Product Library / Hubs & Controllers
Research profile · last verified 2026-09-06Apple TV 4K (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + Ethernet
⚠ 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.
Exactly which product this is[1]
- Model number
- A2843
- Generation
- 3rd generation (2022)
- Region this page covers
- Not established
- Also sold or listed as
- Apple TV 4K 128GB · Apple TV 4K Wi-Fi + Ethernet · Apple TV 4K (2022) 128GB
“Not established” means we have not sourced that detail yet — not that the product has no model number, generation or regional variant. We publish the gap rather than filling it.
Compatibility
| Ecosystem | Support | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon Alexa | Doesn't workVerified: does not work with this ecosystem[6] | Apple-only by design. This is a controller for Apple Home rather than an accessory another platform can add, and its hardware list carries no radio Alexa could use to reach it. An Echo and this box can each hold the same Matter accessory at the same time; neither can control the other. |
| Google Home | Doesn't workVerified: does not work with this ecosystem[6] | Apple-only by design. Google Home has no path to add or control an Apple TV: the box is a Matter controller in its own right, not a Matter accessory, and Apple documents it only inside its own platform. Sharing one accessory between Google Home and Apple Home is a Matter feature and works; controlling this box from Google Home does not. |
| Apple Home | WorksWorks with this ecosystem[2] | 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] | Apple-only by design. SmartThings can add Matter accessories, and this box is not one — it is the other side of that relationship, a controller Apple documents only within its own platform. Nothing Samsung publishes offers a way to add or control an Apple TV. |
| Home Assistant | PartialPartial support — see the catch[5] | 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. |
Protocols: WIFI · THREAD · MATTER[1][3]
Needs before it works: 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]
Subscription reality[3]
✓ Works without a subscription: Yes.
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 reality
- 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 →
- [1] Apple Support, 'Identify your Apple TV model' — the page enumerates each model's hardware, model number, year and capacity in its own block. — first-party browser-rendered read (interactive session, owner's browser), verified 2026-09-06Backs: Product identity, Protocols, Wi-Fi bands it can use, What it provides to your home, Research status, Role in a Thread network, Installation
- [2] Apple Support, 'Set up your HomePod, HomePod mini, or Apple TV as a home hub' — the section headed 'About home hubs and Matter accessories'. — first-party browser-rendered read (interactive session, owner's browser), verified 2026-09-06Backs: What it provides to your home, Required hub or bridge, Apple Home compatibility
- [3] Apple, 'Apple TV 4K - Technical Specifications' — the Connectivity, System Requirements, In the Box and Electrical sections. — first-party browser-rendered read (interactive session, owner's browser), verified 2026-09-06Backs: Protocols, Power source, Installation, Subscription
- [4] Apple's own US storefront, 'Buy Apple TV 4K' — the 'Choose your model' selector. — first-party browser-rendered read (interactive session, owner's browser), verified 2026-09-06Backs: Price, Market availability
- [5] Home Assistant documentation, the official Apple TV integration page. — first-party browser-rendered read (interactive session, owner's browser), verified 2026-09-06Backs: Home Assistant compatibility
- [6] Apple Support, 'Identify your Apple TV model', read together with Apple's home-hub article — the two pages that define what this device is and what it talks to. — first-party browser-rendered read (interactive session, owner's browser), verified 2026-09-06Backs: Amazon Alexa compatibility, Google Home compatibility, SmartThings compatibility
- [7] Apple, 'Apple TV 4K - Technical Specifications', System Requirements. — first-party browser-rendered read (interactive session, owner's browser), verified 2026-09-06
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.