The German ABB subsidiary Busch-Jaeger now offers a wireless stick for its free@home system. The Busch-free@home Thread USB stick (link) plugs into the system’s access point and turns the hub into a Thread Border Router. This eliminates the need for an external border router, which was previously required to integrate Thread-based products.
Until now, Busch-Jaeger relied on third-party controllers from Apple, Google, and others to control devices using the Thread radio protocol. Devices first had to be commissioned on those platforms and then shared with the access point via the Multi-Admin function. That extra step can now be skipped: if desired, the Thread stick can handle direct wireless communication itself. However, using external border routers from other Matter platforms remains an option.
To operate the stick, the access point still requires the Controller Add-on that turns it into a Matter Controller. For more information, see the article “Matter for Electricians: an Overview of Pro Solutions”. In addition, firmware version 3.5.2 or higher must be installed on Access Point 2.0. With that setup, the system can recognize core device categories defined by the Matter standard – the same categories supported by ABB’s Eve Systems:
- Light
- Electricity (e.g., Eve Energy, Eve Energy Outdoor)
- Thermostats (e.g., Eve Thermo)
- Shading (e.g., Eve MotionBlinds)
- Sensors (e.g., Eve Door & Window, Eve Motion)
According to the manufacturer, there are still some limitations at present. For example, the number of Matter products that can be connected is capped at 16. An opening contact such as the Eve Door & Window cannot be linked to thermostats in the free@home system, and the user interface does not currently display energy data from Matter plugs. However, the software continues to evolve, so changes and improvements can be expected over time.
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