We’re getting our first look at Matter devices today, and here’s what’s coming next
The CSA is hosting an event in Amsterdam this week to celebrate the launch of the new smart home standard Matter. | Illustration: The VergeMatter was finally released last month, and now, we are getting our first look at...
JaneWalter
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24087548/STK138_Matter_K_Radtke_01.jpg)
Matter was finally released last month, and now, we are getting our first look at the devices that will work with the new smart home interoperability standard. At a Matter launch event in Amsterdam hosted by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), the organization announced that over 190 products are now certified or close to gaining certification in the first Matter categories. These include smart lighting, smart plugs, smart thermostats, smart shades, smart sensors, and smart locks. That’s a relatively small number in the infinite pool of smart home devices, but it's a good start.
Today, the CSA announced four new device categories that are coming next, in addition to cameras, home appliances, robot vacuums, and more advanced energy management categories already announced. These are garage door controllers and electronic gates, environmental quality sensors and controls (such as indoor air quality monitors and air purifiers), smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and ambient motion and presence sensing.
What is Matter?
Matter is a new smart home interoperability standard that provides a common language for smart home devices to communicate locally in your home without relying on a cloud connection. It uses Wi-Fi and Thread wireless protocols and, at launch, will include smart sensors, smart lighting, smart plugs and switches, smart thermostats, connected locks, and media devices including TVs.
All this means that if a smart home device you buy has the Matter logo on it, you should be able to set it up and use it with any Matter-compatible device and in any Matter-compatible platform. Matter-compatible devices should start to become available toward the end of this year.
Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, and Apple Home are some of the big smart home platforms signed on to support Matter, and we expect to see updates arriving on these platforms over the coming months.
Ambient sensing is using technology like Wi-Fi mesh, ultrasound sensing, and motion detection in cameras to trigger automations based on presence rather than just occupancy (which is already part of Matter). Tobin Richardson, president of the CSA, told The Verge they expect to update the Matter spec with new features and additional device types every six months or so. That means we should see the next update around March 2023.
At the event, companies including Amazon, Samsung, Philips Hue, WiZ, Somfy, Eve Systems, Mui Lab, and Nanoleaf are scheduled to demo their products working with Matter. Look for some hands-on reports from the show floor later today.
We can also expect to see products from Assa Abloy (owner of Yale and August), GE Lighting, LG Electronics, Schlage, and Sengled on shelves sometime soon, as they were all part of a Specification Validation Event (SVE) before the launch of Matter, according to the CSA. That means they have products that are Matter-ready and can now get these devices certified and into your hands.
