Homebridge is a popular open-source toolkit, and it was designed to add support for devices that do not function on Apple HomeKit. It basically allows you to connect such devices to Apple Home. There’s support for thousands of smart home devices so far, and if that wasn’t cool enough, there’s now support for Matter added too.

For those unfamiliar, Matter is a smart home connectivity standard in itself that already allows devices to function together despite having different manufacturers. With Homebridge now supporting Matter, it is possible to connect smart home devices to various platforms, including Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and Samsung SmartThings, in addition to Apple Home.

This is a significant update for Homebridge, as it adds a whole new catalogue of smart home devices that can connect to Apple Home. More importantly, it increases Homebridge’s capabilities as it can now function beyond simply being a bridge between Apple Home and non-supported smart home accessories.

This added capability arrives with the launch of Homebridge 2.0, a major update headlined by integrating support for Matter. However, it is important to note that support for Matter is at an experimental stage. Homebridge 2.0 announcement on Reddit also clarified, “This is early days. Matter support will require updates to individual plugins, and not everything will work out of the box on day one.”

The update is arriving at a good time as well, as more and more devices are now coming equipped with Matter integration, including Apple devices. “Apple has started using Matter for new device types rather than adding them to HomeKit directly,” explains NorthernMan5, one of the core members of the Homebridge team.

“Our goal is to bridge that gap so Homebridge plugins can deliver full functionality for these device types. We think this is very achievable and the more immediate target,” they added.

Another reason why Homebridge is adding support is so that other Matter controllers can be used with Homebridge plugins. There are currently over 4,000 Homebridge plugins available, and they can potentially be used by other Matter controllers such as the Aqara app, but Northman5 added that this is a “longer term effort” for Homebridge and it will roll out “gradually over time”, as it will require added support for individual plugins.

For those already relying on Homebridge to connect their devices, this can be a great addition if they have Matter-supported devices. Homebridge 2.0 is not a mandatory update, users can stick to the current and stable versions for some time using the official steps outlined in this Reddit post.

Source: GitHub