Hi I’m relatively new to homey. I’ve been using Google home for a long time for automation. As time to replace my aging Nest protect devices, I’ve been testing a couple of Heiman S1-M smoke detectors, which use Matter-over-thread. My homey pro is in central position in my home, but I think that the thread network needs reinforcing for devices not to disconnect.
I looked for powered FTD devices, and the AI sold me on: Eve Energy:Widely considered the gold standard for energy monitoring and reliability. I installed a couple of plugs yesterday (firmware 3.5.0) and was able to connect them to Homey directly, I can see power consumption, great.
Only one of the two plugs disconnected after a couple of hours. I moved it much closer to the Homey hub but it stayed disconnected - so my first question: isn’t this system supposed to be “self-healing”? Meantime, one of the two smoke detectors disconnected as well, and staying so.
I deleted and re-paired the Eve plug, keeping it closer to the hub, so far so good for the plug, but the smoke detector is not reconnecting on its own. This short experience got me wondering if Matter is a good choice moving forward (I can still return the devices).
In your experience, do thread devices disconnect and don’t reconnect automatically? Would 4 FTD be enough for a large home (wood frame / drywall)? Should I rethink the choice of Matter-over-thread at this point for something as critical as smoke alarms?
Matter in general is pretty unstable and unreliable, not something you’d want to use for a smoke detector. I would recommend getting Zigbee or Z-Wave smoke detectors instead
Thread uses the same frequency and technique as zigbee.
You should add sufficient Thread routers if you want to cover a (large) home.
As rule of thumb, I’d say 4 meters max between any of these.
With all due respect, but that’s just a marketing yell of Eve HQ.
Just like “Homey is the last hub you’ll ever need”; it’s meaningless, it’s just some words.
Imho it’s still best to check experiences with other users / this forum, especially if stuff is 100% compatible with Homey.
I do have a bunch of TR3 Zigbee plugs already around the house. And they have not disconnected, so far. My 1st thought was Zigbee or Zwave, but… Heiman S1-M has CAN/ULC S531 (Canadian certification). Finding alternatives to the Nest protect is not so easy. I’m also worried that devices that are lacking Canadian certification could cause problems in case of an insurance claim - it’s not like insurance companies need extra reasons to find you at fault.
My impression, and perhaps is wrong, is that Zigbee, and especially Z-wave, seems marketed much more towards Europe than North America. I’d be glad to be pointed to suitable devices that I’m obviously missing in my searching.
For instance, browsing the only 2 options for detectors with Zigbee on the buy guide, Frient or Trust, is not obvious how to even buy these sensors. I can only see one option to buy the Frient smoke sensor from Vesternet for $101 (wow!) plus shipping.
I am still curious about Matter though. Aside from the feeling that Matter is still somewhat unreliable, are there any better options than the Eve plugs? Maybe I’ll try and have another look at wifi devices as well.
All Tuya-based devices (WiFi) should be supported as well, maybe there are options with Tuya? At least here in the Netherlands, Tuya devices are sold everywhere (online and also in many physical stores) under many different brand names and mobile apps. To check if a device uses Tuya, you can use this strategy:
