What is the Matter wireless standard? Why is it important for the future of the smart home?

Matter is the common universal language for smart home devices. It is designed to simplify everything related to the smart home, from purchasing devices to setting them up and using them on a daily basis. The new standard promises what almost every smart home owner wants – interoperability of smart devices from different manufacturers, regardless of platform or ecosystem.

This means that there will be no more should pay attention to whether the smart device has the label “Works with Google Home, Alexa, HomeKit …”. In theory, devices supporting the Matter standard would work with everyone and be part of many at the same time. of different platforms. Smart lights, key fobs, household appliances, garage doors, for example, could be controlled with Siri, Alexa or Google Assistant. Its potential could be fully exploited by multi-platform smart homes. You might swear by the latest Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, your son by the Xiaomi 13 Pro, and your partner by the iPhone 14 Pro Max. Regardless of the device brand, in theory all members of the household could operate any Matter device.

What may be even more important for some is the ability to operate on the user's local network, which would contribute to better security and privacy (a similar level of security to a virtual LAN), as well as faster response and operation devices. This means that the latency or delay would be almost imperceptible. Smart lights should turn on as quickly as if you turned them on with a physical switch. Operation on a local network means that the devices would work even in the event of a possible Internet outage.

Standard Matter still works on selected devices. Photo: CSA

What is Matter?

Matter is an interoperability standard designed to solve many of today's smart home headaches. It is developed under the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) consortium, and it features famous names such as Apple, Google, Amazon, Samsung, LG, Nanoleaf, TP-Link and many others. This unimaginable support is one of the reasons why the smart community is betting big that the new standard will succeed and revolutionize the smart home.

Matter is often mistaken for a new protocol, but it is the language that devices will use to communicate with each other. Matter will use existing protocols such as Thread to connect devices with low power consumption and low bandwidth. For devices with higher bandwidth, such as cameras, it will use Wi-Fi or Ethernet.

The latest smart standard will be integrated into more and more smart home platforms from now on, including: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings and Apple Home. This means that manufacturers will not need to certify each platform separately. It will be enough to be certified for the Matter standard, which will work with all the listed platforms. What will differentiate them may be additional features or a deeper level of automation.

When does Matter come out?

The CSA Consortium released the latest standard to the public in the fall of 2022. As stated, it is supported by all major smart home platforms. The number of devices that support Matter is still relatively small for now. At CES 2023, they presented or announced a larger number of supported devices, so we expect 2023 to be a good year for the smart home. Many existing smart devices will also be able to receive Matter certification through updates.

Which devices are and will be compatible?

Matter 1.0, i.e. the first version of the standard, supports only a few categories of smart home devices. Functionality is also basic: power off/on, lock/unlock … Support for advanced features like dynamic lighting effects, adaptive lighting, power management … should come with next generations. For now, you'll have to rely on existing smart platforms for advanced features, provided such features are supported of course.

Matter currently supports the following categories of devices: light bulbs and switches, plugs, locks, thermostats, blinds and shades, motion sensors, TVs and media players, bridges, wireless access points.

Devices that consume more of energy, such as household appliances, should be supported by the spring update of the standard, according to the CSA. At the same time, the following will receive support:

• security cameras, smoke detectors,
• garage door control sensors,
• energy management systems, room motion detection,
• environmental quality controllers.

What do you need to start using?

Matter controller. To add and control devices, you'll need a dedicated Matter controller and a companion app for the smart home platform. Unlike the typical bridges and hubs you're used to from different manufacturers, Matter controllers are not tied to a single brand. As long as the controller is certified to use the Matter standard, you will be able to control all supported devices.

The main task of the controller is the inclusion of devices in the home network, taking care of communication, control of devices, their automation and the possibility of remote access. The controller must therefore always be in your home, connected to electricity and connected via Wi-Fi or Ethernet.

Matter controllers are already built into some hubs and smart speakers, such as Apple HomePod Mini, Apple TV 4K, HomePod 1st and 2nd generation, Google Nest Hub, Amazon Echo, Samsung hub SmartThings and more.

The Matter controller requires a mobile app to add devices and manage automation. Some applications and mobile operating systems have already become controllers in their own right. Support for Matter is built into the latest versions of iOS and Android, most and manufacturers have already announced that their smartphone apps will become Matter controllers in the future. Since you probably won't leave your smartphone or tablet at home, you'll still need a separate controller. Especially if you want to use Thread devices.

To use Thread devices, you will need Thread border routers. Photo: Thread

Thread border router

The main protocols through which Matter communicates are Ethernet, Wi-Fi and Thread. Matter controllers take care of connecting via Wi-Fi and Ethernet, and if you have devices that support the Thread protocol and you want to connect them to the Matter controller, you will need a Thread border router. The good news is that some Matter controllers are also Thread border routers. Before buying, check if it is a two-in-one device.

So far we have not clearly defined what a Thread is. It is a wireless protocol with low energy consumption and low latency that creates a robust mesh network. More the more Thread devices you have, the better the reach and reliability of the network, because it is enough that each device in the Thread network is able to communicate with the nearest Thread device. The protocol operates on the same 2.4-GHz spectrum as the Zigbee protocol. Similar to Zigbee, Thread is designed for low-power devices: sensors, bulbs, plugs …

The difference between the two protocols is primarily in connectivity. Thread relies on IPv6, which means that supported devices can communicate with the Internet. Zigbee devices need #141 nodes for this. Thread is also open source and can boast of lower latency. Like the Matter standard, the Thread protocol is in theory compatible with all major platforms.

Thread border routers do not require a wired internet connection. Constant power supply and wireless Wi-Fi are enough. Which means that (unlike classic bridges and hubs) it can be almost any device, from smart lights to a thermostat or speaker. In the future, we can expect Wi-Fi routers to be Thread border routers at the same time.

Can your existing smart devices use Matter?

Certain smart devices that you actively use in your home will receive software updates for Matter compatibility. Zigbee devices can be connected to Matter via existing nodes. Devices that cannot receive subsequent support due to software or hardware limitations will continue to operate on existing platforms and protocols.

What about security and privacy?

The two biggest concerns when setting up a smart home are interoperability and privacy. Matter is supposed to eliminate the first, but what about the second? CSA says that device security is their fundamental principle. "We use specific industry-standard encryption technology and every device is verified before it joins the network," says Michelle Mindala-Freeman, CSA's marketing manager. "Every message is secured on the network and Matter supports secure updates."

As for personal data - this will continue to depend on the user and device manufacturers. However, CSA says its privacy practices include reducing the amount of data shared between device interactions with the Matter standard.