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Matter bridges: how to use Zigbee and other non-Matter devices with Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa, SmartThings and Home Assistant

A Matter bridge is the Connectivity Standards Alliance's term for a device that lets products using other protocols — Zigbee, Z-Wave, Bluetooth or something proprietary — take part in a Matter ecosystem. The Philips Hue Bridge, IKEA DIRIGERA, Aqara hubs and SwitchBot hubs all do this. All five major platforms accept bridges, but what each bridged device can actually do depends on the Matter device type it shows up as and on the platform you're using.

What is a Matter bridge?

The CSA's Matter FAQ says Matter natively supports Wi-Fi, Ethernet and Thread, and that bridges let devices using other protocols — such as Zigbee or Z-Wave — participate in a Matter ecosystem. Bridges are one of the Matter device categories, and the CSA notes they can be built into controllers and hubs.

SmartThings' blog post of 2023-10-05 describes bridges as devices that "represent non-Matter devices on a Matter network, and vice versa, acting as translators to facilitate communication between devices on either side of the bridge." SwitchBot's help centre calls a Matter bridge a CSA-certified "protocol translator" that converts Bluetooth or proprietary signals into Matter-compatible communication. Home Assistant's docs add a practical point: using a bridge lets you keep controlling devices in their native app while they're also available in Home Assistant.

Which platforms support Matter bridges?

Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa, SmartThings and Home Assistant all support Matter bridges in some form.

Apple's support page lists bridges among the Matter accessory types the Home app supports, but doesn't describe how bridged accessories appear. Amazon's developer page says Matter connection types apply to bridged devices but doesn't list which bridged device types Alexa shows. None of the platform pages we checked gives a maximum number of bridged devices per bridge — the only limits quoted are SwitchBot's own sub-device capacities.

Popular Matter bridges and what they bring in

These are the four bridges Home Assistant's Matter docs use as examples, with what each maker says its bridge does.

Philips Hue Bridge

Philips Hue says the Hue Bridge and Bridge Pro already support Matter through a software update, and that all Philips Hue products — new and existing — work with Matter when connected via the bridge. The Hue setup guide lists what the bridge keeps: gradient lighting, dynamic scenes, entertainment sync, and Adaptive lighting in Apple Home. Hue says the bridge doesn't provide Thread support, and that a bulb you want to pair directly over Matter must first be removed from the bridge. The Play HDMI sync box and the dial on the Tap dial switch don't support Matter, and Bluetooth-connected Hue products can't be used with Matter.

IKEA DIRIGERA

IKEA's Matter guide says DIRIGERA acts as a Matter Bridge so older Zigbee-based TRÅDFRI devices continue to work, and that DIRIGERA is also a Matter controller and includes Thread border router functionality. SmartThings' 2024-09-12 post describes its IKEA Matter Bridge integration, which imports an existing IKEA setup and preserves DIRIGERA features like binding a remote directly to a light or shade.

Aqara hubs

Aqara's developer docs list the Hub M3 as both a Matter controller and a Matter bridge, and the Hub M2 as a Matter bridge, each bridging Aqara Zigbee devices to Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings, Home Assistant and Homey. Aqara's 2025-04-09 announcement says Advanced Matter Bridging — which turns Aqara scenes into plug devices and conditions into virtual occupancy sensors — is available across its Matter controllers and bridges with firmware 4.3.4 and Aqara Home 5.1.4 or newer.

SwitchBot hubs

SwitchBot's compatibility page lists its Matter bridge devices — Hub Mini Matter Enabled, Hub 2, Hub 3, AI Hub and others — and says Bluetooth and infrared devices can join Matter through them. The SwitchBot Matter page gives sub-device capacities: Hub Mini Matter Enabled supports 4, Hub 2 supports 8, Hub 3 and AI Hub support 30. IR appliances only work through Hub 2 or Hub Mini Matter Enabled, and touch buttons currently only work in Apple Home. SwitchBot says that when the Matter spec updates, you update the bridge's firmware rather than each accessory's.

What a bridged device can do on each platform

A bridge presents each device as an ordinary Matter device type — a light, plug, sensor, lock, blind and so on — so what a platform does with it follows that device type. The table below shows MatterCheck's checks of those device types on each platform. "Yes" means it pairs, can be controlled, can start an automation and — for things you control — can be set by one; otherwise the gap is named. High/Med is how sure we are. Sensors and buttons aren't automation actions anywhere, so that's left out for them.

Where bridged devices behave differently

These are owner reports MatterCheck has collected, mostly from people using software bridges like Home Assistant Matter Hub or Matterbridge, or retail bridges like the Tapo hub, IKEA DIRIGERA or Aqara hubs. They're reports, not platform statements:

• Owner reports from 2025 say bridged Matter bulbs and outlets aren't offered as Alexa routine starters — see on/off light and plug / outlet.
• Blinds added directly to an Echo work as routine actions, but software-bridge docs read 2026-10-17 say blinds shared from a Matter bridge still aren't listed in Alexa's routine builder — see blinds / window covering.
• Software-bridge docs read 2026-10-18 say Alexa doesn't find bridged robot vacuums, though it does control one shared as a standalone Matter device — see robot vacuum.
• A 2025-04-24 report via an Aqara Hub M100 bridge said Alexa doesn't support devices with multiple buttons, like the Aqara Cube T1 Pro — see switch / button.
• Tapo staff said on 2024-12-25 that T310/T315 sensors added through the Tapo hub's Matter bridge can start Alexa routines on temperature but not humidity — see temperature / humidity sensor.
• A leak sensor shared via IKEA DIRIGERA showed in Google Home greyed out with "Support coming soon" — see leak sensor.
• A 2026-06-08 hands-on found a SwitchBot fan bridged through a SwitchBot hub was on/off only in Apple Home — see fan / air purifier.
• SwitchBot's own notes say that in Apple Home a bridged robot vacuum appears as a switch (on = clean, off = recharge) and CO2 readings aren't supported — see robot vacuum.

Matter bridge vs Matter hub vs Thread border router

A bridge brings non-Matter devices into Matter. A hub or controller runs your Matter devices for a platform. A Thread border router connects Thread devices to your home network. One box can be several of these at once: IKEA says DIRIGERA is a bridge, a Matter controller and a Thread border router, and Aqara lists its Hub M3 as a controller and a bridge, while its Hub M2 page lists it as a Matter bridge but not a controller.

Home Assistant's docs say it's a Matter controller but not a bridge itself, and it can't turn existing devices within Home Assistant into Matter-compatible devices. For the full hub and border router picture, see our Matter hub and Thread border router guide and the hub model lists.

Matter vs Zigbee: do you need to replace your Zigbee devices?

The CSA's FAQ says Thread uses the same 802.15.4 radio technology as Zigbee but with IP-based networking, and that Matter's data model borrows heavily from the Zigbee Cluster Library. But there's no native interoperability between Matter and Zigbee devices — which is exactly why Matter includes bridging.

The CSA also says product makers may add Matter support either by updating devices or, in some cases, the bridges those devices connect to. So if your Zigbee devices sit behind a bridge that supports Matter, you can keep using them.

Bridge or the maker's cloud link?

Many brands also connect to Google or Alexa through a cloud account link rather than Matter. Aqara's Google Home ecosystem page describes a Cloud to Cloud route for Wi-Fi and Zigbee devices through Profile > Connect to Ecosystems > Google Home. Home Assistant's docs say bridging an Aqara hub over Matter instead of its cloud-based integration makes it use local communication.

But Home Assistant also says when not to use a bridge: for Philips Hue, its native integration has more features and also runs locally, and Matter only supports a limited set of features — so you'd lose features by bridging Hue into Home Assistant over Matter. Hue's own guide says users already on Alexa, Google or SmartThings get "the best of both worlds" with multi-admin and the existing integrations.

How to add a Matter bridge

1. Update the bridge's firmware to the latest version — SwitchBot's third-party platform guide lists this as step one for SmartThings.
2. Put the bridge into Matter setup mode from the maker's app. Hue says to go to Settings > Smart Home and choose your platform. For SwitchBot Hub 2, hold the On and Off buttons for 15 seconds before adding to Google Home or Apple Home.
3. Add the bridge in your platform's app as a Matter device using the code it gives you. Home Assistant's docs say the SwitchBot app gives you a pairing code and tells you to set the device into pairing mode.
4. Choose which devices to share in the maker's app. SwitchBot says to go to Matter Setup > Secondary Devices > Add and select the devices you want to bridge.
5. Wait for the sync. SmartThings says it onboards all bridged devices automatically when you commission a bridge, and Google's developer docs say the bridge itself appears as an inert Control Bridge device while everything behind it appears as normal.
6. Check the bridge's limits — SwitchBot's Hub Mini Matter Enabled supports 4 sub-devices, Hub 2 supports 8, and Hub 3 supports 30.

If the bridge won't pair, see our Matter device not pairing guide.

Using one bridge with several platforms

Amazon's developer docs say its Matter connection types — including multi-admin — apply to both native Matter devices and non-Matter devices exposed as bridged devices through a Matter bridge. Hue lists multi-admin support with the bridge, and Home Assistant says you keep using the native app at the same time. SmartThings says existing IKEA users can use both platforms simultaneously. See our multi-admin guide for the steps.

Troubleshooting: a bridged device is missing or limited

• A device is missing from the bridge's Matter list — SwitchBot says to check it's added and online in its app, paired to a compatible hub, and to look under Matter Setup > Secondary Devices > Lab Feature (Beta) for hidden entries.
• Not every device type comes through — Home Assistant's docs give the example of SwitchBot Hub 2 V1.5, which allows curtain, lock and blind via Matter, but not light.
• You hit the bridge's sub-device limit — SwitchBot's Hub Mini Matter Enabled supports 4, Hub 2 supports 8, Hub 3 supports 30.
• Features are missing compared with the maker's app — Home Assistant says Matter only supports a limited set of Hue features, and SwitchBot notes CO2 readings aren't supported in Apple Home.
• A Hue bulb you want to pair directly over Matter must first be removed from the bridge, per Hue's setup guide.
• Hue says products connected via Bluetooth can't be used with Matter — only products connected via the bridge.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Matter bridge?

A Matter bridge is a device that lets products using other protocols — Zigbee, Z-Wave, Bluetooth or proprietary ones — participate in a Matter ecosystem, per the CSA's FAQ. It translates between the non-Matter devices and the Matter network.

Is the Philips Hue Bridge a Matter bridge?

Yes. Philips Hue says the Hue Bridge and Bridge Pro support Matter through a software update, and all Hue products connected via the bridge work with Matter.

Can I use Zigbee devices with Matter?

Yes, through a bridge. The CSA says there's no native interoperability between Matter and Zigbee, but Matter includes bridging so Zigbee devices behind a supporting bridge can take part in a Matter ecosystem.

Does Apple Home support Matter bridges?

Yes. Apple's support page lists bridges among the Matter accessory types the Home app supports, though it doesn't describe how bridged accessories appear.

Does Alexa support Matter bridges?

Yes. Amazon's developer docs say Matter connection types apply to non-Matter devices exposed as bridged devices through a Matter bridge, though the Amazon consumer pages we checked don't mention bridges or say which bridged device types Alexa shows.

Is Home Assistant a Matter bridge?

No. Home Assistant's docs say it's a Matter controller, not a bridge, and it can't turn existing devices within Home Assistant into Matter-compatible devices.

Does a Matter bridge make devices work over Thread?

No. The bridge talks to its own devices using their native protocol, then presents them to the Matter network. Hue's guide explicitly lists no Thread support through the bridge.

More MatterCheck guides

• Matter hub and Thread border router guide — which box does what, and what each platform needs.
• Multi-admin guide — share one bridge or device with several platforms.
• Matter device not pairing — fixes for pairing failures on all five platforms.
• Does Matter work without internet? — local control on each platform.
• Matter light bulb support — what bridged bulbs can do on each platform.
• Matter smart button support — buttons and remotes through bridges.
• Matter contact sensor support — door and window sensors.
• Matter motion sensor support — motion and occupancy sensors.
• Platform comparison — which platform supports the most Matter device types.
• Matter cameras and video doorbells — which platforms support Matter 1.5 cameras and video doorbells in 2026.

How we checked

Platform and maker pages were fetched 2026-10-19: Apple's Matter page (published 2026-05-07), Google's developer page (last updated 2026-10-08), SmartThings blog posts of 2023-10-05 and 2024-09-12, Aqara's announcement of 2025-04-09, and Home Assistant docs 2026.10.2. Maker pages are the maker's own claims. The device-type table comes from MatterCheck's dated, sourced checks of each Matter device type on each platform — mostly devices added directly, not through a bridge. We haven't tested every bridge on every platform, so check your own setup. See our methodology.

Last reviewed 2026-10-19. Bridge makers add device types and features with firmware updates; if your bridge behaves differently, check the maker's page linked above.