Is Alva LINK compatible with Matter or Zigbee?

Alva LINK has built-in support for Matter — over both Wi-Fi and Thread. This is not available at launch, but is planned to arrive through a software update. Here's what that means and why the timing matters.

What LINK uses today for energy asset control

At launch, Alva Link connects to energy assets using six local protocols: Modbus TCP/IP (over Ethernet), Modbus RTU (over RS-485), OpenTherm (two-wire thermostat bus), OCPP 1.6 JSON (for EV chargers), SG-Ready (dry contacts), and outdoor temperature sensor spoofing (analog signal). These are industrial energy protocols — deterministic, low-latency, and purpose-built for controlling high-power equipment. No major energy hardware manufacturer has replaced Modbus with Matter for device control, and for good reason: Modbus provides the bidirectional register-level communication that energy systems require. This is what LINK uses to actually control your assets, and it's not changing.

What Matter will add (via future software update)

Alva LINK's hardware includes both Wi-Fi and Thread radios, which means it can serve as a Matter controller in a planned software update. With the planned matter update, LINK will be able to connect directly to Matter-compatible accessories — most importantly, temperature sensors and smart radiator valves. This extends LINK's awareness from the big energy assets it already controls into the individual rooms of your home.

With Matter-connected temperature sensors, LINK knows the actual temperature in each room — not just the single reading from the heat pump's thermostat. With Matter-connected radiator valves, LINK can control heat distribution per room. Combined with its knowledge of electricity prices and weather forecasts, this enables room-by-room optimization: pre-heat the living room before the family wakes up, let the empty guest room coast, keep the nursery at a stable minimum overnight — all while shifting the energy load to the cheapest hours.

Why not at launch?

We want to get the core energy optimization right first. LINK's primary job, controlling heat pumps, batteries, solar inverters, and EV chargers via Modbus, OpenTherm, OCPP, SG-Ready, and sensor spoofing, is the foundation that delivers the biggest savings. Matter support for room sensors and radiator valves is a meaningful enhancement, but it builds on top of that foundation. We'd rather ship a rock-solid energy controller and add Matter capabilities through a tested firmware update than delay the product to ship everything at once.

What about Zigbee?

Alva LINK does not support Zigbee. The Thread radio in LINK is the mesh networking layer that Matter runs on — Thread is IPv6-native, self-healing, and the protocol the Matter standard is built upon, making it the more future-proof choice. If you have existing Zigbee devices (smart plugs, lights), they won't connect directly to LINK, but they can coexist on the same network without interference and can be managed through Home Assistant or Homey alongside LINK's bridge mode.

Protocol summary: Alva LINK → energy assets = Modbus TCP/IP, Modbus RTU (RS-485), OpenTherm, OCPP 1.6 JSON, SG-Ready, outdoor temperature sensor spoofing (all available at launch). Alva LINK → room sensors & radiator valves = Matter over Wi-Fi and Thread (coming via software update). Alva LINK → cloud = Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz, 802.11 b/g/n). Setup = Bluetooth Low Energy. The hardware supports all of these today — the Matter functionality is planned to be enabled through firmware.