Pre- Getting Started - what hardware do I need?

Starting from absolute scratch, the first questions seem to be:

  • Which ecosystem?
    • Home Assistant seems to be the answer, over Google, Apple or Amazon.
  • Which device protocols should I start with? E.g.Zigbee, Z-wave or Matter?
    • Matter sounds like it is the future. Should I be worried that Matter (BETA) - Home Assistant has “Beta” in the name and prefer e.g. Zigbee or Z-wave for now?

And then, what hardware do I need to get started?

  • Home Assistant, running in one of either:
    • Home Assistant Green
    • Docker container
      • I’m already very familiar with Docker and since I already have a handful of services running in Docker, I’d prefer Docker over the Home Assistant Green.
  • Devices, e.g.:
  • From Matter (BETA) - Home Assistant:
    • In Home Assistant, have the Matter integration installed
    • Thread border router device (Nest Hub (2nd Gen) or Nest Wi-Fi Pro or Home Assistant with the OpenThread Border Router add-on)
    • Android or iPhone ready and Bluetooth enabled in same 2.4 GHz Wifi network that I want to add the device to (from Matter (BETA) - Home Assistant)

Is that right? Is that roughly a path of least resistance to a sensor and a couple of switches working with Home Assistance to get me started

About my skill level: I’m brand new to the “smart home” space but a long-time Linux software developer.

Matter will work on HAOS. Matter on Docker … maybe, if you’re lucky. It’s not officially supported due to needing a (very) recent kernel and some kernel patches - due to IPv6 “fun”.

If you want to go with Docker then I’d recommend you look at Zigbee (or Z-Wave if you’re in North America) instead. Those are more mature options, and well supported no matter how you run Home Assistant.