If you follow the smart home space, then you’ve definitely heard about Matter. It’s a new smart home connectivity standard that is being developed among the biggest smart home brands. It’s supposedly going to make everything work better together.
Matter was formerly called Project CHIP. And it was rebranded earlier this year. It might be a pun on how much this standard matters, but either way, this is very important for upcoming smart home products.
What is Matter? How will it work with your current smart home devices and your future devices? Will it make life easier? We’re going to aim to answer all of this and more in this article.
What is Matter?
Matter is a new smart home connectivity standard that is being created by a group of over 200 companies. It was founded by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), which was formerly the Zigbee Alliance. This new standard uses the Internet Protocol (IP) including Bluetooth LE, WiFi, and Thread that will work together to make smart home products compatible with each other using a single standard instead of the many disparate standards that exist today.
This group is taking an open-source approach to developing the SDK, that will enable companies to bring their products to market with Matter support even faster, once the standard is completed.
What’s the point of Matter though? Well, Matter is going to help make it easier for companies and developers to build new smart home appliances as well as Internet of Things or IoT products, that will work seamlessly together with Google Home/Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, and Samsung SmartThings. It’s going to simplify the buying process of these products. You won’t have to think about whether this Nest Doorbell works with other platforms than just Google Assistant.
What companies are part of the alliance?
While we can’t list the over 200 companies that are part of the alliance for Matter, here are the bigger names:
- ADT Security Services
- Google LLC
- Plume Design
- Afero Inc
- grandcentrix GmbH
- POLYNHOME
- Alarm.com
- Amazon
- Apple Inc
- ARM Ltd
- ARRIS Solutions Inc
- Assa Abloy AB
- ATLANTIC Group
- Atmosic
- Axis Communications
- Ayla Networks
- Becker Antriebe GmbH
- BEGA Gantenbrink-Leuchten KG
- Beken
- BELIMO Automation AG
- Belkin International Inc
- BOE Technology Group Co Ltd
- Bosch IO GmbH
- Bouffalo Lab
- BrightAI
- BRK Brands
- BSH Hausgerate GmbH
- Buffalo Inc
- Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services
- Busch-Jaeger Elektro
- Cable Television Laboratories
- CAME SpA
- Card Access Engineering LLC
- Chameleon Technology UK Ltd
- Charter Communications
- China Electronics Standardization Institute
- Comcast Cable Communications Management
- Connectivity Standards Alliance
- Control4
- Coway
- Crestron
- Cypress Semiconductor Corp
- Danfoss A S
- Datek Smart Home AS
- DEKRA
- Delta Dore
- Delta Electronics
- Deutsche Telekom AG
- Develco Products
- DigiCert Inc
- digitalSTROM AG
- D-Link Corporation
- dormakaba Holding AG
- DSP Group
- DSR Corporation
- DT&C Co., Ltd.
- Easee
- Eaton
- ecobee
- EDF RD
- EDMI Ltd
- Eglo Leuchten GmbH
- Element Materials Technology Ltd
- Eltako GmbH
- Emerson Commercial Residential Solutions
- EnOcean GmbH
- Espressif Systems
- Essence Group
- E-surfing Smart Home Technology
- Eurofins Digital Testing
- Eve Systems
- Exegin Technologies Ltd
- Facebook Inc
- Fortune Brands Global Plumbing Group
- Future Home AS
- Futurewei Technologies
- Gardena GmbH
- GE Current – A Daintree Company
- GEWISS SpA
- Granite River Labs
- Green Energy Options
- Grundfos
- Guangzhou Elite Education Technology Co Ltd
- Hager Controls SAS
- Haier
- Hangzhou Sky Lighting Co Ltd
- HDC I-Controls
- Honor Device Company Limited
- Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
- IKEA of Sweden
- Infineon Technologies
- innovation matters iot GmbH
- Inspur Software Technology Co Ltd
- Insta GmbH
- iRobot
- iThinx GmbH
- Itron Inc
- Jasco Products Company
- JiangXi Innotech Technology
- Johnson Controls Inc
- Kee Tat Manufactory Holding Limited
- Kirale Technologies SL
- Kroger Co
- Kwikset
- Landis Gyr AG
- Latchable Inc
- LEDVANCE LLC
- Leedarson Lighting Co Ltd
- LEGRAND
- Lennox International
- Level Home Inc
- Leviton Manufacturing Company
- LG Electronics
- Liberty Global B V
- LIFX
- Logitech
- Lumi United Technology Co Ltd
- Lutron Electronics
- Mastercard
- MediaTek Inc
- Microchip Technology
- Midea Group
- Miele-Cie KG
- Mill International
- Mitsubishi Electric
- Mitsubishi Electric US
- MMB Networks
- Morse Micro
- mui Lab Inc
- Nanjing IOT Sensor Technology
- Nanoleaf
- National Technical Systems
- Netatmo
- Niko nv
- Ningbo Sunpu
- Ningbo Suntech Lighting Technology Co Ltd
- NodOn
- Nordic Semiconductor ASA
- Nortek Control
- NquiringMinds Ltd
- NXP Semiconductors Netherlands BV
- ON Semiconductor
- OPPO
- Optus
- Orange SA
- Origin Wireless Inc
- Osram Sylvania Inc
- Otodo
- Panasonic Corporation
- Panasonic Marketing Europe GmbH
- Panasonic North America
- PanKore Integrated Circuit Technology Co Ltd
- Perspecta Labs
- Piaro
- Powerley
- Procter and Gamble
- PROFALUX
- Proxy Inc
- Qingdao Yeelink Information Technology Co Limited
- Qorvo
- Qualcomm
- Remotec Technology Ltd
- Resideo Technologies
- Robert Bosch GmbH
- Robert Bosch Smart Home GmbH
- ROCA SANITARIO SA
- Roku
- Ruckus Wireless
- Sagemcom SAS
- Salto Systems
- Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
- Savant Company
- Schlage Lock Company LLC
- Schneider Electric
- Sectigo Ltd
- Secure Meters UK Ltd
- Sengled Co Ltd
- Shanghai MXCHIP Information Technology Co Ltd
- Shenzhen CoolKit
- Shenzhen Heiman Technology Co Ltd
- Shenzhen Orvibo Technology Co Ltd
- Shortcut Labs AB
- Siemens Industry Inc
- Siemens Schweiz AG
- Signify Netherlands B V
- Silicon Labs
- SimpliSafe
- SITERWELL Electronics
- SmartThings
- SoftAtHome
- Somfy
- STMicroelectronics SAS
- Synaptics
- System Level Solutions Inc
- TCL
- TeLink Micro LLC
- Tesla
- Texas Instruments
- TietoEVRY
- TP-Link Corporation Limited
- Trane Technologies
- TUV Rheinland of North America
- Tuya Global Incorporated
- Ubilogix
- ubisys technologies GmbH
- Underwriters Laboratories
- Universal Electronics
- Velux AS
- Viessmann Elektronik GmbH
- Vimar SpA
- Vivint Smart Home
- vivo Mobile Communication Co Ltd
- Whirlpool Corporation
- WS Audiology Denmark AS
- Wyde Labs
- Wyze Labs Inc
- X-HEMISTRY Inc
- Xiaomi Communications
- Xylem Inc
- Yandex LLC
- Yo Labs Inc
- Zehnder Group Vaux Andigny
- Zuma Array Ltd
- Zumtobel Group AG
- Z-Wave Europe GmbH
- Zyax AB
What is Thread?
Thread is a big part of Matter. And it’s important to understand what it is, as well. Thread is a wireless mesh protocol that is similar to WiFi and Bluetooth. It enables seamless communication between devices. It is based on IPv6 and uses an edge router, or “border router” to connect that network to other networks like WiFi, Ethernet, and the Cloud. Basically, Thread serves as the connection between devices, while Matter is the language that those devices will use to communicate. And it sits on top of Thread, working as an application layer.
Thread apparently has “no single point of failure and include the ability to self-heal”. That is because all the devices on the network can communicate with each other as opposed to having one centralized controller like other protocols. This means that if the Leader router fails, another router will take its place in the network.
When will products that are Matter-certified be available?
So when can you get your hands on products that are Matter-certified? Well, most likely in the second half of 2022.
Originally, we were supposed to see these devices coming out in 2021, but there was a delay in the process that wouldn’t see the SDK finished nor the first device certifications occur until the first half of 2022. That means that we may not see these devices go on sale until the second half of 2022.
We might see some Matter devices announced at CES in January. But those likely won’t be available until the Summer or even later. So we still have some time to wait here.
2021-12-21 15:07:59