HomePod mini

I put a HomePod mini close to it (4 feet) and it works like a charm

Are you going to use Apple Home for your home control stuff? I have an older ATV 4K that doesnt support thread so I use a single HomePod mini as my hub (I'm waiting for new ATVs and Minis to come out) and everything works great! Even wifi bulbs and plugs.

Different person here, can’t really answer your first question but in my experience the Apple TV was actually a bigger change than the HomePod (in a good way). I was used to using built-in functionality of Samsung/LG TVs, Fire Sticks, etc., and Apple TV blows them out of the water. It’s just faster,

If you buy a HomePod Mini right now for $99, you’ll have the Thread Border Router you need to make your chosen ecosystem—Apple HomeKit—work. If you buy the latest model Apple TV that has an Ethernet port, you’ll accomplish the same thing. But, I think you’ll mind having a slightly-older HomePod Mini

I'll add a possibly controversial opinion here: Apple TV 4K with thread support $149 HomePod mini $99 Unless you also have a TV and a streaming service, the Apple TV 4K is mostly just a Thread border router. A HomePod mini is a Thread border router plus a speaker. A wired device matters more when yo

Yeah, putting a HomePod mini in the garden house is probably the cleanest solution. Since you already have Ethernet + Wi-Fi there, it should extend the Thread network properly and make the IKEA Matter bulbs way more reliable.

You’re actually in a pretty good spot already because Home Assistant + HomeKit + Matter/Thread is a really solid setup going forward. If you’re getting the newer Apple TV 4K with Thread support, you probably don’t need a separate Thread dongle right away unless you specifically want Home Assistant a

Just get a cheap used HomePod mini.

If your one Thread Border Router goes down, your Thread network goes down. Not erased, but non functional. Other devices couldn’t communicate with your Thread devices. Automations using them wouldn’t work. If you have a growing number of Thread devices it’s definitely good to have some TBR redundanc

Apple supposedly release new HomePods and Apple TV later this year. Do you want smart speaker only? There are other options like Sonos that someone else comment on. Do you want smart home only? You can get thread border router with matter support other brand outside of Apple/Google/Alexia. Do you wa