HomePod is Thread terrible or are HomePods terrible?

[Rychiar]

So thread has given me more issues than wifi smart devices from day one. All this hype about self healing network that's more reliable is crap. One thread device goes out it seems to affect others. I have 5+ potential home hubs in my house, even if one of those goes out one should take over but there are still issues. for the last week especially every time I get home I'll wind up with 8-11 devices not responding til I restart my HomePod or unplug each individual for 15 secs, or reset the whole network. its so obnoxious. I just never know whether to blame apple, nano leaf, thread in general or what. I wish everything worked as well as Lutron does... ie flawlessly. apple shoulda bought their clear connect protocol.

 

[azhava]

I've only had my system running for a few weeks so I can't give a longterm outlook, but so far mine has been 100% uptime with zero issues. HomePod mini as the hub, all my hardware is Eve (light switches, motion detectors, smart plugs), except the camera which is a Logitech Circle View. The camera is wi-fi, all the Eve hardware is Matter over Thread.

I'm going to stick with Eve as much as possible, all of their stuff has been flawless right from the start - easy to add to the system with no glitches, and no hiccups once they're up and running.

 

[Bl0ckHe1d]

In the past I would ignore the infamous "Not Responding" message from the Thread devices as they do tend to self-heal themselves, in my experience these end devices (i.e. door sensors, thermostats, etc.) tend to go into a "sleep-mode" to save batteries etc and might take a moment or two to wake-up, but not sure how that works for those Matter/Thread that are powered from the mains.

It is also worth noting that Apple Matter/Thread protocol may not be running on the latest protocol version (1.4) as they and Google are alleged to be notorious for falling behind. As of Nov 2024 it was quoted "It's unclear when new devices or ecosystems supporting Matter 1.4 will arrive. Technically, Apple still hasn't added support for Matter 1.2 yet.".

Personally, due to the above reasons, I have since migrated away from Apple Homekit environment to adopt Home Assistant utilising my own Matter server running on Version 1.4 and thread border routers using SM-LIGHT SLZB-06M adapter and not had an issue since.

 

[SalisburySam]

So thread has given me more issues than wifi smart devices from day one. All this hype about self healing network that's more reliable is crap. One thread device goes out it seems to affect others. I have 5+ potential home hubs in my house, even if one of those goes out one should take over but there are still issues. for the last week especially every time I get home I'll wind up with 8-11 devices not responding til I restart my HomePod or unplug each individual for 15 secs, or reset the whole network. its so obnoxious. I just never know whether to blame apple, nano leaf, thread in general or what. I wish everything worked as well as Lutron does... ie flawlessly. apple shoulda bought their clear connect protocol.

Same but for a very much smaller installed base in our home. I never had a Lutron setup (nor any Lutron switches) so no experience there. But like you I don’t know who or what to blame. And I wish everything worked as well as my extensive X-10 system back in the 1980’s. I still have most of the modules and controllers so I might resurrect them.

 

[pappl]

I have the same problem.

Around 30 devices with Matter and/or Thread.
- Every time a new HomePodOS comes out, some Thread devices go unavailable. I need to reboot all Homepods and AppleTV 4K to make them reconnect again. It's a pain, because it happens without a warning and e.g. i can't enter my home, because Nuki is offline.

- Some Matter/Thread devices need firmware upgrades to reconnect again to the new Matter version. The firmware is not shown in the Home app, like it should (with Matter). I again have to install all shi* apps from different vendors again to get the newest firmware. It's a pain checking all devices again and again.

- My wife shares Apple Home with our family. Once all members could connect and turn on/off all devices. On my iPhone all devices were offline. She had to delete me from family sharing and readd me to Apple Home. Then all was working again.

Once this done the Matter/Thread devices work perfectly fine, until Apple updates iOS, HomepodOS, AppleTV-OS again.

I hope this will be fixed once all devices are on newest Matter/Thread version which should handle the Thread network more reliable.

 

[SalisburySam]

I hope this will be fixed once all devices are on newest Matter/Thread version which should handle the Thread network more reliable.

Why do you think this? Previous version updates have not fixed and instead exacerbated the issue. I have lost faith in this process.

 

[Bl0ckHe1d]

I have the same problem.

Around 30 devices with Matter and/or Thread.
- Every time a new HomePodOS comes out, some Thread devices go unavailable. I need to reboot all Homepods and AppleTV 4K to make them reconnect again. It's a pain, because it happens without a warning and e.g. i can't enter my home, because Nuki is offline.

As previously mentioned, Apple may still be lagging behind in the Matter/Thread protocol version, the latest being 1.4. In my experience, some Matter devices may take a while to re-establish their new network depending on how many "end devices / routers / etc." you have which as a result does require to reboot the oddball Matter devices.

- Some Matter/Thread devices need firmware upgrades to reconnect again to the new Matter version. The firmware is not shown in the Home app, like it should (with Matter). I again have to install all shi* apps from different vendors again to get the newest firmware. It's a pain checking all devices again and again.

With regards to Matter / Thread device firmware updates, if they pop up on your HomeKit page then I tend to hit the update button and then ignore them and let HomeKit do the firmware updating in the background, it can depending on the device and the firmware update data sizes it can take eons, so can only suggest that you ignore it.

- My wife shares Apple Home with our family. Once all members could connect and turn on/off all devices. On my iPhone all devices were offline. She had to delete me from family sharing and readd me to Apple Home. Then all was working again.

Once this done the Matter/Thread devices work perfectly fine, until Apple updates iOS, HomepodOS, AppleTV-OS again.

Perhaps ignore these updates, if the Matter / Thread devices are running well for you and again in my experience only update if you have a spare hour or two to commit to faultfinding and reboot devices!

I hope this will be fixed once all devices are on newest Matter/Thread version which should handle the Thread network more reliable.

Matter / Thread is a newer protocol and has had a bumpy ride, myself and others were early adaptors and the dropouts were unbearable but I can confess it is getting better and just be patience and check forums before committing to an updates etc.

Good luck!

 

[erihp]

Its Thread, it's terrible. Matter too. Wifi a close third.

Homebridge or Hubitat linked as a zigbee/zwave bridge is the way to go.

 

[Burger Thing]

Its Thread, it's terrible. Matter too. Wifi a close third.

Homebridge or Hubitat linked as a zigbee/zwave bridge is the way to go.

That is my experience is well. At least with Homekit. Zigbee protocol running of a hub (for example Aqara) and all is well. Just 1 hour ago i had to reset 2 thread devices again (battery out/in) to get them back after being non responsive for 24 hours. It's a pain.

 

[Burger Thing]

Thread on HomeKit is really a disaster. While my Zigbee devices are usually rock solid, Thread stuff constantly gets disconnected. And no, it’s not my WiFi. Over the last 1.5 years we had 3 different routers and there was no difference whatsoever. Right now, 14 thread devices are unreachable. Sorry, I just had to vent a bit.

 

[Rychiar]

Thread on HomeKit is really a disaster. While my Zigbee devices are usually rock solid, Thread stuff constantly gets disconnected. And no, it’s not my WiFi. Over the last 1.5 years we had 3 different routers and there was no difference whatsoever. Right now, 14 thread devices are unreachable. Sorry, I just had to vent a bit.

Understandable, I was so excited when thread came out thinking it would fix all my probs but it’s worse than wifi . My WiFi stuff got way more solid in the meantime

 

[srl7741]

Thread on HomeKit is really a disaster.

I completely agree, I don't recommend anyone use Thread over anything including getting up off the couch and manually performing a task. The Thread staff (if there are any) need FIRED. 🤦‍♂️

Matter seems to be progressing nicely and working better these days. 🙂

 

[Burger Thing]

16 of my devices, all Thread ones, have not been reachable for days. Some of them I had previously upgraded to Matter and my Aqara Hub can still see and use them and Aqara Automations still work. In Homekit they are unreachable.

Apple's Homekit staff should be given a one way ticket to North Korea. Seriously

 

[Itinj24]

16 of my devices, all Thread ones, have not been reachable for days. Some of them I had previously upgraded to Matter and my Aqara Hub can still see and use them and Aqara Automations still work. In Homekit they are unreachable.

Apple's Homekit staff should be given a one way ticket to North Korea. Seriously

Since HomeKit doesn’t really generate revenue for Apple, I’m thinking they’re using interns for HomeKit. A stepping stone before getting on the iOS, IPadOS or MacOS team lol.

 

[SalisburySam]

New problem: two Homepods(2ndGen) are wireless speakers to an AppleTV4K for our living room Sharp Aquos elderly TV. Has worked for years. Now these three units upgraded themselves to v26.3. Since then, streaming is unwatchable for every subscribed source. Begin a show, any show, and after a few seconds the stream pauses. Hit “play” on remote and playback commences. After a few seconds the stream pauses…and lather, rinse, repeat throughout the show. Similarly, if I choose to pause from the remote, after a few seconds the stream starts to play and that cycle continues to repeat.

Fix/NotAFix - unplugged the two HomePods from the mains and reverted to TV speakers. No further issue except the obvious loss of HomePods as speakers.

Better suggestions to fix are most welcome please.

 

[Burger Thing]

New problem: two Homepods(2ndGen) are wireless speakers to an AppleTV4K for our living room Sharp Aquos elderly TV. Has worked for years. Now these three units upgraded themselves to v26.3. Since then, streaming is unwatchable for every subscribed source. Begin a show, any show, and after a few seconds the stream pauses. Hit “play” on remote and playback commences. After a few seconds the stream pauses…and lather, rinse, repeat throughout the show. Similarly, if I choose to pause from the remote, after a few seconds the stream starts to play and that cycle continues to repeat.

Fix/NotAFix - unplugged the two HomePods from the mains and reverted to TV speakers. No further issue except the obvious loss of HomePods as speakers.

Better suggestions to fix are most welcome please.

I had exactly the same issue yesterday while watching a TV show. 4 HomePods connected to an AppleTV. Pauses randomly.

HomePods, AirPlay, HomeKit… it’s a complete sh!tshow. Unbelievable!

 

[SvenLorenz1975]

I have two HomePod Minis and 14 Matter/Thread devices, Eve Thermo and Eve Energy, and they work perfectly. Never had a single problem. They reconnect after every firmware upgrade, never lose connection.

 

[SalisburySam]

I have two HomePod Minis and 14 Matter/Thread devices, Eve Thermo and Eve Energy, and they work perfectly. Never had a single problem. They reconnect after every firmware upgrade, never lose connection.

Your experience is enviable, and almost unbelievable. Could you share what networking equipment you employ for this setting? Many have suggested certain WiFi equipment and configurations are either most helpful or a primary cause of HomePods, Matter/Thread devices difficulties.

 

[PeteyNice]

My experience is similar. I have 24 Thread devices on my network from well known brands like Ikea and Aqara to shady Chinese outfits. A mix of mains and battery powered. All rock solid. My main TBR is ATV 4K and I have two HomePod Minis. My space isn't terribly large, one level ~2,000 sf. Looking at the Eve app, I see strong connections. I don't have any other TBRs to confuse things which I think helps. My router is a Prime Day special from a few years ago that I flashed OpenWRT on.

 

[srl7741]

An update to my September of 2025 post.

I switched to a hardwired Apple TV 4K rather than WiFi automatic selection as my hub and all my Thread issues have melted away. My system has been incredibly stable with no issues.

 

[SalisburySam]

An update to my September of 2025 post.

I switched to a hardwired Apple TV 4K rather than WiFi automatic selection as my hub and all my Thread issues have melted away. My system has been incredibly stable with no issues.

After reading your helpful post, I did the same this morning. We’ll see what that brings me. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Burger Thing]

After I converted my Wife Thread Devices to Matter (Eve let's you do that with their Firmware), I reconnected them to my Aqara Home. The control is therefor now via my Aqara Hubs. I readded them to Homekit and so far, all problems stopped.

Running my automations via Aqara has been rock solid (146 Aqara devices, 4 hubs).