrary label names and values which can be used by clients for tasks like grouping devices in rooms.
    • Example: [fixedLabels="room=Office, floor=1"]

# Thermostat group member tags

Type Item Type Tag Options
Current Temperature Number thermostat.localTemperature
Outdoor Temperature Number thermostat.outdoorTemperature
Heating Setpoint Number thermostat.occupiedHeatingSetpoint
Cooling Setpoint Number thermostat.occupiedCoolingSetpoint
System Mode Number, String, Switch thermostat.systemMode [OFF=0,AUTO=1,ON=1,COOL=3,HEAT=4,EMERGENCY_HEAT=5,PRECOOLING=6,FAN_ONLY=7,DRY=8,SLEEP=9]
Running Mode Number, String thermostat.runningMode

For systemMode the ON option should map to the system mode custom value that would be appropriate if a 'ON' command was issued, defaults to the AUTO mapping.

The following attributes can be set in the options of any thermostat member or on the Group item to set temperature options.

Setting Description Value (in 0.01°C)
thermostat-minHeatSetpointLimit The minimum allowable heat setpoint limit. 0
thermostat-maxHeatSetpointLimit The maximum allowable heat setpoint limit. 3500
thermostat-absMinHeatSetpointLimit The absolute minimum heat setpoint limit that cannot be exceeded by the minHeatSetpointLimit. 0
thermostat-absMaxHeatSetpointLimit The absolute maximum heat setpoint limit that cannot be exceeded by the maxHeatSetpointLimit. 3500
thermostat-minCoolSetpointLimit The minimum allowable cool setpoint limit. 0
thermostat-maxCoolSetpointLimit The maximum allowable cool setpoint limit. 3500
thermostat-absMinCoolSetpointLimit The absolute minimum cool setpoint limit that cannot be exceeded by the minCoolSetpointLimit. 0
thermostat-absMaxCoolSetpointLimit The absolute maximum cool setpoint limit that cannot be exceeded by the maxCoolSetpointLimit. 3500
thermostat-minSetpointDeadBand The minimum deadband (temperature gap) between heating and cooling setpoints. 0

# Fan group member tags

Type Item Type Tag Options
Fan Mode Number, String, Switch fanControl.fanMode [OFF=0, LOW=1, MEDIUM=2, HIGH=3, ON=4, AUTO=5, SMART=6]
Fan Percentage Dimmer fanControl.percentSetting
Fan OnOff Switch onOff.onOff

The following attributes can be set on the Fan Mode item or the Group item to set fan options.

Setting Description Value
fanControl-fanModeSequence The sequence of fan modes to cycle through. See Fan Mode Sequence Options 5

# Fan Mode Sequence Options

Value Description
0 OffLowMedHigh
1 OffLowHigh
2 OffLowMedHighAuto
3 OffLowHighAuto
4 OffHighAuto
5 OffHigh

# Example

Dimmer                TestDimmer               "Test Dimmer [%d%%]"                                                      {matter="DimmableLight" [label="My Custom Dimmer", fixedLabels="room=Bedroom 1, floor=2, direction=up, customLabel=Custom Value"]}

Group                 TestHVAC                 "Thermostat"                             ["HVAC"]                         {matter="Thermostat" [thermostat-minHeatSetpointLimit=0, thermostat-maxHeatSetpointLimit=3500]}
Number:Temperature    TestHVAC_Temperature     "Temperature [%d °F]"      (TestHVAC)    ["Measurement","Temperature"]    {matter="thermostat.localTemperature"}
Number:Temperature    TestHVAC_HeatSetpoint    "Heat Setpoint [%d °F]"    (TestHVAC)    ["Setpoint", "Temperature"]      {matter="thermostat.occupiedHeatingSetpoint"}
Number:Temperature    TestHVAC_CoolSetpoint    "Cool Setpoint [%d °F]"    (TestHVAC)    ["Setpoint", "Temperature"]      {matter="thermostat.occupiedCoolingSetpoint"}
Number                TestHVAC_Mode            "Mode [%s]"                (TestHVAC)    ["Control" ]                     {matter="thermostat.systemMode" [OFF=0, HEAT=1, COOL=2, AUTO=3]}

Switch                TestDoorLock             "Door Lock"                                                               {matter="DoorLock"}
Rollershutter         TestShade                "Window Shade"                                                            {matter="WindowCovering"}
Number:Temperature    TestTemperatureSensor    "Temperature Sensor"                                                      {matter="TemperatureSensor"}
Number                TestHumiditySensor       "Humidity Sensor"                                                         {matter="HumiditySensor"}
Switch                TestOccupancySensor      "Occupancy Sensor"                                                        {matter="OccupancySensor"}

### Fan with group item control
Group                 TestFan                  "Test Fan"                                                                {matter="Fan" [fanControl-fanModeSequence=3]}
Dimmer                TestFanSpeed             "Speed"                    (TestFan)                                      {matter="fanControl.percentSetting"}
Switch                TestFanOnOff             "On/Off"                   (TestFan)                                      {matter="fanControl.fanMode"}
Number                TestFanMode              "Mode"                     (TestFan)                                      {matter="fanControl.fanMode" [OFF=0, LOW=1, MEDIUM=2, HIGH=3, ON=4, AUTO=5, SMART=6]}

### Fan with single item control , so no group item is needed
Switch                TestFanSingleItem         "On/Off"                                                                 {matter="Fan, fanControl.fanMode"}

# Bridge FAQ

  • Alexa: When pairing, after a minute Alexa reports "Something went wrong"
    • Alexa can take 3-4 seconds per device to process which can take longer then the Alexa UI is willing to wait. Eventually the pairing will complete, which for a large number of devices may be a few minutes.
  • Alexa: Suddenly stops working and says it could not connect to a device or device not responding.
    • Check the Settings page in the Main UI to confirm the bridge is running
    • Ensure the openHAB item has the proper matter tag, or that the item is being loaded at all (check item file errors)
    • Rarely, you may need to reboot the Alexa device. If you have multiple devices and not sure which is the primary matter connection, you may need to reboot all of them.

# Matter Ecosystem Overview

Matter is an open-source connectivity standard for smart home devices, allowing seamless communication between a wide range of devices, controllers, and ecosystems.

Below is a high-level overview of the Matter ecosystem as well as common terminology used in the Matter standard.

# Matter Devices

# Nodes and Endpoints

In the Matter ecosystem, a node represents a single device that joins a Matter network and will have a locally routable IPv6 address. A node can have multiple endpoints, which are logical representations of specific features or functionalities of the device. For example, a smart thermostat (node) may have an endpoint for general thermostat control (heating, cooling, current temperature, operating state, etc....) and another endpoint for humidity sensing. Many devices will only have a single endpoint. Matter Bridges will expose multiple endpoints for each device they are bridging, and the bridge itself will be a node.

Example:

  • A Thermostat node with an endpoint for general temperature control and another endpoint for a remote temperature or humidity sensor.

# Controllers

A controller manages the interaction between Matter devices and other parts of the network. Controllers can send commands, receive updates, and facilitate device communication. They also handle the commissioning process when new devices are added to the network.

Example:

  • openHAB or another smart home hub or a smartphone app that manages your smart light bulbs, door locks, and sensors (Google Home, Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, etc...)

# Bridges

A bridge is a special type of node that connects non-Matter devices to a Matter network, effectively translating between protocols. Bridges allow legacy devices to be controlled via the Matter standard.

openHAB fully supports connecting to Matter bridges. In addition, openHAB has support for running its own Matter bridge service, exposing openHAB items as Matter endpoints to 3rd party systems. See Matter Bridge for information on running a Bridge server.

Example:

  • A bridge that connects Zigbee or Z-Wave devices, making them accessible within a Matter ecosystem. The Ikea Dirigera and Philips Hue Bridge both act as matter bridges and are supported in openHAB.

# Thread Border Routers

A Thread Border Router is a device that allows devices connected via Thread (a low-power wireless protocol) to communicate with devices on other networks, such as Wi-Fi or Ethernet. It facilitates IPv6-based communication between Thread networks and the local IP network.

Example:

  • An OpenThread Boarder Router (open source) as well as recent versions of Apple TVs, Amazon Echos and Google Nest Hubs all have embedded thread boarder routers.

# IPv6 and Network Connectivity

Matter devices operate over an IPv6 network, and obtaining an IPv6 address is required for communication. Devices can connect to the network via different interfaces:

# Ethernet

Ethernet-connected Matter devices receive an IPv6 address through standard DHCPv6 or stateless address auto-configuration (SLAAC).

# Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi-enabled Matter devices also receive an IPv6 address using DHCPv6 or SLAAC. They rely on the existing Wi-Fi infrastructure for communication within the Matter ecosystem.

# Thread

Thread-based Matter devices connect to the network via a Thread Border Router. They receive an IPv6 address from the Thread router.

# IPv6 Requirements

For Matter devices to function correctly, IPv6 must be enabled and supported in both the local network (router) and the Matter controllers. Without IPv6, devices won't be able to communicate properly within the Matter ecosystem. Ensure that your router has IPv6 enabled and that any Matter controllers (like smart hubs, apps or openHAB) are configured to support IPv6 as well.

Note that environments like Docker require special configurations to enable IPv6

# Matter Commissioning and Pairing Codes

Commissioning a Matter device involves securely adding it to the network using a pairing code. This process ensures that only authorized devices can join the network.

# Pairing Code from the Device

When commissioning a new Matter device, it typically has a printed QR code or numeric pairing code that you scan or enter during setup. This pairing code allows the controller to establish a secure connection to the device and add it to the network. Once a device pairing code is in use, it typically can not be used again to pair other controllers.

# Additional Pairing Code from a Controller

If a device has already been commissioned and you want to add it to another Matter controller, the existing controller can generate an additional pairing code. This is useful when sharing access to a device across multiple hubs or apps. Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa and openHAB all support generating pairing codes for existing paired devices.

# Example:

  • When setting up a smart lock, you may scan a QR code directly from the lock, or use the 11 digit pairing code printed on it to pair it with openHAB. If you later want to control the lock from another app or hub, you would retrieve a new pairing code directly from openHAB.
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