SkyConnect forThread and Zigbee

I saw this device today on a YT video:

https://ameridroid.com/products/skyconnect

I’m holding out hope that Indigo will integrate Thread as closely as Z-wave and Insteon. Devices like this will certainly become popular among HA enthusiasts.

[jay (support)]

Thread is a network layer protocol, not an application protocol. When Matter support (which is an application-level protocol) is added, then it should run over whatever network layer is supported by Matter. WiFi will be the first (as determined by the guys developing the Matter spec and implementations), but there is a push to implement Matter over Thread as well. When that happens, then the same API used to talk Matter should work equally well over WiFi and Thread.

Thread uses IEEE 802.15.4, which is not the same as WiFi or ethernet. I don't think Mac hardware is capable of doing it natively (though I'm not positive on this), so it would require a hardware interface of some kind (akin to a Z-Wave, Insteon, or zigbee dongle - which is what your link points to). But once that is added it should be easy enough to update the implementation to also work over that dongle.

Zigbee will almost certainly be deprecated in favor of Matter, particularly when Matter over Thread becomes widely available. In the interim, there are a couple of different ways to integrate Zigbee devices into Indigo (and possibly one more plugin coming soon).

Thanks for the reply, Jay.

Would it make sense to adopt a Python-based Matter implementation? Perusing online, I see a few possible options.

Then there's the Matter open source code itself that could be integrated into Indigo.

Part of my frustration at the moment is a lack of selection when it comes to Matter devices. We're weeks away from having to put up lights in the new house, and I've all but resigned myself to buy dumb switches and dumb recessed lights because of where we are in the transition to Matter.

Why do they have to be Matter? Why not something currently supported?

Well, speaking of recessed lights specifically, pretty much everything available is Wi-Fi based, which can be quite unreliable, especially in large quantity. For that specifically, I'm expecting Thread's mesh network capability to be significantly more reliable, which is why I'm waiting on Thread-based recessed lighting.

As for switches, I could go Z-Wave, and still may do so.

Your recessed lights aren't switch controlled? All mine are.

[jay (support)]

Would it make sense to adopt a Python-based Matter implementation? Perusing online, I see a few possible options.

In terms of implementation, Indigo interfaces (Z-Wave and Virtual Devices) are both just slightly special plugins (using the same python mechanisms). It would definitely be possible for some 3rd party to take a crack at Matter support as well.

Then there's the Matter open source code itself that could be integrated into Indigo.

I haven't looked at the code so I don't know what language any of the code is in, but assuming that it's available in Python (easiest integration) or C (compilable as a CPython compiled module) then sure. If it's in some other compilable language, then one could most likely compile into a shared library into which a CPython module could call. Almost anything is possible given enough time and effort.

Part of my frustration at the moment is a lack of selection when it comes to Matter devices. We're weeks away from having to put up lights in the new house, and I've all but resigned myself to buy dumb switches and dumb recessed lights because of where we are in the transition to Matter.

You are at least 6 months too early for a reasonable selection of Matter devices (that's pretty much the agreed upon target from many manufacturers that have Matter plans discussed at CES). I suspect it'll be longer than that for a really good selection to appear.

Why aren't you using smart switches to control dumb recessed lights? Just curious. That's what I did in our Condo remodel, we just made sure that the LED recessed lights were dimmable and we use Inovelli switches (though any Z-Wave dimer would likely work).

I really don't recommend putting the smarts into the recessed light itself (just as I don't recommend putting it into a bulb) unless you really want individually addressable lights. The problem is coordinating the devices when you want them to operate as a group (which is usually how they are used). Theoretically, that should be quite simple. In practice, it's very specific to the technology, the implementation of the technology, and any number of other factors.

Regarding smart lights vs smart switches:

I've gone back and forth over this. The biggest benefit of smart recessed lights is the ability to change both the color temperature and the RGB color. That's not something you can do at the switch.

But most problematic of all is that the current crop of smart recessed lights are Wi-Fi based, as I noted earlier.

Now, not every light in the house needs to be RGB, but the ability to chance the color temperature over time (e.g. adaptive lighting) is attractive to me.

[jay (support)]

Just make sure you work through how those devices are going to be controlled from the switch, which is likely to be the most common use-case. Pressing and holding the up/down paddle to brighten/dim is very common, but likely much more problematic when it's smart switch to smart can(s).

RGB for accent type lights makes sense. But for general room illumination, not so much. And as Jay says, the primary use case is via the wall switch or keypad, so that has to work right every time.

Correct. Let's face it: for lighting in a closet or pantry, a plain vanilla recessed light is fine. It doesn't need to even be adaptive. Recessed lights now come with a switch on the box to switch the color temperature manually, and for a closet, one setting is good enough.

Where color lighting is useful is for the outside soffit downlights. Think color themes for Christmas, 4th of July, etc.

Recessed lighting for the living room, kitchen, and bedrooms could benefit from adaptive lighting that would change the color temperature based on time of day.

For now, I'm going with plain recessed lights as they are the cheapest, along with dumb switches, and will change out switches/lights as I go where it makes sense.