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Matter Alpha’s first-month account describes replacing most of an apartment’s older Zigbee devices with Matter products for lighting, controls and other home functions. The report says device setup was workable, but some switch features were unavailable through Matter, and it does not establish that every device or function worked reliably across platforms.
Matter Alpha’s first-month report on building an all-Matter smart home describes replacing most of the author’s older Zigbee equipment with devices for lighting, switches and other functions, while finding that some controls still lacked features. The account offers a practical snapshot of what worked in one apartment setup and where Matter support did not match the features available through other device protocols.
The author began with an existing smart-home network and kept most network credentials, then powered up the controllers and removed many old device entries. The report says several standalone hubs were no longer needed after the move away from Zigbee. For proprietary local-network devices, the author instead used software options including eWeLink Cube and Homey Self-Hosted Server. The author also retained Home Assistant as the primary controller, sharing selected devices with Apple Home and using Home Assistant’s cloud service for Google Home and Amazon Alexa.
Lighting and wall controls were the first major installation. The author reports fitting about 10 Aqara H2 switches and dimmers using Thread, alongside smart ceiling fixtures, pendant lights, bulbs and ambient lighting. The switches were chosen in part because the models described can work with neutral-free wiring, which the report says helped with retrofitting existing wall boxes. The author also added Matter-compatible devices across other parts of the home, though the supplied account does not provide a complete inventory of every installed product or a measured reliability test.
The report’s main qualification is that Matter connectivity did not bring every expected control. The author says the Aqara switches lacked decoupled relay mode, useful for smart-bulb automations, and offered few dimmer configuration options when exposed through Matter. The author called the switches no better than their Zigbee counterparts “right now” and said they were being used while alternatives were considered. These observations describe one setup and do not establish that the same limitations apply to every Matter product or platform.
Matter’s Feature Gaps at Home
The account highlights a distinction for people choosing smart-home equipment: a device can connect through Matter without exposing every feature its manufacturer supports elsewhere. That matters particularly for wall switches and dimmers, where missing settings can change how lights behave and whether smart bulbs can remain powered for automations.
The experience also shows why interoperability claims should be weighed alongside product-specific capabilities. Matter is intended to make devices work across smart-home platforms, but the report suggests that buyers may still need to check which controls are available in their chosen ecosystem. The author’s setup is a single household, not a comparative test, so it cannot establish how often these limitations occur across the wider market.
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From Zigbee to Matter Devices
The author moved into a larger apartment and treated the change as an opportunity to rebuild the system rather than transfer the previous mix of Zigbee, HomeKit and Matter equipment unchanged. The report says nearly all older Zigbee devices were replaced during the first month, although some existing controllers and network settings were retained.
In the described arrangement, Home Assistant handled initial Matter device setup. Selected devices were then made available through Apple Home, with Google Home and Alexa access routed through Home Assistant’s cloud service. The author also kept some bridging software for devices that were not directly part of the new Matter setup. This was therefore a system centered on Matter, rather than evidence that every device, controller or connection in the home used Matter alone.
““They are no better than their Zigbee counterparts over Matter right now.””
— Matter Alpha report author
How Broad the Limitations Are
The report does not say whether the missing switch controls stem from the devices’ Matter implementation, limitations in the platforms used, or a combination of both. It also does not give detailed test results for connection stability, response times, device dropouts or performance across all the ecosystems in the apartment.
The account is a first-person report from one home, and the supplied material does not include responses from Aqara or the other manufacturers. It is unclear whether software updates or different controllers could change the reported behavior, or how the author’s full setup performs after the initial month.
Testing Alternatives and Updates
The author says they are looking into other options for neutral-free wall switches, but the report does not identify a replacement or give a timeline for a decision. Further updates could clarify whether another product provides the missing relay and dimmer controls while fitting the apartment’s wiring.
For readers considering a similar setup, the immediate next step is to check device specifications and platform support for the specific functions they need—not just whether a product carries Matter support. The report does not announce a new standard, product launch or follow-up test; any wider conclusions will depend on additional testing across devices and smart-home platforms.
Key Questions
The report describes smart lighting, about 10 Thread-connected Aqara switches and dimmers, ceiling lights, bulbs and other home devices. It also describes using Home Assistant as the main controller and connecting selected devices to other platforms.
What did not work as expected?
The author says the Aqara switches lacked decoupled relay mode and had limited dimmer configuration options when used through Matter. The report does not establish whether those limitations would appear in every setup.
Was the apartment entirely Matter-based?
The author describes the home as an all-Matter setup, but also retained controllers and bridging software, including Home Assistant and tools for local-network devices. The report says nearly all older Zigbee equipment was replaced; it does not say every component used Matter directly.
Does this report prove Matter devices are unreliable?
No. It is a first-person account of one apartment and focuses on particular feature limitations. It does not provide broad reliability measurements or a comparison across multiple homes and platforms.
Source: matteralpha.com
