Commissioning Matter Thread Device without Hub

I have been looking at the new feature in iOS 18 where it is possible to pair Matter accessories without a hub. Using the Home app I can successfully commission and control a Matter Thread Light Bulb directly (without a home hub in the network). I have an iPhone 15 Pro which includes the thread hardware.

I then tried to commission the same device in my own app using the MatterSupport framework. In this case the same user interface is displayed as when using the Home App but an error is displayed - "Thread Border Router Required."

Is it also possible to connect directly to a thread Matter device when using MatterSupport or does this only work when using the Home app?

I then tried to commission the same device in my own app using the MatterSupport framework. In this case the same user interface is displayed as when using the Home App but an error is displayed - "Thread Border Router Required."

Please file a bug report on this and the post the bug number back here.

I'm honestly not sure how this should work, as the iOS device obviously has a thread radio (otherwise this wouldn't work at all) but I don't think it presents itself to the system as a border router (for example, I don't think the iPhone will route IP traffic on to thread for other devices), hence the error.

Is it also possible to connect directly to a thread Matter device when using MatterSupport or does this only work when using the Home app?

As a side note, be aware that you can communicate with a Matter device (sending direct Matter commands) through our HomeKit ecosystem pairing. This is the the path I would recommend for accessory makers who aren't implementing a full ecosystem solution but simply need to configure/control their own accessory. I described the basic process in this forum post and with some follow up on more complex details in this one.

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Kevin Elliott
DTS Engineer, CoreOS/Hardware

Thanks for your feedback.

I've now filed a bug report and the bug number is FB15614070

Commissioning Matter Thread Device without Hub
 
 
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