How to make SLZB-MR4U as preferred thread network?

Configuration Matter/Thread
1

Trying to add a Meross MS-605 as my first Matter over Thread device.

When I try to add the device, I enter the code, but it just times out.

I have the SLZB-MR4U configured as Thread + OTBR running on the device.

When I go to the Thread integration, it says I don’t have a preferred network.
It shows a couple Google Nest hubs and OpenThread ESP on the MR4U as available networks, but it won’t let me set OpenThread ESP as a preferred device.

image
image1655×1012 56 KB

What am I missing?

2

The Thread Integration needs to have the Thread network credentials of the SLZB-MR4U. When it has a Thread network’s credentials, the “(i)” icon will appear. Then you can make it preferred.
Once the Thread Integration has the SLZB’s credentials, and you make it preferred, be aware that you may end up with two different Thread networks. As shown, the Thread Integration has the Google Next Hub’s Thread credentials, but even if the Thread Integration has the SLZB’s Thread credentials, I don’t think there is any way to merge the two networks.

Generally speaking, if you wanted to merge the two networks, you would make the Google Nest Hub preferred, and the Thread Integration would use an API to pass the Google Thread creds to the OTBR, and the OTBR in turn would join the Google Thread net, but I’m thinking the SLZB doesn’t have this API.

3

How does the Thread integration get the Thread credentials? I have tried syncing credentials several times and the option to make the MR4U the preferred network still doesn’t show.

4

There are two general ways:

  1. If a TBR supports HA’s websocket API, the Thread Integration gets the Thread credentials using this API. Somewhere along the way, the Thread integration auto-discovers the URL to reach the TBR, or it may prompt you for a URL. However for the most part, only the HA OTBR App/AddOn supports this API.
  2. The mobile device usually has an App that knows how to talk to a particular TBR, and gets the Thread credentials using this App. The credentials are stored on the mobile device and HA Companion App usually has access to these credentials, and then just a matter of “syncing” or “sending” the credentials to HA.

I myself don’t know enough about the SLZB’s OTBR implementation, but maybe its possible it can actually do #1.