We have to also remember that the article is about DIY smart home. Everything the writer had was cobbled together by him. And if you read any sort of forum or reddit about smart home you will mostly find the DIY crowd showing off all the great things they have made their system do. Some of them manage to do some pretty impressive things. But, in the end, the DIY systems seem to always be in need of constant attention.
Matter has the potential to change that, or not.