For all my 50+ zigbee devices I have just 1 integration,
Now I only have 1 Matter/thread device.
for this to work I installed 2 add-ons and 2 integrations.
This seems to be a little over complicated?
Do I really need to use this all?
I know 50 components vs 1 is not a good comparison.
But 4 components vs 1 is.
Well, your machine is doing a bit more. It is functioning as a Matter server as well as a Thread Border Router. Those need to be AddOns from a architectual viewpoint. Also, the AddOns themselves cannot add/integrate devices, so you need at least one integration for that. The second integration might be debateable. If you would only use Matter-over-WiFi, it would look sleeker.
I think it depends on perspective. It sounds like you’re using ZHA, but if someone decides to use Z2M for one device, the situation is similar to yours. Also, if you add more devices, the perspective is shifted.
Zigbee, especially ZHA, is a full package of the entire protocol.
This makes it nice and collected, but it also makes it rigid and inflexible.
Zigbee can only use a Zigbee network to communicate.
Matter is flexible in the way that it can use Matter over WiFi, Matter and over Thread and Matter over Bluetooth.
WiFi, Bluetooth and Thread can also be used by other protocols, like HomeKit, so packaging the protocol parts into the Matter package would just make you have double packages, if you also needed it for other protocols.
WiFi is a certain protocol you will probably need for other protocols like HTTP among others.
thnk you both,
I’m indeed using ZHA.
and if I need those 4 components then it’s ok.
I thought my config might was just to over complicated.
If you just had Matter over WiFi, then you could have dropped the Thread addon and integration.
thnx, I actually do not see the benefit for Matter over WiFi at the moment.
but that might change.
one other question, I cannot find the visualisation in HA, or isn’t that implemented?
It is in the OTBR addons web interface.
You need to enable the addons disabled network ports (both of them)
thnx, Found it,
I was looking in the integration as I did for Zigbee and Bluetooth.
Since this webinterface does not require any credentials and also I think I can break more then I can fix, I will disable it again.