Upgrading from z-wave to thread... current best advice?

I agree, but this doesn’t require openHAB to have direct access to Thread. It just has to be able to connect to the Matter mesh and communicate with a border router (such as the KNX bridge) that has Thread.

The value of openHAB in this scenario would be:

  1. Relaying commands/updates through the border router (KNX bridge, Nest Hub, etc.) to Thread devices
  2. Enabling the border router to see and control non-Matter (e.g. Z-Wave) devices hosted by openHAB

It sounds like some progress has been made on WiFi integration. If you’re interested in contributing, this would be a fantastic way to get involved.