Multiple different ways of integrating a device into HA, which is best?

Configuration Matter/Thread
1

Hello forum,

I wanted some help and insight into what is the best way to configure a matter device into Home Assistant. For this example, I have Leviton smart switches when I go into my devices page within Home Assistant. I see them presented as a HomeKit device which I can add them to Home Assistant that way. I also have the matter add-on and I also can add them as a matter device into Home Assistant. My question here is what is the best way is there an advantage over adding it as a HomeKit device which is discovered by Home Assistant into Home Assistant or is it better to add it as a matter device? Are there any pros and cons to either of the approaches?

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I believe that is ostensibly one of the benefits of matter, it should not matter much.

it really comes down to what you are most comfortable with, although I would submit that it is probably better to use whichever is going to be your primary interface for automations/control/etc.

3

I mean however it’s added, regardless they will be in HA and available for any automation right ?

Be it added as a HomeKit device , or matter , the functionality should be identical ?

4

For a simple device like a lightswitch, yes — the functionality should be identical. However there are some features that a specific to HomeKit accessory protocol or Matter protocol.

The main difference is that Matter devices support multiple fabrics (more than one controller) whereas HomeKit devices can have only a single controller. In practice this means you can, for example, add a lightswitch to both HA and Apple Home for Siri control using Matter, whereas without Matter you need to use a HomeKit bridge to export HA devices for use with Siri.

Another example, bindings are supported by Matter standard but not HomeKit. This feature is designed to allow devices to control either other directly without a controller in the loop, for example a switch can send commands to control a bulb while HA is offline.

Some Matter switches also support button-press events (e.g. click/doubleclick) that allow automation triggers in HA. I’ve never seen any evidence HomeKit provides an automation trigger for these types of events. If you want to setup a switch in “smartbulb” (detached) mode, you want to make sure HA can access button events.

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