# Matter, Thread and Zigbee

How smart-home devices from different brands are meant to work together, and which part of the job each standard covers.

Page: https://dharanova.com/learn/smart-home-standards · Track: Talk · Level: Deep dive · Facts last checked 7 October 2026

Read first: [Bluetooth LE, Wi-Fi and 802.15.4](https://dharanova.com/learn/short-range-radio.md), [MQTT, CoAP and HTTP](https://dharanova.com/learn/iot-protocols.md)

Diagram: Top, a layer stack: Matter, the application layer (1.0 released October 2022), sits over the network or link layer: Wi-Fi, Ethernet and Thread, an IPv6 mesh; Thread and Zigbee both use the IEEE 802.15.4 radio, but Zigbee is not an IP network and reaches one through a gateway or hub. Below, inside the home, a Zigbee gateway, a Thread border router with its mesh, a Wi-Fi device and a controller share the Wi-Fi or Ethernet network; Matter's basic control works without the internet. Control from outside comes through the internet to the controller. Setup is usually over Bluetooth LE.

## Key points

1. Matter is an application-layer standard from the Connectivity Standards Alliance. It runs over IP networks (Wi-Fi, Thread and Ethernet). New devices are usually set up over Bluetooth LE, though since Matter 1.4.2 (2025), Wi-Fi devices and controllers that both support it can do setup over Wi-Fi alone. [1][2][3]
2. Matter 1.0 was released in October 2022. [2]
3. Thread is an IPv6 mesh network built on IEEE 802.15.4. A border router connects the Thread mesh to Wi-Fi or Ethernet networks. [4][5]
4. Zigbee is also built on IEEE 802.15.4 and maintained by the Connectivity Standards Alliance, but unlike Thread it is not an IP network, so it reaches IP networks through a gateway or hub. [6][7]
5. Matter devices are controlled over the local network, so basic control in the home keeps working if the internet or a cloud service is down. Control from outside the home still needs an internet-connected controller, such as a hub or smart speaker. [7][8]

## Sources

1. [Matter (connectedhomeip) SDK repository README](https://github.com/project-chip/connectedhomeip), Project CHIP / Connectivity Standards Alliance
2. [Matter 1.0 standard released](https://csa-iot.org/newsroom/matter-arrives/), Connectivity Standards Alliance
3. [Matter 1.4.2: Enhancing Security and Scalability for Smart Homes](https://csa-iot.org/newsroom/matter-1-4-2-enhancing-security-and-scalability-for-smart-homes/), Connectivity Standards Alliance
4. [What is Thread](https://www.threadgroup.org/What-is-Thread/Overview), Thread Group
5. [Thread Network Fundamentals (May 2020)](https://www.threadgroup.org/Portals/0/documents/support/Thread%20Network%20Fundamentals_v3.pdf), Thread Group
6. [Zigbee](https://csa-iot.org/all-solutions/zigbee/), Connectivity Standards Alliance
7. [Matter FAQs](https://csa-iot.org/all-solutions/matter/matter-faq/), Connectivity Standards Alliance
8. [Matter](https://csa-iot.org/all-solutions/matter/), Connectivity Standards Alliance