Homey has upgraded its Matter controller to version 1.5, adding support for more energy devices and major appliances after receiving official certification from the Connectivity Standards Alliance.
The update places Homey among the first major smart home platforms to adopt Matter 1.5, following SmartThings and Home Assistant. And it moves Homey beyond regular Matter categories such as lights, plugs, locks, and sensors into devices that play a larger role in home energy management.
Energy devices lead the update
Homey’s Matter 1.5 implementation adds support for EV chargers, heat pumps, solar panels, and major household appliances. The energy categories are particularly relevant to Homey. EV charging, solar generation, heating, and household appliances can now enter Homey through a common local standard instead of relying only on separate manufacturer APIs.
Matter support does not guarantee that every feature from every certified product will appear in Homey. Advanced controls can remain tied to the manufacturer’s own platform, while Homey’s official list of supported Matter devices provides a more practical guide to the categories and functions currently available.
Matter cameras will have to wait
Cameras were the headline addition in Matter 1.5, but they are not included in Homey’s current implementation.
Homey told Matter Alpha that another update based on Matter 1.6 is planned and suggested that Matter camera support would follow. The company did not provide a release date.
Aqara Camera G350
This leaves SmartThings ahead in this part of the specification. Samsung began rolling out Matter 1.5 camera support earlier, while Home Assistant has upgraded its Matter Server but has not yet brought camera control into the Home Assistant interface. However, Aqara Camera Hub G350 is still the only Matter-certified camera available on the market, which explains why the feature has a low priority.
Matter Bridge reaches beyond Matter devices
Homey also highlighted its Matter bridging capabilities, making it one of the few ecosystems to offer both a Matter Controller and a Matter Bridge.
Its Matter Bridge app can expose supported products already connected through Zigbee, Z-Wave, infrared, Bluetooth, 433 MHz, Wi-Fi, or manufacturer integrations to other Matter ecosystems.
This allows lights, sockets, thermostats, locks, window coverings, and common sensors managed by Homey to appear in Matter ecosystems like Apple Home, Google Home, and Amazon Alexa as standard Matter accessories.
It makes the bridge useful for mixed-protocol homes. Older Zigbee or Z-Wave products do not gain native Matter connectivity, but users can control them from another ecosystem without replacing the devices or their existing connection to Homey.
Availability
Matter 1.5 support is now available on Homey Pro models from 2023 through 2026, Homey Pro mini, and Homey Self-Hosted Server. You may need to check for the update manually in the Homey app or reboot Homey Self-Hosted Server to trigger it. Homey’s Matter 1.5 certification covers firmware 13.3.0, so setups running that version or later should already include the updated Matter stack.
For new Matter device setup, Homey Pro and Homey Pro mini include a built-in Thread Border Router, allowing Matter-over-Thread devices to connect directly to Homey without relying on a smartphone or an external Thread Border Router. While Homey Self-Hosted Server can add Matter-over-Thread products to an external Thread network through the Homey app.
(Source: Homey; Image: Homey, Matter Alpha/Ward Zhou)
