Best way to add Matter over Thread while Retaining Z-Wave?

Devices & Integrations Connected Things
1

Folks, I’m looking for advice on the best way to move forwards with Matter over Thread while retaining Z-Wave. I currently have a SmartThings Hub v2 with the best part of 100 devices either directly connected or via interfaces such as Hue. Only a small number of these are Z-Wave and the key one is a Fibaro FGBS-001 Universal Binary Sensor

I want to get some new devices that are Matter over Thread which the v2 hub doesn’t support without a border router.

I’m not particularly interested in replacing the FGBS-001 with, say, a Matter / Zigbee equivalent, until I really have to. Is there one?

I know that SmartThings supports multiple hubs as well.

I believe my options are…

  1. Add a standalone Thread border router. Ideally I’d like one that plays well with SmartThings and can be dedicated to just that purpose. Recommendations?

  2. Add a Thread border router that’s part of another system, e.g. an Amazon Echo Show. This is a possibility, but I’m a bit wary that I’m dependent on another ecosystem with it’s cycle of upgrades, etc.

  3. Purchase an Aeotec Hub 2 (v4) and add new devices to this hub, gradually deprecating/transferring from the old Samsung Hub as opportunity arises.

  4. Purchasing an Aeotec Hub 2 and migrating everything except the Z-Wave devices. Is this possible? Can you selectively migrate to a new hub or is it an all-or-nothing kind of thing?

What do you think is the best way forward?Any other bright ideas?

Thanks,

Andrew

2

if you wish to keep using your z-wave devices on the V2 hub… you would need to manually uninstall and install each individual non-z-wave devices to the new V4.

3

Thanks. Good to know.

4

The V2 Hub supports Matter, just not Thread. You could get a third party device that functions as a Thread Border Router and integrate that with the V2 Hub.

I purchased an Amazon Echo 4th Generation (not a Dot) to do this. I haven’t yet bought any Thread devices, though.

Also if you want to buy another relatively old device the Aeotec Hub V3 supports Thread and is still being sold new from Aeotec. If you wanted, you could do a full migration from the V2 Hub to a V3 Hub, then retire the V2 Hub.

5

Hal,

Thanks for the response. Yes, one of the options is to get a thread border router and add it in, and yes, the Echo / Echo Show are possibilities.

You’re right, I hadn’t thought about going down the original Aeotec Hub route. That’s definitely an option to consider if I only want one box.

Thanks,

Andrew