Adding a Matter device: Companion app suggests to download a Companion app

Configuration Matter/Thread
1

Tried to add a new Matter device via HA web access from Chrome.
Was told to use a Companion App.
And Companion App suggests to download a Companion App:

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Was it a bad joke?
Same on 2 apps:

  • iPad Air 2 (iOS 15.x)
  • ancient iPhone 5S (iOS 12.x)
2

This happens because your OS does not support Matter.
For iOS you need at least version 16.1

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3

Was not obvious))). Thanks for explanation… Thinking about proposing a change now.

4

The message could be clearer.
I agree.
It is not possible to support Matter in lower version though, since that is something Apple handle.

5

I missed in Docs, can you point me where it was mentioned in Docs about iOS 16.1?

6

It is not in the docs.
It is in the Apple iOS release notes.

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7

I see, not widely known info…
Definitely less widely than HA release notes (if measured within my house).

8

Matter is a rather new standard, so older systems will not have be compatible.
The iOS and Android OS are used to commission devices to the Matter fabric.
It is done by first adding it to the Matter fabric in the phone OS and then move it to the HA Matter fabric.

I think the devs have made it possible to commission directly through the HA server, if it had a bluetooth adapter installed.
This might circumvent the limitations of older phone OSes, but I do not know it for sure.

9

I was experimenting with Aqara devices - Aqara Hub M2 & Aqara relay T1 with neutral (3 pcs).
These devices were already added to Aqara app, worked OK.
Next they were added to Homekit. Next they were removed from Homekit & added to HA.
But no sensors (as expected, probably) for power usage (data are available for relays in Aqara app) were added into HA.
That’s why I wanted to check if Matter connection between the Aqara Hub & HA may cause these sensors to appear.

So I I managed to add a Matter device to HA as follows:

  1. When calling an “Add Matter device” - a popup comes with 2 options:
    – add a new device (if selected - advises to use Companion App - where I observed that “download companion app” suggestion);
    – add a device installed somewhere (if I recall it properly).
  2. Since my “so-called Matter” device was already added to Aqara app - I chose the last option.

So, I got these devices via Matter:

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But only 2 relays out of 3 were added.
I believe it is related to that stupid Xiaomi/Aqara policy to separate devices by regions:
– 2 relays are of EU version (firmware 0030);
– 1 relay is of China version (firmware 0039) - that one was not added via Matter.
Although all 3 relays are seen in Aqara app and (were seen) in Homekit.

And no power usage sensors when connected via Matter.
So, I would probably need to connect these Aqara devices via ZHA/Z2M (have no experience with both of them yet).
Pity that Aqara devices cannot be integrated to HA normally.

10

Maybe bring your findings up on Discord (“related-tech” topic) as the Matter Developer there has mentioned the on-going work with Aqara as part of the “Aqara works with HA” program.

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11

Aqara can not do anything here.
You need to make Apple react, but they are not going to correct an OS that they do not support anymore, which should maybe be a hint to get a newer phone

12

I’m thinking he used the HA UI without the Companion App to add the Aqara Hub and its already attached devices successfully to HA Matter, so the iOS version wasn’t so much an issue.

13

Correct, I added Matter devices without iOS, directly from HA.

  1. Install Matter server (container in Docker).
  2. In HA: add “Matter META” integration, a connection with Matter server is established.
  3. In HA: add Matter device: input connection number (or how it is called); this number is taken from Aqara app for that Aqara Hub.
  4. Then HA added 3 devices: hub and 2 (not 3) relays.

Alternatively:
3. Open web page for Matter server. Add a hub device by using same connection number. Then this hub and 2 relays appear on this page.
4. Then these devices automatically appear in HA.

I would say that adding devices on Matter server web page is more logical: assume you decide to delete added Matter devices from HA, but then they still connected to the Matter server, you may only delete them on that web page.