Matter is a shared smart home standard that lets one device work with Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa, SmartThings and Home Assistant, directly over your home network. Shelly Gen4 devices support it out of the box, and some Gen3 devices get it through a firmware update. This guide explains what Matter is, which devices support it, how to enable it and connect, and what to do when something doesn’t work.
In short
Matter connects Shelly devices to all the major smart home systems locally, without going through the Shelly cloud, and you can connect the same device to several systems at once. You connect by scanning a QR code. The Shelly app keeps working as usual.
1. What Matter is and why it’s useful
- One standard for everyone: the same device works with Apple, Google, Amazon, Samsung and Home Assistant. No need to check compatibility with each system separately.
- Local: commands travel over your home network, so they’re fast and keep working even when the internet goes down. For control away from home, you need the system’s hub (for example a HomePod or a Google speaker).
- Several systems at once (Multi-Admin): you can connect the same device to both Apple Home and Home Assistant, for example.
- On Shelly, Matter runs over Wi-Fi, on a 2.4 GHz network. You don’t need a Thread or Zigbee hub.
2. Which Shelly devices support Matter
As of November 2026.
| Series | Matter support | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Gen4 | All models. Matter is enabled out of the box | 1PM Gen4, 2PM Gen4, 1 Mini Gen4, 1PM Mini Gen4, Dimmer Gen4, Flood Gen4 |
| Gen3 | With firmware 1.6.0 or later. Must be enabled manually | 1 Gen3, 1PM Gen3, 2PM Gen3 (including shutter mode), 1 Mini and 1PM Mini, 1L and 2L. Dimmer Gen3 and H&T Gen3 from firmware 2.0.0 |
| Wall Display | With firmware 2.8.0 or later. The newer models can also control other Matter devices | Wall Display, Wall Display XL |
| Plus, older Pro models, Gen1 | No | Connect to systems through the Shelly cloud (see connecting to smart assistants) or to Home Assistant with the built-in integration |
| BLU sensors | Not directly | Work through a Shelly device or Home Assistant |
Thread?
Shelly doesn’t support Matter over Thread, only over Wi-Fi. If you have a Thread border router, you don’t need it for Shelly, and it won’t get in the way either.
3. Enabling Matter on the device
Gen4 devices
Nothing to enable: Matter works out of the box. If you switched the device to Zigbee mode (5 presses of the button), it isn’t available over Matter. For Zigbee mode, see the guide to connecting Shelly to Home Assistant.
Gen3 devices
1
Connect the device to Wi-Fi and to the Shelly app, following the guide to adding a new Shelly device.
2
Update the firmware to the latest version. Matter arrives in version 1.6.0 and later.
3
Open the device’s web interface (its IP address in a browser, on your home network) and choose Settings → Integrations → Matter. Tick Enable and save. The device restarts.
4
After the restart, the same screen shows a Matter QR code and numeric code. You use them to connect the device to a system.
Advanced
Enabling Matter reduces the memory left for scripts on the device. Only relevant if you write scripts.
4. Where’s the Matter code?
- On the device or the box: a sticker with a QR code and an 11-digit numeric code. Take a photo of it before the device goes into the wall, because after installation the sticker is hidden behind the switch.
- In the device’s web interface, on the Matter screen: the same QR code and numeric code.
- The code doesn’t work, or the device was connected before? The same screen has a Matter reset button, which disconnects the device from every system it’s connected to over Matter. Wi-Fi and Shelly settings are kept. Another way: turn Matter off and on again, and a new code is generated.
5. Connecting to each system
It all starts in the system’s app: “Add Device”, then scan the Matter QR code.
| System | What you need | Where to add it |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Home | An iPhone with iOS 18 or later. A HomePod or Apple TV is recommended, and required for control away from home | Home app → “+” → Add Accessory. Step by step in the smart assistants guide |
| Google Home | A Google Matter hub (Nest speaker, Nest Hub, Google TV Streamer) and IPv6 enabled on the router | Google Home app → “+” → Device → Matter |
| Amazon Alexa | An Echo speaker that supports Matter (most recent models) | Alexa app → “+” → Device → Matter |
| SmartThings | A SmartThings hub that supports Matter, or a Samsung TV or refrigerator with a built-in hub | SmartThings app → “+” → Add device → Matter |
| Home Assistant | Matter Server in Home Assistant and the Home Assistant app on your phone | Step by step in the Home Assistant guide, which also explains why it’s better to connect Shelly with the built-in integration |
Matter or account linking?
Google Home and Alexa offer another route: link your Shelly account, and every device in the account comes across in one go, including older devices that don’t support Matter. This route goes through the Shelly cloud and is explained in the smart assistants guide. Matter is better when you want a local connection, and it requires the system’s hub. Don’t connect the same device to the same system both ways, or it will show up twice.
6. The same device in several systems
Connect the device to the first system as usual. To add a second system, don’t scan the sticker again: get a pairing code from the first system and enter it in the second.
- Google Home: in the device settings → Linked Matter apps & services → Link apps & services. You get a code.
- Apple Home: in the accessory settings → Turn On Pairing Mode. You get a code.
- Home Assistant: on the device page → Share device.
- In the second system, choose to add a Matter device that’s already in use in another system, and enter the code.
7. What comes across over Matter, and what doesn’t
- Comes across: on and off, dimming, shutters (open, close, position) and sensors such as flood and temperature. You can include the device in the system’s automations and routines.
- Power metering: depends on the system. Some systems display it and some don’t (Apple Home, for example, doesn’t show energy use). Consumption, tariffs and reports are managed in the Shelly app.
- Stays in the Shelly app: device settings, shutter calibration, power-on behavior after an outage, firmware updates, Shabbat schedules and Shelly scenes. Everything keeps working alongside Matter.
8. Common problems
- No Matter option on a Gen3 device: update the firmware. Not every Gen3 model will get Matter.
- The scan fails, or you see “Couldn’t add”: Bluetooth is off on your phone, the phone isn’t on the same Wi-Fi network, or the device is on a guest network. Put everything on the same network, on 2.4 GHz.
- Google Home won’t add the device: check that you have a Google Matter hub and that IPv6 is enabled on the router. That’s the most common cause.
- “Device already in use”: the device is connected to another system. Either use a pairing code (section 6) or reset Matter (section 4).
- The pairing window closed: restart the device (cut and restore power, or Reboot in the web interface) and try again.
- The device becomes “unresponsive” after a while: almost always a network problem. Mesh networks with “multicast optimization” or IGMP snooping can interfere with Matter. See the home network guide.
- Nothing helps: reset the device and reconnect it, then connect it to Matter again.
9. Before you buy
Want Matter? Go for Gen4: it supports Matter out of the box, plus Zigbee and Bluetooth, so it suits any system you choose later. For a water heater and lighting, Shelly 1PM Gen4; for a shutter, Shelly 2PM Gen4; for crowded wall boxes, 1PM Mini Gen4; and for dimming, Dimmer Gen4.
FAQ
Does Matter need the internet to work?
Not inside the home: Matter works locally. For control away from home you need the internet and the system’s hub.
Does the Shelly app keep working after connecting to Matter?
Yes. The device still appears in the app, with all its settings, schedules and metering.
Can one device be connected to both Apple Home and Google Home?
Yes. Connect it to the first, then add the second with a pairing code (section 6).
Do I need a Thread border router?
No. Shelly runs Matter over Wi-Fi.
My device is from the Plus series. Can it use Matter?
No. Plus devices connect to voice assistants through your Shelly account, and to Home Assistant with the built-in integration.
I lost the sticker with the code. What do I do?
The code also appears in the device’s web interface, on the Matter screen. You can also reset Matter, and a new code is generated.
Matter or Zigbee on a Gen4 device?
For most homes, Matter (the default). Zigbee suits anyone with a Zigbee network in Home Assistant. The full comparison is in the Home Assistant guide.
Need help with the installation? Book an electrician who knows Shelly. This guide was prepared by OZZI, the official distributor of Shelly smart home products in Israel.