I have no Matter devices that can work with openHAB (that I know of) but I am attracted to the idea of getting support for local control instead of needing to go through the Google Cloud. I do have Google devices that can work with Matter (hubs and the like).
However, reading through the docs and the various threads left me a little confused on how to just set up OH as a Matter Bridge and then make it so Google Home (for example) can see the exposed Items. I’m posting this here in case anyone else has the same problem.
This tutorial does not address any of the IPv6 and accept_ra type stuff. See the docs and other tutorials for that.
1. Install the Matter binding
This is easy enough. Install the Matter binding in the usual ways. I went to the Add-on store in MainUI and clicked on “add” for the binding.
2. Tag your Items
Navigate to the Items you want to expose to the Matter fabric. Click on add metadata → Matter and choose the right device type and other options. See the Matter add-on docs for details on what everything does and what device types do what. It’s pretty straight forward.
After adding a matter Item metadata to at least one Item you should see a “Matter Bridge State: Starting” followed by a “Matter Bridge State: Running” entry in your logs.
3. Add openHAB to Google Home
Here is the part where I got lost. Where’s the QR code for the openHAB Matter Bridge?
It’s in the binding settings, not on a Thing!
Navigate to MainUI → Settings → Matter Settings and there it is.
Now in Google Home, add a device, choose Matter Device and scan the QR code from above. It will warn about adding a non-certified device but go ahead and accept the risk (or not if you choose). After a few moments, all the Items tagged with matter metadata will appear as new devices.
I hope this helps someone.
Note: I’m aware this information is in the docs. But a user in a hurry can miss it. I know, because I was one.
Pairing codes and other options can be found in the MainUI under “Settings → Add-on Settings → Matter Binding”
But even so, for a Matter noob like me, the import of this sentence was not clear until after the fact.