The perfect intelligent domicile intuitively meets your requirements and promptly responds to directives. There should be no need to launch a specific application for each gadget or remember the exact verbal command and voice assistant amalgamation to initiate the most recent episode of your preferred podcast on the closest speaker. The presence of competing smart home protocols needlessly complicates the operation of your devices. It’s not very ingenious.
Major tech corporations attempt to navigate around protocols by offering their voice assistants as a governing layer, but Alexa cannot interact with Google Assistant or Siri or regulate Google or Apple devices, and vice versa. (Furthermore, as of now, no single ecosystem has curated all the premium devices.) However, these challenges of interoperability may soon be resolved. Formerly identified as Project CHIP (Connected Home over IP), the open-source interoperability standard named Matter emerged in 2022. With prominent tech entities like Amazon, Apple, and Google on board, seamless integration might finally be achievable.
Updated May 2024: Included the announcement of the Matter 1.3 specification release, advancements with key players, a segment outlining what can be accomplished with Matter, and further insights into potential functionalities.
Table of Contents
What Is Matter?
Matter enables various devices and ecosystems to harmonize. Device manufacturers must adhere to the Matter standard to ensure their devices are harmonious with smart home and voice services such as Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, Google’s Assistant, and others. For individuals constructing a smart home, Matter essentially enables you to acquire any device and employ the voice assistant or platform of your preference to manage it. (Yes, you can utilize different voice assistants to communicate with the same product.)
For instance, you can procure a Matter-supported smart light bulb and configure it with Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, or Amazon Alexa—minus any compatibility concerns. Currently, some devices already facilitate multiple platforms (such as Alexa or Google Assistant), but Matter will broaden that platform support and streamline the setup process for your novel devices.
The initial protocol operates on Wi-Fi and Thread network layers and employs Bluetooth Low Energy for device configuration. Although it supports various platforms, you are required to select the voice assistants and applications you desire to utilize—there is no centralized Matter application or assistant. As Matter works within your local network, you can anticipate your smart home devices to be more responsive to you, and they should remain functional even in the absence of internet connectivity.
What Sets Matter Apart?
The Connectivity Standards Alliance (previously known as the Zigbee Alliance) upholds the Matter standard. Its distinguishing features include the vastness of its membership (more than 550 tech firms), the readiness to adopt and amalgamate various technologies, and its status as an open-source project. Interested companies can utilize the software development kit (SDK) free of royalties to incorporate their devices into the Matter ecosystem. This process is significantly more straightforward than individually certifying devices with each smart home platform.
Standing on the foundation of the Zigbee Alliance gives Matter a solid grounding. The convergence of the primary smart home platforms (Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings) at the same table is commendable. While it may be overly optimistic to envision a widespread adoption of Matter, it has attracted widespread enthusiasm with numerous smart home brands joining the initiative, including August, Schlage, and Yale in smart locks; Belkin, Cync, GE Lighting, Sengled, Signify (Philips Hue), and Nanoleaf in smart lighting; and other players like Arlo, Comcast, Eve, TP-Link, and LG.
When Was Matter Introduced?
Matter has been in development for several years. The initial rollout of Project CHIP was slated for late 2020 but was postponed to the subsequent year, rebranded as Matter, and subsequently touted for a summer launch. Following another delay, the Matter 1.0 specification and certification program were introduced in 2022. The SDK, tools, and test cases were made accessible, and eight authorized test labs were established for product certification.
The initial wave of Matter-compatible smart home gadgets hit the market in the fall of 2022, and there has been a consistent flow ever since. The first update to the specification, Matter 1.1, was released in May 2023 and mainly focused on resolving bugs. Unveiled in October 2023, Matter 1.2 added support for nine new device categories, including refrigerators, robot vacuums, and air purifiers, alongside enhancements to existing classifications.
The Matter 1.3 specification was published in May 2024, incorporating energy management, EV charging, and water management in tandem with support for new devices like ovens, cooktops, and laundry dryers. It also brought improvements to Matter Casting, allowing not only casting from your phone to your TV but also enabling other smart devices—such as your robot vacuum—to transmit messages to your TV to alert you if they encounter any issues, for instance.
