Homey software achieves Matter 1.5 certification for energy and bridging upgrades

Athom’s Homey platform has secured Matter 1.5 certification, extending its compatibility with energy-focused hardware categories. This includes EV chargers, heat pumps, solar panels, and major appliances, which were previously outside Matter’s scope. The update is delivered via firmware version 13.3.0 for supported Homey Pro, Pro mini, and Self-Hosted Server installations. For engineers, this means broader device support but also a dependency on firmware updates to maintain compatibility.

Homey’s strength lies in its multi-protocol architecture, which bridges legacy devices to Matter ecosystems. It supports Zigbee, Z-Wave, infrared, Bluetooth, 433 MHz, WiFi, and proprietary APIs, exposing them to platforms like Apple Home, Google Home, and Home Assistant via Matter. This reduces the need for native Matter adoption in existing devices but introduces complexity in maintaining consistent device representations across platforms. Engineers must account for potential latency or reliability trade-offs in bridged setups.

The certification positions Homey ahead of major platforms like Amazon Alexa (Matter 1.0), Apple and Google (Matter 1.4), and Home Assistant (Matter 1.3). This leadership may drive adoption among users seeking advanced energy management features. However, the update’s impact depends on hardware manufacturers implementing Matter 1.5 in their devices. Without widespread adoption, the benefits of energy support and bridging remain limited to early adopters.

For self-hosted Homey instances, Matter over Thread requires an existing Thread Border Router network. This adds a layer of infrastructure dependency for users operating outside the Homey Pro ecosystem. Engineers deploying self-hosted solutions must ensure local network compatibility and Thread availability. The update does not eliminate the need for direct local control of native devices, which may complicate automation workflows in mixed-protocol environments.