“A key feature of Matter is that all devices can be controlled locally in your home; they do not require an internet connection to work or to work together. Cloud connectivity is an option, though, and allows for out-of-the-home control and integration with cloud services.” Source below.
Installed the SmartThings Hub Dongle for TV | Samsung US
today on my Samsung Refrigerator Family Hub running 45.11. It added Zigbee to the hub which already supports Wi-Fi and Matter over Wi-Fi devices. However, Thread is not yet enabled on the hub as evidenced from the CLI output. Note that Z-Wave says “Unsupported” where Thread says simply “Unavailable”. Hopefully the update to enable Thread and turn the hub into a TBR is forthcoming since it was reported in the Verge article that the update is expected in March.
It’s quite a bit smaller than I expected. The picture below is with it on top of a business card. There is also a QR code that looks to be a Matter networkID similar to what the ThirdRealty Night Light has registered.
{
"deviceId": "7f20f3b6-7242-4e85-a7f6-6279c3a1c8ae",
"ownerId": "9460ad44-87c9-b065-40fb-189bee3ba5c2",
"name": "SmartThings Hub",
"label": "SmartThings Hub - FamilyHub",
"manufacturerName": "SmartThings",
"presentationId": "SmartThings-smartthings-hub",
"locationId": "b355f7f5-7de9-4294-883d-d31b6c96b166",
"roomId": "703abd6f-07d1-43af-b33a-404efb358ba7",
"sharedLocations": [],
"components": [
{
"id": "main",
"label": "main",
"capabilities": [
{
"id": "bridge",
"version": 1
}
],
"categories": [
{
"name": "Hub",
"categoryType": "manufacturer"
}
]
}
],
"createTime": "2023-03-02T18:50:13.735Z",
"childDevices": [
{
"id": "f92bbec0-2b31-435f-b85b-3b63e7330acf"
}
],
"profile": {
"id": "f6769ddf-caa6-309c-800a-f9944b60b014"
},
"hub": {
"hubEui": "D052A8C3F9050001",
"firmwareVersion": "000.045.00011",
"hubDrivers": [
{
"driverVersion": "2023-02-28T20:01:55.492169958",
"driverId": "fba178cd-203e-4b7c-bfa0-d4f07197b527",
"channelId": "b1373fea-da9b-434b-b674-6694ce5d08cc"
},
{
"driverVersion": "2023-02-28T19:55:43.25993904",
"driverId": "7103039b-68d6-442c-afe5-e1bc955924a9",
"channelId": "15ea8adc-8be7-4ea6-8b51-4155f56dc6cf"
},
{
"driverVersion": "2023-03-07T19:25:31.22837397",
"driverId": "c21a6c77-872c-474e-be5b-5f6f11a240ef",
"channelId": "b1373fea-da9b-434b-b674-6694ce5d08cc"
},
{
"driverVersion": "2023-02-23T17:45:08.993810461",
"driverId": "bc53adfe-d18f-4ea4-9610-6aade6696b7a",
"channelId": "c8bb99e1-04a3-426b-9d94-2d260134d624"
}
],
"hubData": {
"zwaveStaticDsk": "00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000",
"zwaveS2": false,
"hardwareType": "SAMSUNG_DA_REFRIGERATOR_HUB",
"hardwareId": "0045",
"zigbeeFirmware": "5.4.5",
"zigbee3": true,
"zigbeeOta": "0",
"otaEnable": "false",
"zigbeeUnsecureRejoin": false,
"zigbeeAvailability": "Available",
"zwaveAvailability": "Unsupported",
"threadAvailability": "Unavailable",
"lanAvailability": "Available",
"matterAvailability": "Available",
"zigbeeChannel": "24",
"zigbeePanId": "5B71"
}
},
"type": "HUB",
"vid": "SmartThings-smartthings-hub",
"mnmn": "SmartThings",
"ocfDeviceType": "x.com.st.d.hub",
"restrictionTier": 0,
"allowed": null
}
ThirdReality Night Light Matter info:
"matter": {
"driverId": "7103039b-68d6-442c-afe5-e1bc955924a9",
"hubId": "7f20f3b6-7242-4e85-a7f6-6279c3a1c8ae",
"provisioningState": "TYPED",
"networkId": "FB1C94F3BAB20E79-E4A5390F39BD5532",
"executingLocally": true,
"uniqueId": "3734B7ACD150D2C2",
"vendorId": 65521,
"productId": 32773,
"listeningType": "ALWAYS",
"supportedNetworkInterfaces": [
"WIFI"
],
"version": {
3 Likes
Kasa Matter Smart Plug KP125M 4 Pack
Purchased one of these today, it’s a 4 pack and works out to 16.25 each. I have wanted to do a monthly reboot on my Router, Poe Switch, Remote POE switch and Main switch for a while. I will get these installed and then write a review on pairing with ST and functionality when I finish. More toys 
2 Likes
Bruce is your night light still working? Mine went offline a month or so ago and with all my travel for work I have not had any time to work on it. I paired it to ST first and then used the multiadmin to add it to Alexa. Alexa still see’s it and it works, but not with ST, Now im not sure how to go about excluding and including it again because of the multiadmin.
1 Like
I haven’t had mine plugged in because there are bugs in the Refrigerator Family Hub with the Matter implementation. Devices can be paired with the hub, but not controlled. I verified that with a TP-Link Tapo mini switch that exhibits the same behavior.
I have older Echo devices so mine won’t support Matter. I would think you would be able to go into the Alexa app and simply delete the device while it’s online. I know there is a factory reset sequence, but I don’t have the documentation handy to look it up.
Also, it’s not looking promising that we’re going to see Matter supported in the Wi-Fi hub. Releases are few and far between and currently the detailed hub data says Matter is unsupported as opposed to unavailable. That’s in comparison to the fridge hub that says Thread is unavailable and Z-Wave is unsupported.
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Thanks, I will try deleting it from Alexa and them ST and try resetting it. I thought Matter was supposed to make things easier.
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In short. It will.
But you’re in the very first days of a brand new protocol (these things take years to develop) it’s still VERY squarely early adopter tech.
These cross vendor interop scenarios will take quite some time to flesh out. I expect them to continue at least through this time next year.
You couldn’t pay me to deploy a Matter device in a production install yet. - on anyone’s platform. Ask me again in a year.
4 Likes
Well said, and very true. The architecture appears to be pretty good, but the rollout has just been awful. I really think they shouldn’t have brought it out of beta until multiple major companies were ready to fully deploy.
One small point:
I know a number of people, including me, who have been very happy with the ability to add some new devices into Apple home now. In particular, the popular SwitchBot curtain opener can now be brought into Apple home (via the new Switchbot Hub 2) and works very well there. Also, Wiz lights add a bunch of new budget priced bulb candidates to an Apple home setup.
It’s only a very small piece of the total mosaic, and will only be of benefit to some people, but there are a few setups where Matter can be of benefit today. 
3 Likes
Guys, I didn’t turn on IPV6 on my router, but I was able to pair Philips Hue (LAN) trough matter to Google Home (WiFi), also I was able to pair an Eve Motion (Thread) to Smartthings and then share the device to Alexa and Google Home, I was also able to pair an Eve Motion to Alexa directly via Thread (Echo 4), no issues with any of the devices, then I read this and went to my router to figure out I didn’t have enabled ipv6, so I proceed to active it (without checking my network first) to see if something changes but I didn’t see any change on the Matter devices, so I went back and disable ipv6, but now that is disabled I went to my devices and noted my phones and echo’s and Thread Networks all of them have an ipv6 addresses (my router have IPV6 disabled double checked), so I don’t know if matter have the ability to create ipv6 addresses by itself or if the router created this when I activated the IPV6 and all the devices keep their address even after ipv6 was disabled on the router.
Your Router doesn’t inherently ‘define’ the network. In most cases DHCP software (included in your router for convenience) defines the network based on what kinds of addresses it is handing out to clients that request one. Doesn’t mean there aren’t OTHER entities on your network (MATTER Bridge most likely in this case - I haven’t read the spec to find out where and how they actually define the network) giving out IPv4 or IPv6 DHCP or its some kind of self defining standard like APIPA
TL;DR: There are ways for a network to define itself without your router’s involvement.
3 Likes
Update on Matter support for the ST Family Hub.
A recent software update for the Family Hub (I believe a Tizen OS update) has fixed the issues with both my Third Reality Night Light and my TP-Link Tapo Mini Switch. Both are now controllable from the ST app and supported in Routines. Additionally, they show up in the Alexa app and respond to commands from there as well.
Another benefit of the update is that Thread is now enabled on the hub dongle. Don’t have a Thread device to try yet, but in theory the Family Hub and dongle are now a TBR. @JDRoberts Any suggestion on an inexpensive Matter over Thread device that I can try?
1 Like
There aren’t many yet. For Matter over thread, currently available devices are pretty limited. Eve does have a smart plug, a door sensor, and a motion sensor using thread over matter. They’re all around $40, though.
nanoleaf has a RGBW bulb, which at $20 is probably the least expensive right now. Make sure you get one with the matter logo on the box, the older homekit ones can’t be updated.
I’m not sure anything else has been released yet. @Automated_House might know.
Update on Matter over Thread support on Samsung Refrigerator Smartthings Family Hub with Dongle
Ordered the Eve Matter over Thread smart plug and received it the same day (how Amazon does that I’ll never understand). When I plugged it in, my ST app detected it and prompted me to install it. Proceeding, I was prompted to scan the QR code after which I was presented with a “Get Started” prompt. It churned for a short time and then asked me to select my Thread network. None of the ones listed were anything I recognized and all required a network key. Couldn’t proceed forward from there.
Ok, so abort the install and try again. Scanning the QR code got me to the Preparing page, but it said the device was not discoverable. So, I unplugged it and started over. Same process as previously and got to the same page to select my Thread network where I was stuck again.
Since I didn’t see anywhere in the app or via the APIs (via the CLI) where a Thread network name is exposed much less a network key, I’m suspected that something is going on with the ST Family Hub. Checking the API Browser+, I found that Thread was no longer enabled on my hub dongle (thanks for the updated hub detail @TAustin). The hub had gone offline earlier in the day and I simply turned Wi-fi off/on to get it back online. Don’t know if that caused the Thread issue or not.
I did a soft reset/reboot of the Family Hub and after that, Thread support was available again. Unplugged the smart plug and restarted the install process and it proceeded without issue and I was never prompted for any Thread network name. I can control the smart plug from the ST app and from the my.smartthings.com site. I presume the Family Hub is serving as a TBR since the fridge communicates with the outside world via Wi-FI and the smart plug is on Thread.
In general, I think this would have been a simple and straightforward install if my hub had not been in a funky state where Thread support was disabled for some reason. That being said, I have a fair amount of experience with ST now and were the same situation to occur for a less experienced individual, it could have been a very frustrating installation experience.
Nothing special about this smart plug as it seems to simply support on/off. Even though the device is named “Eve Energy”, there are no energy metrics exposed in the ST app.
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I thought the dongle didn’t support Matter yet?
Matter over Wi-Fi support started in 46.8, but there were bugs where you could install devices, but couldn’t control them. A recent update of the Tizen OS on the Family Hub fixed the bugs allowing Matter over Wi-FI to work correctly and appears to have enabled Thread support on the dongle.
I now have two Matter over Wi-Fi and one Matter over Thread devices on my fridge Family Hub. Matter is still not supported on my Wi-Fi (Plume) hub.
2 Likes
Matter does not yet support energy reporting.
When you buy a device like the TPLink Kasa or eve smart plugs that say they have energy reporting and you connect them via matter, you will be able to access that information in their own apps, but not in other companies’ matter controller apps.
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Ah, didn’t know that about Matter. Too bad the Eve app is only supported on Apple :-/
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Bruce, are you able to control the color from ST. I was able to delete and re add it again but I can still only control on\off and dimmer?
No. Not sure if the driver doesn’t expose it or if the device doesn’t have the capability.
has to be the ST driver. I can change it in Alexa.
1 Like