This article is part of the TechXchanges: Powering the Smart Home with Matter and The Internet of Things (IoT).
What you’ll learn:
- Matter brings interoperability across platforms to the smart-home ecosystem.
- Matter 1.2 embraces new device types and an enhanced user experience.
- Look for further revisions to the standard every six months.
In 2019, Amazon, Apple, Google, and Zigbee Alliance members came together to form Project Connected Home over Internet Protocol (CHIP). That working group built a new standard that enables IP-based communication across smart-home devices, mobile apps, and cloud services, and ultimately unites the smart home.
In 2021, the Zigbee Alliance rebranded as the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), and Project CHIP rebranded to Matter. These rebrands were necessary as the new Matter mark authenticates devices, ensuring that any object built on this standard is reliable by nature, secure by design, and compatible at scale.
Fast forward to today, and Matter is here! Officially released in October 2022, the Alliance and Matter have seen tremendous growth with 600+ members, 750+ Matter-certified devices, and multiple updates to Matter. Before we dive into these updates, let’s learn more about the Matter standard and why Matter matters.
What Exactly is Matter?
Matter is an application-layer protocol developed specifically to address device interoperability within the smart home, more specifically across different smart-home device platforms. That means your Amazon Alexa can work with your Google Home or Apple HomeKit. Beyond interoperability, its other biggest benefits include simplified device setup, significantly better reliability and latency, and improved security through standardization.
Matter is designed to support existing protocols, such as Thread, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Low Energy, Zigbee, and Z-Wave, bringing greater flexibility to manufacturers and consumers alike.
For developers, Matter simplifies product development while lowering development and operational costs. Because Matter is completely open source, anybody can read and propose changes to source code, resulting in collaboration from the industry, improved quality, and expedited processes.
With Matter, device manufacturers only need a single SKU per product instead of separate ones for each ecosystem. This reduces costs, shortens development and production time, and simplifies the entire supply chain.
Furthermore, consumers have the power to choose how they want to control their homes and with what devices—they’re not limited to certain ecosystems. Consumers can have peace of mind when using their devices as privacy and security are central to Matter, with built-in encryption, over-the-air updates, and standardization to keep data safe.
Another benefit for consumers is simplified setup for new IoT devices in their homes. Matter uses a simple and secure onboarding process to connect new devices and is as easy as scanning a QR code to add a new Matter device. Lastly, Matter is compatible with existing devices—non-Matter-certified devices—via Matter bridges so that consumers can continue to use the devices they already have.
Matter 1.0: Certification Now Open
In 2022, the CSA launched Matter 1.0, along with eight authorized test labs for product certification, the test tools needed to certify devices, and the open-source reference design software development kit (SDK) to develop Matter devices.
Consumers started to see the first ever Matter-certified devices. The Matter 1.0 release supported a variety of common smart-home products, such as lighting and electrical, HVAC controls, window coverings and shades, safety and security sensors, door locks, media devices (including TVs), controllers as both devices and applications, and bridges.
In addition to new devices, Matter 1.0 enabled companies to upgrade existing, already deployed devices to Matter-certified devices via over-the-air updates.
Matter 1.1: Enhancements for Developers and Devices
May 2023 saw the release of Matter 1.1, an update with enhanced support for many smart-home products in the Intermittently Connected Devices (ICDs) category, also known as “sleepy devices.” Typically, ICDs represent battery-powered devices like sensors, door locks, and switches that are connected via wireless networks and need to conserve power for optimal operation and lifespan.
ICDs aren’t constantly connected. Rather, they “wake up” and connect periodically, drawing power and, thus, making energy efficiency vital. Matter 1.1 allows ICDs to sleep for longer periods of time before checking in with parent devices without having to reconnect to the network. Fewer check-ins mean power conservation and longer battery life.
Matter 1.1 fixed many of the bugs from the initial launch of Matter, especially from the developer side. Given the code is publicly available and relies on an open-source SDK, it’s important that these tools are easy to work with. In this update, the CSA gathered feedback from developers throughout the process to make clarifications on how to make the tools easier to operate, helping developers to work with Matter.
The CSA also launched a testing center in Portland that offers interoperability testing services to alliance members developing Matter products for certification. In addition, Silicon Labs launched its Connectivity Lab, which simulates a modern smart home, with a range of IoT devices, applications, ecosystems, and networks. Customers can test their Matter prototypes operating within real-world scenarios across a variety of protocols and device brands.
Matter 1.2: More Device Types
Fast forward another six months, and Matter 1.2 introduces new device types and brings other improvements that enhance interoperability and user experience. This release expands device types to washing machines, refrigerators, dishwashers, room air conditioners, robotic vacuums, air-quality sensors, air purifiers, smoke/CO2 alarms, and fans. Matter 1.2 also adds key foundational elements to enable more device types, such as operational modes, that are important to adding more appliances in the future.
This is exciting as many of these devices tend to be Wi-Fi-enabled but often have limited ecosystem support and require proprietary app control. With Matter 1.2, manufacturers can simplify the user experience—including commissioning—while enabling integration into key smart-home ecosystems.
Matter 1.2 also includes new features that improve the user experience for commissioning to better identify the product and its description. For example, to help the user verify which device is the one they’re interacting with, the color of the device is listed in the Matter controller's user interface. Or, a light with multiple bulbs can describe the location or position in a controller user interface to indicate which bulb is bound to a smart switch.
Final Thought: Matter 1.3 and Beyond Only Gets Bigger
Support for Matter will only continue to grow. In fact, Amazon has already added Matter to more than 100 million Echo and eero devices. The CSA has indicated that it hopes to share new Matter updates every six months, so we can continue to expect more Matter device types, specifically cameras and energy-management devices to further unify smart-home ecosystems, as well as more updates that help widespread adoption across the smart home.
Read more articles in the TechXchanges: Powering the Smart Home with Matter and The Internet of Things (IoT).