Matter OTA Test

RE: Matter OTA Test

Tony — Wed, 08 May 2024 13:51:18 GMT

I think that does it. Thank you for all the help.

RE: Matter OTA Test

Marte Myrvold — Wed, 08 May 2024 13:47:06 GMT

Hi,

It is possible to run everything on one device, as explained in Matter over Thread: Configuring Border Router and controller on one device. However, I recommend running it on two separate devices if possible.

Best regards,
Marte

RE: Matter OTA Test

Tony — Wed, 08 May 2024 13:31:13 GMT

This is very helpful.

One final question.

Do I need to have the RPi OTBR and also a linux computer that can run the application to do the OTA updates over matter or can I run that app on the OTBR directly?

RE: Matter OTA Test

Marte Myrvold — Wed, 08 May 2024 07:02:25 GMT

Hi,

In this scenario, the OpenThread Border Router (OTBR) on RPi would replace the Smartthings hub. We usually recommend starting with OTBR and chip-tool when developing Matter applications since you get more control over the Thread network and Matter fabric. If anything does not work, you can get logs from the Matter controller (chip-tool), which you cannot get when using commercial ecosystems. Later, you can test it with commercial ecosystems.

However, you can test both together by using the multiple fabrics feature. To do so, first commission the device using chip-tool, then follow steps 1-3 under Multi-admin scenario and the section related to Samsung Smartthings under "Stage 3: Sharing Matter over Thread Light Bulb from Google to the SmartThings ecosystem" in Matter: Testing the nRF Connect platform with Apple, Google and Samsung ecosystems.

Best regards,
Marte

RE: Matter OTA Test

Tony — Tue, 07 May 2024 14:03:52 GMT

Thank you for the information about using a VM and border router.

Sounds like I really should use a RPi for the router and another for a Linux computer. RPi to the rescue...

I am wondering whether the Thread border router will replace the Smartthings hub or use them together?

RE: Matter OTA Test

Marte Myrvold — Tue, 07 May 2024 09:20:54 GMT

Hi,

[quote user="tpitman"]I will create a virtual machine on my mac with linux. Can you think of any reason that won't work?[/quote]

Running chip-tool or OTA Provider on a virtual machine normally does not work well, as the PC running these applications must be on the same Wi-Fi network as the Thread Border Router. A virtual machine is typically "connected" to the network through the host computer, so you will need to forward the Wi-Fi interface of the host to the virtual machine so that the virtual machine uses this instead of the simulated Ethernet connection to the host. The same goes for Bluetooth if you are to commission your Matter device using chip-tool on a virtual machine. I would not recommend using virtual machine for this.

[quote user="tpitman"]I also noticed they talk about needing a boarder router and give instructions on creating one with an RPi. If I am connecting to a Smartthings hub, does that count as the boarder router or do I still need the RPi?[/quote]

In theory, you can use the Smartthings hub as the Thread border router. However, you should use chip-tool for Matter controller instead of the Smartthings hub. It should be possible to use the Smartthings hub only for Thread and run the Matter fabric using chip-tool, but then you need to get the credentials of the Thread network running on the hub in order to commission the devices. I would recommend using a Raspberry Pi and OpenThread Border Router instead.

Best regards,
Marte

RE: Matter OTA Test

Tony — Mon, 06 May 2024 13:41:52 GMT

I will create a virtual machine on my mac with linux. Can you think of any reason that won't work?

I also noticed they talk about needing a boarder router and give instructions on creating one with an RPi. If I am connecting to a Smartthings hub, does that count as the boarder router or do I still need the RPi?

RE: Matter OTA Test

Marte Myrvold — Tue, 30 Apr 2024 09:20:16 GMT

HI,

The guide for the OTA Provider app in the nRF Connect SDK can be found in our documentation here: Device Firmware Upgrade over Matter. It differs slightly from the guide you link to, so I recommend following the guide in our documentation instead.

Regardless, the OTA Provider is a Linux application not officially supported on MacOS. Do you have a computer running Linux that you can test with?

Best regards,
Marte