HomeKit Weekly: Smart home fans finally have a fresh reason to get excited about mixing old and new devices under one roof. Athom, the company behind the Homey smart home platform, has officially achieved Matter 1.5 certification, and it’s a bigger deal than it might first sound.
This update doesn’t just add a handful of new gadgets to a compatibility list. It pushes Homey into an elite group of smart home hubs that are ahead of Apple, Google, and Amazon when it comes to supporting the very latest version of the Matter smart home standard.
If you’ve ever felt stuck between old Zigbee sensors, a Z-Wave lock from years ago, and a shiny new Matter-enabled thermostat, this update is aimed squarely at you.
What Is Matter 1.5 Certification, and Why Does It Matter?
Matter is the universal smart home standard backed by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), the same organization responsible for certifying Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and other major ecosystems. Each new version of Matter adds support for more device categories and refines how devices communicate across brands.
Homey’s Matter software component, covering the Homey Pro (2023–2026), Homey Pro mini, and the Homey Self-Hosted Server, received its Matter 1.5 certification from the CSA on June 29, 2026. The update rolls out through firmware version 13.3.0.
Here’s why that timing matters:
- Amazon Alexa currently runs on Matter 1.0
- Apple Home and Google Home are on Matter 1.4
- Home Assistant is on Matter 1.3
- Homey is now running Matter 1.5
That puts Homey ahead of some of the biggest names in the smart home space, at least on paper. Athom CEO Stefan Witkamp summed up the philosophy behind the update simply: most people already own devices that will never speak Matter natively, and those devices deserve to stay just as useful as anything released tomorrow.
What Is New in Matter 1.5 for Homey
Earlier versions of Matter focused mostly on the basics: lights, plugs, locks, sensors, and simple climate controls. Matter 1.5 shifts the spotlight toward energy management and larger household systems, an area competitors are only beginning to explore.
With this certification, Homey now natively supports several new device categories:
| Device Category | What It Enables |
| EV Chargers & Wallboxes | Local monitoring and basic charge control without proprietary cloud APIs |
| Heat Pumps & HVAC Units | Native telemetry and operational control for heating and cooling systems |
| Solar Panels | Direct visibility into home energy generation |
| Major Appliances | Standardized integration for large kitchen and laundry devices |
| Battery Storage Systems | Coordinated energy monitoring alongside solar and EV data |
These additions matter because energy management has quickly become one of the most requested features in modern smart homes. As more households add EV chargers, solar arrays, and battery systems, having them all speak the same language through Matter means less reliance on clunky, vendor-specific apps and manual monitoring.
Homey already offers an energy dashboard for tracking consumption and generation. Matter 1.5 support means that data can now come from a much wider pool of standardized devices, rather than depending entirely on individual manufacturer integrations.
Bridging Legacy Protocols to Matter
New device categories are only half the story. The feature getting the most attention from long-time smart home users is Homey’s continued investment in its Matter Bridge functionality.
Homey has long stood out for its multi-protocol support, working with:
- Zigbee
- Z-Wave
- Bluetooth
- Infrared
- 433 MHz
- Wi-Fi
- Thread
- Proprietary manufacturer APIs
Through the Matter Bridge app, Homey can take devices connected via any of these older protocols and expose them as standard Matter accessories to other ecosystems, including Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings, and Home Assistant.
In practice, this means:
- Homey keeps direct, local control of the original device using its native protocol.
- The device gets translated into a Matter-friendly format.
- Other platforms, like Apple Home, see a standard Matter accessory rather than a proprietary one.
Supported categories exposed through the bridge include lights, sockets, thermostats, locks, window coverings, and common sensors. That means a Zigbee light bulb or a Z-Wave lock bought years ago doesn’t need to be replaced just because it never earned native Matter certification.
Homey is one of the few smart home platforms on the market offering both a Matter Controller and a Matter Bridge, making it useful in either direction: pulling new Matter devices in, or pushing older devices out to other ecosystems.
Hardware Compatibility and Setup
The Matter 1.5 update is already rolling out, but availability depends on which Homey product is being used.
| Product | Matter 1.5 Support | Thread Border Router |
| Homey Pro (2023–2026) | Yes | Built-in |
| Homey Pro mini | Yes | Built-in |
| Homey Self-Hosted Server | Yes | Requires separate router on network |
Homey Pro and Homey Pro mini include a built-in Thread Border Router, so Matter-over-Thread devices can connect directly without needing a smartphone or an external router. Homey Self-Hosted Server users will need an existing Thread Border Router on their home network, with devices added through the Homey mobile app.
Most users won’t need to do much beyond confirming their firmware is updated. Systems already running firmware 13.3.0 or later should already include the refreshed Matter stack. If not, checking for updates manually inside the Homey app, or rebooting a Self-Hosted Server, should trigger the install.
Why This Update Matters for Apple Home Users
For people inside the Apple ecosystem specifically, the appeal isn’t necessarily about the new energy-focused device categories, since Apple Home hasn’t fully built out support for things like EV chargers or heat pumps yet.
Instead, the real value is reliability and future-proofing. Homey being certified for Matter 1.5 means:
- It’s ready to support new Apple Home features as Apple’s own implementation catches up
- Bridged devices continue functioning smoothly within Apple Home
- Backward compatibility is maintained with devices built on earlier Matter versions
In other words, nothing breaks, and the platform is already prepared for what’s coming next.
Homey vs Other Smart Home Hubs
Here is how Homey’s Matter support currently compares to other major platforms:
| Platform | Current Matter Version | Bridging Support |
| Homey | 1.5 | Yes (Matter Controller + Bridge) |
| Apple Home | 1.4 | Limited |
| Google Home | 1.4 | Limited |
| Amazon Alexa | 1.0 | Limited |
| Home Assistant | 1.3 | Yes (via integrations) |
This table highlights exactly why Homey’s announcement has generated buzz across the smart home press: it’s rare for a smaller, independent platform to outpace tech giants on standards compliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Matter 1.5?
Matter 1.5 is the latest version of the CSA’s smart home standard, adding support for new device categories like EV chargers, heat pumps, solar panels, and major appliances.
Is Homey Matter 1.5 certified?
Yes. Homey received official Matter 1.5 certification from the Connectivity Standards Alliance on June 29, 2026, for firmware version 13.3.0.
Which Homey devices support Matter 1.5?
Matter 1.5 support applies to the Homey Pro (2023–2026), Homey Pro mini, and Homey Self-Hosted Server.
What is the Homey Matter Bridge?
It’s an official app that lets non-Matter devices connected to Homey appear as standard Matter accessories in other platforms like Apple Home and Google Home.
Does Homey work with Apple Home?
Yes. Through Matter and the Matter Bridge app, Homey can share compatible devices directly with Apple Home.
Do I need to buy new devices to use Matter 1.5 on Homey?
No. Existing Zigbee, Z-Wave, and other non-Matter devices can continue working as-is and be bridged into Matter ecosystems without replacement.
Final Thoughts
Homey’s Matter 1.5 certification is a meaningful step for anyone trying to build a smart home without ripping out and replacing every device they already own. By combining native support for new energy-focused categories with a genuinely useful bridging system for legacy protocols, Homey is positioning itself as one of the more forward-thinking hubs in the market right now.
For Apple Home users specifically, this update is less about instant new features and more about confidence: confidence that the platform connecting their smart home devices is staying current with where the industry is headed. As Matter continues to mature and more manufacturers adopt energy-focused device categories, having a hub that’s already certified for 1.5 means fewer surprises and less waiting around for support to catch up.
Whether you’re running a mix of Zigbee sensors and Z-Wave locks, or you’re planning to add an EV charger and solar panels down the line, Homey’s latest certification suggests it’s ready for both.
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