The ideal smart home seamlessly anticipates your needs and responds to your commands instantly. There's no need to open specific apps on each appliance or remember the exact combination of voice commands and voice assistants to start the latest episode of your favorite podcast on a nearby speaker. Competing smart home standards make device operation unnecessarily complex. That's not very… well, that's not wise.
Tech giants are trying to go beyond the norm by offering voice assistants as the top layer of control, but Alexa can't talk to Google Assistant or Siri or control Google or Apple devices or vice versa. (And so far, no single ecosystem has created all the best devices.) But these interoperability issues may soon be resolved. The open source interoperability standard known as Matter, formerly known as Project CHIP (Connected Home over IP), debuted in his 2022. With the participation of big tech companies like Amazon, Apple, and Google, seamless integration may finally become a reality.
Updated October 2023: Added news of Matter 1.2 spec release, what you need to use Matter, and impressions of Matter devices so far.
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Matter allows a variety of devices and ecosystems to work properly. Device manufacturers must comply with Matter standards to ensure their devices are compatible with smart home and voice services such as Amazon's Alexa, Apple's Siri, and Google's Assistant. For people building smart homes, Matter allows you to theoretically buy any device and control it using your favorite voice assistant or platform (yes, even talk to the same product) (You can also use another voice assistant for this purpose.)
For example, you can buy a smart light bulb that Matter supports and set up Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, or Amazon Alexa without worrying about compatibility. Currently, some devices already support multiple platforms (like Alexa and Google Assistant), but Matter expands that platform support to make setting up new devices faster and easier.
The first protocol runs on the Wi-Fi and Thread network layers and uses Bluetooth Low Energy for device setup. Although it supports a variety of platforms, you have to choose which voice assistant and app you want to use. There is no central Matter app or assistant. Because Matter runs on your local network, you can expect your smart home devices to be more responsive and keep working even if the internet goes down.
What's the difference?
The Connectivity Standards Alliance (or CSA, formerly Zigbee Alliance) maintains the Matter standard. The organization is characterized by its breadth of membership (more than 550 technology companies), its willingness to adopt and integrate disparate technologies, and the fact that it is an open source project. Interested companies can use the software development kit (SDK) royalty-free to integrate their devices into the Matter ecosystem. This is much easier than authorizing devices individually on each smart home platform.
Growing out of the Zigbee Alliance gives Matter a solid foundation. Bringing the major smart home platforms (Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings) to the same table is an accomplishment. While it's optimistic to imagine a seamless adoption of Matter across the board, enthusiasm is growing as more smart home brands jump in, including smart locks August, Schlage, and Yale. Belkin, Sync, GE Lighting, Sengled, Signify (Philips Hue), Nanoleaf in smart lighting. Also included are Arlo, Comcast, Eve, TP-Link, LG, and more.
The problem has been developing for years. Initially scheduled for release in late 2020, it was pushed back to the following year, rebranded to Matter, and advertised as a summer release. After further delays, the Matter 1.0 specification and certification program began in 2022. SDKs, tools and test cases are now available, and eight certified test labs have been opened for product qualification.
The first wave of smart home gadgets that support Matter launched in the fall of 2022 and have been steadily trickling in ever since. The first update to the specification, Matter 1.1, arrived in May 2023 and consisted primarily of bug fixes. Matter 1.2, announced in October 2023, added support for nine new device types, including refrigerators, robot vacuums, and air purifiers, in addition to improvements to existing categories.
What about other smart home standards?
The path to a smart home is paved by a variety of standards, including Zigbee, Z-Wave, Samsung SmartThings, Wi-Fi HaLow, and Insteon. These and other protocols will continue to exist and work. Google has integrated Thread and Weave technologies into Matter. The standard also adopts Wi-Fi and Ethernet standards, and uses Bluetooth LE for device setup.
Materials are not a single technology and must evolve and improve over time. Other standards will continue to be developed as they do not cover all possible use cases for all devices and scenarios. The more platforms and standards that come together with Matter, the greater the chance of success, but also the greater the challenge of making it all work seamlessly.
What devices does Matter work with?
Some devices will work with Matter after a firmware update. Others are never compatible. There are no simple answers here. Many devices that currently run on Thread, Z-Wave, or Zigbee should be able to work with Matter, but we don't know if there will be an upgrade. We recommend checking with the manufacturer for specific devices and future support. According to the Alliance, as of October 2023, 1,214 devices have passed certification, but not all are available for purchase yet. Look for the Matter logo to find compatible devices.
The first specification, Matter 1.0, was only intended for specific categories of devices, such as:
Light bulbs and switchesSmart plugsSmart locksSafety and security sensorsTV and other media devicesSmart blinds and shadesGarage door controllersThermostatsHVAC controllers
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