Ideal intelligence home seamlessly anticipates your needs and responds to commands instantly. Friend no need to open a specific app per device, or memorize the exact voice commands and voice assistant combos that start the latest episode of your favorite podcast on the nearest speaker. Competing smart home standards make operating your devices complicated. It’s just not…well, smart.
The tech giants try to surpass the standards by offering their voice assistants as a layer of control on top, but Alexa can’t talk to Google Assistant or Siri or control devices. by Google or Apple and vice versa. (And so far, no ecosystem makes all the best devices.) But these interoperability woes could soon be fixed. Formerly known as Project CHIP (Home Connected Over IP), the open source interoperability standard is known as Problem finally here. Some of the biggest tech names have signed up, like Amazon, Apple, and Google, which means seamless integration could finally be within reach.
Update October 2022: Added news about Matter 1.0 specification release, certification program, and some additional details.
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Matter promises to allow different devices and ecosystems to work nicely. Device manufacturers need to comply with the Matter standard to ensure their devices are compatible with voice and smart home services like Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, Google’s Assistant, and others. For those building a smart home, Matter theoretically lets you buy any device and use a voice assistant or platform you want to control that device (yes, you) can use different voice assistants to talk to the same product).
For example, you can buy a Matter-enabled smart bulb and set it up with Apple Homekit, Google Assistant, or Amazon Alexa — without worrying about compatibility. Some devices already support multiple platforms (like Alexa or Google Assistant), but Matter will expand that platform support and make it faster and easier to set up your new devices.
The first protocol runs on the Wi-Fi and Thread network layers and uses Bluetooth Low Energy to set up the device. While it will support a variety of platforms, you’ll have to choose the voice assistant and the app you want to use—no central Matter app or assistant. Overall, you can expect your smart home devices to be more responsive to you.
What makes the difference?
The Connectivity Standards Alliance (or CSA, formerly the Zigbee Alliance) maintains the Issue standard. What sets it apart is the breadth of its membership (more than 550 tech companies), its willingness to adopt and merge different technologies, and the fact that it is an open source project. Now that the software development kit (SDK) is ready, interested companies can use it royalty-free to incorporate their devices into the Matter ecosystem.
The development from the Zigbee Alliance gives Matter a solid foundation. Bringing the major smart home platforms (Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings) on the same board is an accomplishment. It’s optimistic to imagine seamless mass adoption of Matter, but it’s already received a lot of enthusiasm with a host of registered smart home brands, including August, Schlage, and Yale in lock assortments. smart; Belkin, Cync, GE Lighting, Sengled, Signify (Philips Hue) and Nanoleaf in smart lighting; and others such as Arlo, Comcast, Eve, TP-Link and LG. There are more than 280 member companies in Matter.
The problem has been going on for years. The first release was slated for late 2020, but it was delayed to next year, renamed Matter, and then touted for a summer release. After another delay, the Matter 1.0 specification and certification program is finally ready. SDKs, tools, and test cases are now available, and eight authorized test labs are open for product certification. Essentially, that means you can expect Matter-powered smart home devices to go on sale as early as October 2022 after they’ve been certified.
The CSA says the last delay is to accommodate more devices and platforms and make sure they all work seamlessly together before release. Over 130 devices and sensors across 16 development platforms (operating systems and chipsets) are working through certification and you can expect more soon.
What about other smart home standards?
The path to smart home nirvana is paved with different standards, like Zigbee, Z-Wave, Samsung SmartThings, Wi-Fi HaLow, and Insteon, to name a few. These and other protocols will continue to exist and function. Google merged its Thread and Weave technologies into Matter. The new standard also uses the Wi-Fi and Ethernet standards and uses Bluetooth LE for device setup.
Matter is not a single technology and will evolve and improve over time. It won’t cover every possible use case for every device and situation, so other standards will continue to evolve. The more platforms and standards merge with Matter, the greater its potential for success, but the challenge to make it all work smoothly also increases.
Will Material work with existing devices?
Some devices will work with Matter after a firmware update. Others will never be compatible. There is no simple answer here. Many devices that currently work with Thread, Z-Wave or Zigbee will be able to work with Matter, but that doesn’t mean they will be upgraded. It is best to check with the manufacturer for specific devices and future support.
The first specification, or Matter 1.0, covers only certain categories of equipment, including:
- Light bulbs and switches
- Smart plug
- Smart locks
- Safety and security sensors
- Media equipment including TV
- Smart blinds and curtains
- Garage door controller
- Thermostat
- HVAC Controller
