Matter/Thread Motion Switch | Project Linus (White Series)

Innovation & Firmware Discussion Innovation Projects
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Project Team
Feel free to tag any of us with questions. I’ll (Kaleb) be the go-to for overall project management, timeline, and anything other than firmware-related questions, whereas Eric M is the go-to for any firmware-related questions. Either way, we’re all here to help!

Introduction
As per our tradition of working with you amazing people, here’s what this thread allows us to do as a community.

  1. Allows us to keep everyone updated on the project status, whether good or bad
  2. Allows you to participate and help us develop amazing products together
  3. Enjoy each other’s company and have fun talking home automation

How this initial post will be laid out is in five sections:

  1. Project Overview
  2. Initial Hardware & Software Requirements (edited to remain up-to-date)
  3. Timeline (edited to remain up-to-date)
  4. Pinned Ideas & Shout-Outs (edited to remain up-to-date)
  5. Weekly Recap

Housekeeping

  • DATES & FUNCTIONS ARE NOT SET IN STONE: Just a reminder that all dates and functions are sometimes fluid. We have to make choices based on feasibility, opportunity costs, and the overall timeline. I will be as transparent as possible on these decisions, but just a heads up, they may not always be exciting.
  • NO IDEA IS A BAD IDEA: Ok, some are, but honestly, throw out anything that you can think of. If we use your idea, we’ll credit you and send you a free device, so take that shot!
  • VERSION 1 VS VERSION 2: Some ideas may be fantastic, but may not make the cut for the first version of the product. Once the product is locked in from a function standpoint, we’ll keep a tally of V2 ideas and then, once the product is produced, we’ll move the ideas over to a suggestions/wishlist section.

Ok, let’s get this party started!

Project Overview

Project Name - Linus

We’re continuing the Linus name that we used for the Blue Series and Red Series mmWave switches.

The original idea behind the name was to name the project after Linus and his channel as a way to show him and his audience what the Inovelli community can do, and hopefully show that the experience can be night and day compared to what he experienced with another product.

Now it’s time to bring Linus to the White Series!

Linus - Hardware Requirements

The White Series mmWave switch will follow the same overall design and capabilities as our other Linus switches where possible, while bringing everything over to Matter over Thread.

Hardware - Dimmer Switch (Look / Feel)

  • Responsive Paddle: Rests in a neutral state

    • Tap up = On
    • Tap down = Off
    • Hold up = Dim up
    • Hold down = Dim down

  • Config / Favorite Button: Button should be used for configuration of the switch as well as scene control

    • Should be able to be held for configuration
    • Should be able to be tapped for scene control

  • RGB LED Bar: Should measure the percentage of how much the switch is dimmed

    • LEDs should be RGB, including artificial white
    • LEDs should also be able to be dimmed

  • Colors: Switch will be offered in white, matching Lutron Claro wallplates, but the paddle should be replaceable to allow for other colors such as almond, brown, red, black, grey, etc.

  • Slim Design: Depth of the switch should be as slim as possible so that it can fit into metal boxes

  • mmWave Motion Sensor: Built-in mmWave presence/motion detection

  • Lux Sensor (Optional): Built-in lux sensing if possible

  • Air Gap: UL requirement

  • No Heat-Sink Tabs: Remove heat-sink tabs for easier installation, understanding that this may affect maximum wattage

Hardware - Features & Capabilities

This switch should follow the tooling and capabilities of the existing Zigbee mmWave Switch where possible.

  • Matter over Thread: White Series connectivity using Matter over Thread

  • 3-Way / 4-Way Ready: Should work in multiple configurations in 3-way and 4-way installations

    • Should work with an auxiliary switch
    • Should work with an existing dumb switch
    • Should work with another smart switch and, if possible, detect this configuration

  • Power Monitoring: Switch should measure power consumption

  • Instant On: When tapped 1x and scenes aren’t being used, the switch should turn the bulb on instantly with no delay

    • Configurable delay in 100ms increments

  • CFL & LED Compatibility: Minimum buzz and flickering

  • Neutral & Non-Neutral Compatibility: Switch should be able to work with or without a neutral wire

    • Should auto-detect neutral/non-neutral and auxiliary/dumb switch configurations where possible
    • A manual override should be available if auto-detection is not possible

  • 60GHz mmWave: Prefer a 60GHz mmWave sensor

  • Lux Sensor (Optional): Detect ambient light brightness

Linus - Software Requirements

The firmware will follow our existing Dimmer switch functionality while adding mmWave and lux functionality.

  • On/Off or Dimmer: Switch should be able to operate as either an on/off switch or a dimmer depending on what the user sets it as

  • Multi-Tap / Scene Control: Multi-taps should be available for triggering automations and scenes through supported Matter platforms

  • RGBW Bar Configuration: LED bar should be able to change colors and be dimmed to the customer’s preferred level

    • LED bar should be fully addressable
    • Animations should mimic our 2-1 and Fan switches, with the addition of weather animations

  • Auto Timer: Switch should have a timer that shuts the switch off after a certain amount of time

  • Easy Config: Switch should be configurable via the Config / Favorite button

  • Internal Relay Disable: Internal relay should be able to be disabled locally and through Matter

  • Minimum Dim Level / Maximum Dim Level

  • Ramp Rate Configuration: Ability to change how fast or slow the light turns on and off

  • Ramp Rate & Instant On/Off Separated

  • Default Dim Level: Ability to set the default dim level

  • OTA Ready: Ability to update firmware via OTA

  • Smart Bulb Mode

  • mmWave Zone Settings & Calibration

  • Lux Calibration (If Applicable): Ability to adjust the lux reading if necessary

  • Leading / Trailing Edge: Switch should support both leading and trailing edge algorithms for greater bulb compatibility

Timeline

Pre-Initial Timeline Milestones:

  • Present PRD: Completed
  • R&D Analyzation: Completed
  • Initial Timeline Released: Completed

Timeline (Estimated)

The initial timeline is shown below and will be updated as the project progresses:

PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE TIMES ARE ESTIMATES AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

  1. Firmware Development and Design
    Timeline: September 28, 2026 – October 28, 2026

  2. Hardware Design and Beta Sample Build
    Timeline: September 28, 2026 – October 31, 2026

  3. Testing of 15 Beta Samples
    Timeline: November 1, 2026 – December 20, 2026

  4. Packaging Material Design
    Timeline: December 10, 2026 – December 30, 2026

  5. Certifications
    Details: Matter, FCC/IC, ETL
    Timeline: December 10, 2026 – February 1, 2027

  6. Production Material Preparation
    Timeline: January 20, 2027 – March 15, 2027

  7. Start of Mass Production
    Timeline: March 20, 2027

Weekly Recap
Every week (roughly), I’ll provide a recap as well as edit the sections above so we can all keep track. If you have any specific questions you’d like me to ask, feel free to tag me and let me know so I can ask the manufacturer as well.

Updates will be linked here as they are posted.

10 Likes
Inovelli 2026: Q3 Update!
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I’ve been patiently waiting for this switch and would be happy to beta test.

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Excited for this!

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@Kaleb_Inovelli I think a lot of us like the look of using all smart switches and not leave dumb switches or install aux switches in 3 or 4 way setup. The option of pairing multiple smart switches together would be a big plus. Main issue is that we can do matter bindings (even bi-directional) but the led bar will not stay in sync on all the switches when using automations to turn them on. If I have a sensor turning the stairs light on and it’s a 4 way setup, I have to turn all switches on not just the one with the load on. So either having a aux switch with a led bar or a way to have them sync their led bar with the main switch.

Thanks! I would be happy to be part of the beta testers for this.

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I would also be happy to beta test this!

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I have mostly white and just got a couple blue mmWave switches. Thinking i might hold out for these as I like Matter.

I’ll raise my hand for beta testing. I’ve been having some issues with the proper detection of zones in the blues, so I’ll make a post shortly about my findings.

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i hope i can join beta test too and when will the preorder start?

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I’m curious about one part of the current Linus White spec: why is 24GHz mmWave preferred instead of 60GHz?

I understand that frequency alone doesn’t determine how good a presence sensor is, and I assume there may be cost, availability, power/thermal, antenna size, or development-risk reasons behind the choice. But for a new product like this, I would really prefer to see 60GHz if it is practical.

The new Aqara FP400 is a good example of what 60GHz can do. It uses a 60GHz 4T4R radar and provides a much more spatially detailed model of the room, including a 16×20 grid, multiple zones, multi-person positioning, etc. For an in-wall sensor, I also think the shorter effective range / reduced penetration through adjacent walls can actually be an advantage — I care more about accurately separating areas within the room than detecting motion through the next wall.

Another interesting example is this Home Assistant project for the FP400:

https://github.com/RAR/ha-aqara-fp400

It has already reverse-engineered the FP400’s Matter-side vendor clusters and can configure zones, monitoring regions, interference regions, installation parameters, and even retrieve live target positions directly through the device’s Matter connection, without needing the Aqara app for those operations.

So this makes me wonder whether Linus could take a similar approach: use a higher-resolution 60GHz radar and expose as much of the spatial/zone configuration as possible locally through Matter, rather than depending on a proprietary app.

Is the preference for 24GHz mainly because of BOM cost / module availability / power and thermal constraints / antenna design / firmware maturity, or is there another technical reason why 24GHz is a better fit for an in-wall switch?

If 60GHz is still an option at this stage, I’d definitely vote for it. Since this is a new Matter/Thread product, it would be great if the sensing hardware also had more room to grow into things like finer zone detection and positioning in the future.

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Awesome. Can’t wait.

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Hey @tsw0599,

Good catch on this. There was actually a typo in the hardware specs section of this post, and I’ve since corrected it.

Our mmWave switches, including this new Linus White Series project, use a 60GHz mmWave sensor, not 24GHz. So the direction you’re hoping for is already the direction we’re taking.

So, in this case, mission accomplished!

At this time, we do not have pre-order plans. That doesn’t mean this isn’t subject to change in the future, however.

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thanks a lot. btw are you going to backport weather ledfunction so all my inovelli white will have consistent look

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Will the firmware support mmwave Target Reporting data to be read for this switch, similar to the ZigBee switch? Its quite useful when troubleshooting and allows easy setup of multi-zones, stay Areas, and interference areas. And if so can a spec be published to allow way adding it to my mmwave-vis app or any others without to much effort?

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Awe yeah! I’ve been waiting for these for a while! Count me in for beta testing, should you need any more volenteers!

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@tsw0599 Could you please clarify which feature you’re referring to here?

@nickduvall921 This is definitely something we’re hoping to support in a future firmware update. We understand how useful the target reporting data is for troubleshooting and configuration.

That said, it’s unlikely that this functionality will be included in the initial firmware release. It’s something we’d like to explore further down the road, but I don’t have more info to share at this point, as Matter makes this much more difficult to implement than Zigbee.

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  • Animations should mimic our 2-1 and Fan switches, with the addition of weather animations

  • I think other series do not have weather animations at this point, is there any chance other white series can have this too?