Material will make it easier to build a Google, Amazon or Apple smart home

Imagine asking Apple’s Siri to turn off your Amazon Fire TV. Thanks to a new standard called Matter, most smart home devices from different brands will soon work together.

Matter, backed by the biggest names in technology including Amazon, Apple, Google and Samsung, which aim to address a key pain point. Right now, if you want to control your lights or thermostat or smart plug, you need to make sure it supports your Apple HomeKit or Amazon Echo or Google Home Hub. With Matter, however, you’ll be able to buy bulbs, light sensors, color bulbs, HVAC systems, thermostats, and more without worrying whether they’ll work with the systems you have at home. are not.

The first Matter devices are starting to hit the market, though most new Matter-enabled devices won’t be available until next year.

“Before Matter, the smart home product you purchased would only work with your specific home device, like Apple HomeKit, amazon smart speakeror your Samsung Smart Things hub,” said Michelle Mindala-Freeman, head of marketing and membership services at Connected Standards Alliance, the group behind Matter. You can say, ‘I really like that Nanoleaf color light,’ and you don’t have to worry about which smart home devices it’s compatible with because it’s supported by Matter,” she says.

About 280 other companies are working to support Matter. In addition to the names already mentioned, some of the biggest names include ADT, Assa Abloy (which makes August Home and Yale smart locks), Ecobee, Facebook, Haier (the parent company of GE Appliances), Hisense, Ikea , iRobot, Kwikset, LG, Panasonic, Roku, Schlage, SimpliSafe, Sonos, Spotify, Tesla and Whirlpool.

Notice the logo that represents compatibility with Matter. “Over time, we believe the Matter logo will become as ubiquitous as the Bluetooth symbol or the Wi-Fi symbol,” Mindala-Freeman said.

The certification process is still in progress. “Since we announced the specifications in October, we have certified more than 200 products, both hardware and software products, and we have many more in the pipeline,” says Mindala-Freeman. waiting in line.

Some brands will be rolling out firmware updates for products already in their market this year. These include Eve, which makes smart plugs and sensors, as well as Wix, which makes smart bulbs.

So far, the Apple HomePod Mini, Apple TV 4K (2021) and Apple TV 4K (2022) WiFi + Ethernet, as well as Samsung’s SmartThings V2 and V3 hubs act as Matter controllers, according to the report. Consumer Newspaper. The Google Nest Hub Max and Google Nest Hub smart displays (2nd generation), Google Nest WiFi and WiFi Pro routers, and Amazon Echo smart speakers (4th generation) will also support this standard.