Compiled by SmartHomeWorkflow Research · Apple · Hubs & Controllers · ~$249 (at time of research, read from Apple's own storefront: $249.00 for the Wi-Fi + Ethernet model with 128 GB. Never treated as a live price.)
⚠ Similar names, different products: Apple sells two Apple TV 4K models from the same 2022 generation under almost the same name, and only one of them carries a Thread radio. This is that one: the 128 GB model, number A2843, with the Gigabit Ethernet port. The other, the 64 GB model number A2737, is an Apple Home hub and a Matter controller like this one, and Apple's hardware list for it names no Thread radio, so it cannot be the border router a Thread accessory needs. To tell them apart on a shelf, look for the Ethernet jack; to tell them apart at home, check Settings, then General, then About for the model number.
Compatibility at a glance
Does it work with your platform?
Choose your platform to see its setup and functions. Your choice carries across product pages.
Choose a platform above for its connection. A hub can be optional for the device itself and required for a platform or automation.
No. This box is itself the hub, and on this model it is both kinds at once. Apple's requirements for it name a television, an HDMI cable, internet access and an Apple Account for purchases — no hub of any kind. Set up as a home hub it gives you away-from-home access, automations, and the ability to add Matter accessories to the Home app; and because this is the model with the Thread radio, it is also the doorway a Thread lock, sensor or shade needs in order to reach your network at all.[2]
Apple Home · Works
How it connects to Apple Home
Follow the recorded connection below. Equipment details and setup limits explain what else this path needs.
Native connection
Connection summary
Apple TV 4K (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + Ethernet
Apple TV 4K (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + EthernetApple TV 4K (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + Ethernet
→Native connection
Apple HomePlatform control
What you gainThis connection communicates locally.
Keep in mindIntermediate equipment and transport are not mapped in this summary. Read the setup notes before choosing hardware. Check the function table for supported controls and routines. A connection diagram does not establish every function or remote access.
How to read the equipment roles
This shows the connection route, not every network cable or a shopping list. One device may provide several roles, including a Matter controller and a Thread border router. Only a Thread connection needs the Thread role. Read the equipment cards for all recorded requirements.
These paths summarize documented setup options. Check the function table for the connection covered by each recorded capability.
The complete version of the Apple TV home-hub story, and the reason to choose this model over the cheaper one. Set it up as a home hub and you get away-from-home access, automations that keep running when your phone is out, and the ability to add Matter accessories to the Home app. Because this configuration carries the Thread radio, Apple names it as a Thread-enabled home hub, which means a Thread lock, sensor or shade has something to join without buying a HomePod as well.[2]
The equipment list for this platform is not fully specified here. Use the documented setup above; an empty list does not mean no equipment is needed.
Google Home · Doesn't work
This connection does not work
No supported connection
Apple TV 4K (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + Ethernet×Google Home
The record does not support a connection to this platform. Read the explanation below.
This is a hub for Apple Home, not a device other systems add, so Google Home has no way to control it. A Matter device can be in Apple Home and Google Home at the same time; the Apple TV itself can't be.[6]
Amazon Alexa · Doesn't work
This connection does not work
No supported connection
Apple TV 4K (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + Ethernet×Amazon Alexa
The record does not support a connection to this platform. Read the explanation below.
This is a hub for Apple Home, not a device other systems add, so Alexa has no way to control it. A Matter device can be in Apple Home and Alexa at the same time; the Apple TV itself can't be.[6]
SmartThings · Doesn't work
This connection does not work
No supported connection
Apple TV 4K (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + Ethernet×SmartThings
The record does not support a connection to this platform. Read the explanation below.
This is a hub for Apple Home, not a device other systems add, so SmartThings has no way to control it. A Matter device can be in Apple Home and SmartThings at the same time; the Apple TV itself can't be.[6]
Home Assistant · Works, except bridged devices
How it connects to Home Assistant
Follow the recorded connection below. Equipment details and setup limits explain what else this path needs.
Official integration
Connection summary
Apple TV 4K (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + Ethernet
Apple TV 4K (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + EthernetApple TV 4K (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + Ethernet
→Official integration
Home AssistantPlatform control
What you gainThis connection communicates locally.
Keep in mindIntermediate equipment and transport are not mapped in this summary. Read the setup notes before choosing hardware. Check the function table for supported controls and routines. A connection diagram does not establish every function or remote access.
How to read the equipment roles
This shows the connection route, not every network cable or a shopping list. One device may provide several roles, including a Matter controller and a Thread border router. Only a Thread connection needs the Thread role. Read the equipment cards for all recorded requirements.
These paths summarize documented setup options. Check the function table for the connection covered by each recorded capability.
Home Assistant has an official Apple TV integration and states it works with any generation, so you can control playback, send remote presses and type into search boxes from Home Assistant. What you do not get is the part this profile is about: the home-hub and Matter-controller roles stay inside Apple's platform, and Home Assistant cannot borrow them. Its own documentation notes a real consequence of mixing the two — updates it pushes to Thread accessories can fail when the only border router in the house is an Apple one. Home Assistant treats the Apple TV as a media player and remote, not as a hub for the accessories it serves in Apple Home.[5][12]
The equipment list for this platform is not fully specified here. Use the documented setup above; an empty list does not mean no equipment is needed.
One device can provide more than one role. These are setup requirements, not a shopping list of separate purchases.
What could you do with this?
Put its functions to use.
Research, not hands-on testing
Start with a documented control or event. The selected connection shows what is confirmed for that platform.
We have not established a control or event to illustrate for this product. Check the connection and equipment information above.
Device actions and events have not been established from the documentation.
Device actions and events have not been established from the documentation.
Device actions and events have not been established from the documentation.
Device actions and events have not been established from the documentation.
Device actions and events have not been established from the documentation.
A documented control or event is one part of a setup. It does not by itself establish a complete automation.
The functions, side by side
What can you use, and where?
A platform connection does not confirm every function. Controls and reported events are shown separately from what an automation can use.
Controls
Not established from vendor documentation
Reported events
Not established from vendor documentation
Compare all five platforms. On a narrow screen, scroll the table sideways.
Documented device functions, platform controls and automation availability
Home AssistantWorks, except bridged devices[5][12]
Bridged devicesFunction
Control
?Not stated
Control
✗Doesn't work
Control
✗Doesn't work
Control
✗Doesn't work
Control
✗Doesn't work
Automation availability for this model is not established.
✓ Documented for this connection. × A stated limit. ◐ A partial function. ? Not established. A listed device function does not establish a complete routine, its other equipment or any plan requirements.
Setup and sources
Apple Home
The complete version of the Apple TV home-hub story, and the reason to choose this model over the cheaper one. Set it up as a home hub and you get away-from-home access, automations that keep running when your phone is out, and the ability to add Matter accessories to the Home app. Because this configuration carries the Thread radio, Apple names it as a Thread-enabled home hub, which means a Thread lock, sensor or shade has something to join without buying a HomePod as well.[2]
Google Home
This is a hub for Apple Home, not a device other systems add, so Google Home has no way to control it. A Matter device can be in Apple Home and Google Home at the same time; the Apple TV itself can't be.[6]
Alexa
This is a hub for Apple Home, not a device other systems add, so Alexa has no way to control it. A Matter device can be in Apple Home and Alexa at the same time; the Apple TV itself can't be.[6]
SmartThings
This is a hub for Apple Home, not a device other systems add, so SmartThings has no way to control it. A Matter device can be in Apple Home and SmartThings at the same time; the Apple TV itself can't be.[6]
Home Assistant
Home Assistant has an official Apple TV integration and states it works with any generation, so you can control playback, send remote presses and type into search boxes from Home Assistant. What you do not get is the part this profile is about: the home-hub and Matter-controller roles stay inside Apple's platform, and Home Assistant cannot borrow them. Its own documentation notes a real consequence of mixing the two — updates it pushes to Thread accessories can fail when the only border router in the house is an Apple one. Home Assistant treats the Apple TV as a media player and remote, not as a hub for the accessories it serves in Apple Home.[5][12]
Listed device functions are established from vendor documentation. An ability missing here is unestablished, not necessarily absent.
Connection details and setup sources
Ecosystem
Support
The catch
Amazon Alexa
✗Doesn't workVerified: does not work with this ecosystem[6]
This is a hub for Apple Home, not a device other systems add, so Alexa has no way to control it. A Matter device can be in Apple Home and Alexa at the same time; the Apple TV itself can't be.
Google Home
✗Doesn't workVerified: does not work with this ecosystem[6]
This is a hub for Apple Home, not a device other systems add, so Google Home has no way to control it. A Matter device can be in Apple Home and Google Home at the same time; the Apple TV itself can't be.
The complete version of the Apple TV home-hub story, and the reason to choose this model over the cheaper one. Set it up as a home hub and you get away-from-home access, automations that keep running when your phone is out, and the ability to add Matter accessories to the Home app. Because this configuration carries the Thread radio, Apple names it as a Thread-enabled home hub, which means a Thread lock, sensor or shade has something to join without buying a HomePod as well.
SmartThings
✗Doesn't workVerified: does not work with this ecosystem[6]
This is a hub for Apple Home, not a device other systems add, so SmartThings has no way to control it. A Matter device can be in Apple Home and SmartThings at the same time; the Apple TV itself can't be.
Home Assistant
◐Works, except bridged devicesWorks, except bridged devices — see the catch[5][12]
Home Assistant has an official Apple TV integration and states it works with any generation, so you can control playback, send remote presses and type into search boxes from Home Assistant. What you do not get is the part this profile is about: the home-hub and Matter-controller roles stay inside Apple's platform, and Home Assistant cannot borrow them. Its own documentation notes a real consequence of mixing the two — updates it pushes to Thread accessories can fail when the only border router in the house is an Apple one. Home Assistant treats the Apple TV as a media player and remote, not as a hub for the accessories it serves in Apple Home.
Vendor account required: Not established — we have not sourced this yet.
No plan is required. Apple's own list of what you must have to use this box names an Apple Account for purchases, rentals and Home Sharing, a 4K HDR television for 4K playback, an HDMI cable and internet access — and no subscription of any kind. Apple TV+ and every other streaming service are separate purchases: skip them all and the box still plays what you already own, still receives AirPlay, and still does the home-hub job this profile is about.
Maintenance and offline use
Works without the internet: Not established — we have not sourced this yet. It does not mean the product fails without the internet.
Mains powered, with no batteries in the box itself; the remote has a rechargeable battery Apple rates in months per charge. Apple's hardware list also names Bluetooth 5.0 and an infrared receiver on both models. Neither is listed among the protocols above, for the same reason they are left off the HomePod mini profile: they serve the remote and the initial pairing handshake rather than carrying ongoing smart-home traffic. They are named here so a buyer comparing spec sheets can see we read them and know why they are not in the list.
Security updates: No security-update support date is on record for this model yet. We haven't yet checked whether Apple publishes one, so this is a gap in our research — not a statement about the manufacturer.
The catch
This is the Apple TV to buy for a smart home, and the fifty dollars over the cheaper model is not about storage. Apple lists Thread on this configuration only, so this is the one that can act as the doorway a Thread lock or sensor needs. Everything else — the chip, the video, the home-hub role — is the same in both boxes.
Who it's for
Anyone buying an Apple TV who also owns, or expects to own, a Thread accessory: a lock, a contact or motion sensor, a shade motor. It replaces two purchases with one, because the same box is the home hub and the border router. If you already own a HomePod, the border router is covered and the cheaper model is enough.
Sources & method
Numbered sources below back the facts marked with the matching number above. This is a research profile: compiled from manufacturer documentation, certification registries, and published testing — we state facts, not verdicts, and we have not physically tested this unit. How we work →
12 numbered sources· read them in the source's own words
Compatibility and lifecycle information reflects the last-verified date above and can change without notice (firmware updates, cloud-service changes, discontinuations). It is provided as-is, for information — verify with the manufacturer before purchasing. Spot an error? Tell us and we'll fix it. Full terms: Terms of Service.
Check Apple TV 4K (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + Ethernet with your setup.
Your platform, exact hub and the functions you need determine the answer. A Setup Check researches how they fit together.