Smart home enthusiasts have been waiting for this moment—finally, a solution that brings your old-school Zigbee sensors and Z-Wave thermostats into the modern HomeKit ecosystem. The recently launched Matter Bridge app from Homey delivers exactly what many of us have been hoping for: a way to integrate non-Matter devices directly into HomeKit without replacing perfectly good hardware. This isn’t just another incremental update—it’s a game-changer that extends the lifespan of older devices while bringing them into modern ecosystems. This timing is crucial as the industry faces a crossroads between abandoning functional hardware and achieving true ecosystem unity—representing one of the most significant smart home advances we’ve seen this year.

What makes this Matter Bridge different?

Here’s what sets Homey’s approach apart from other bridging solutions: the app works as a translator that converts legacy protocols into Matter-compatible signals. Unlike cloud-based workarounds, all communication happens locally for faster response times and better security. The platform already supports an impressive range of connectivity options—Zigbee, Z-Wave, infrared, Thread, Matter, Wi-Fi, and more protocols—making it one of the most comprehensive hub solutions available.

What’s particularly clever is how Homey handles device exposure. Rather than forcing you to bridge everything, you can selectively choose which devices appear in HomeKit. This means your IR-controlled ceiling fan can show up in the Home app while keeping other devices exclusive to Homey’s own automation system.

This direct protocol translation eliminates the latency and single-point-of-failure risks that plague cloud-dependent bridges. Homey becomes the hardware layer, and the Matter Bridge app becomes the pathway for HomeKit to see those devices, creating a robust local network architecture that maintains responsiveness even when your internet connection falters.

Getting everything connected: the setup process

Setting up the Matter Bridge is refreshingly straightforward, especially compared to some of the more complex smart home integrations we’ve dealt with. After installing the app from the Homey App Store, you navigate to Settings and access the Matter Bridge section. From there, Homey generates a QR code that you scan using the Apple Home app, just like adding any other Matter device.

The real magic happens in the device selection phase. Within minutes, your chosen devices appear in HomeKit as native Matter accessories, ready for scenes and automations. This works with Homey Pro (2023) and Homey Pro Mini models, giving users flexibility in their hub choice.

One important note: the bridge functionality isn’t officially certified yet, so platforms like Apple Home display a warning during setup. This doesn’t affect functionality—it’s just a heads-up that you’re adding an uncertified Matter bridge.

This streamlined process addresses one of smart home’s biggest barriers—the technical complexity that keeps mainstream users from integrating legacy devices. The Matter Bridge installs directly from the Homey App Store, and the whole setup from download to having devices visible in HomeKit typically takes less than ten minutes—a remarkable achievement considering the protocol translation happening under the hood.

Real-world applications that actually matter

Let’s break down some practical scenarios where this becomes genuinely useful, organized by the type of value they deliver to different user priorities.

Comfort & Convenience Integration: Take that old IR-controlled ceiling fan that you can now add to Homey and have appear in the Home app as a Matter device. Suddenly, your “dumb” fan becomes part of your evening wind-down scene or responds to Siri commands. Those 433 MHz roller shutters that came with your house? They’re suddenly part of your morning routine that opens the blinds when your alarm goes off.

Security & Monitoring Enhancement: The compatibility list is extensive, covering lights, smart plugs, thermostats, door locks, curtains and blinds, various sensors, and even CO₂ and smoke detectors. Security-focused users gain unified monitoring capabilities, as old Z-Wave contact sensors, Zigbee light switches, and IR-based appliances can all integrate seamlessly into comprehensive security automations.

Energy & Climate Efficiency: That Z-Wave thermostat from 2019 can now trigger your HomeKit scenes, coordinating heating and cooling with lighting and window coverings for optimal energy efficiency. Air quality sensors and CO₂ detectors become part of intelligent ventilation routines that work across all your devices.

Bottom line: once devices appear in the Home app, they integrate fully with scenes, automations, and routines. This comprehensive integration means your morning routine can include Z-Wave thermostat adjustments, 433 MHz blind opening, and IR air conditioner pre-cooling—all triggered from a single HomeKit scene.

Why this matters for the smart home ecosystem

This development addresses a fundamental challenge in smart home adoption: millions of devices will never receive Matter updates, leaving users with functional hardware that’s increasingly isolated from modern platforms. Rather than forcing costly replacements, Homey’s approach extends device lifespans while bringing them into current ecosystems.

This cross-platform approach solves both the obsolescence problem and ecosystem lock-in simultaneously, as the app works with multiple platforms beyond HomeKit—Google Home, Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings, and Home Assistant all benefit. Users can maintain their investment protection while gaining the flexibility to switch or combine platforms as their needs evolve.

The industry implications are profound. This represents one of the most important smart home updates of the year, according to industry observers, because it shifts the conversation from device replacement to device enhancement. The fact that Homey collaborates with more than 1,000 brands and supports over 50,000 devices means this isn’t just a niche solution for tech enthusiasts—it’s a comprehensive bridge that addresses the messy reality of mixed-protocol smart homes that most of us actually live with.

Instead of smart home protocols being walls that separate devices, they’re becoming different languages that can all be translated into a common tongue. That’s fundamentally what Matter was supposed to achieve, and solutions like this are making that vision practical for existing hardware investments.

What this means for your smart home strategy

The Homey Matter Bridge represents more than just another connectivity option—it’s a strategic shift from protocol-specific planning to unified ecosystem thinking. For HomeKit users specifically, this opens up access to Homey’s support for over 1,000 brands and 50,000 devices, dramatically expanding what’s possible within Apple’s ecosystem. The fact that the app is available free in the Homey App Store makes it an accessible upgrade for existing Homey users and a compelling reason for others to consider the platform.

Here’s how this changes your smart home decision-making: You’re no longer stuck choosing between protocols or worrying about future compatibility. With this bridging approach, practically any smart device can work with any platform, fundamentally altering the risk calculation for smart home purchases.

As Matter continues evolving and gaining broader support, solutions like this prove that we don’t have to abandon our existing smart home investments to participate in the ecosystem’s future. Sometimes the best innovation isn’t about replacing what works—it’s about making it work better with everything else.

PRO TIP: If you’re considering a smart home hub and want maximum flexibility, the combination of Homey’s broad protocol support and this new Matter Bridge functionality makes it one of the most future-proof choices available right now. You’re essentially future-proofing against both protocol obsolescence and platform lock-in with a single hub investment.