Matter: all you need to know about the smart home standard

Matter wants to make smart homes better. All major manufacturers support the new standard, which will be available at the end of 2022 in the form of first devices with corresponding support.

What is Matter?

Strictly speaking, Matter is more of a transmission protocol than a connection standard. Matter creates the basis for communication with and between devices. Control and automation in a smart home will continue to run via systems such as Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Home or Samsung SmartThings. So Matter won’t change anything about the user interface or voice control you’re so familiar with.

Matter is expected to replace radio standards such as Zigbee or Z-Wave in particular. With Matter, control commands are IP-based. Matter also integrates the new networking standard Thread and Low Energy Bluetooth via LAN cables or Wi-Fi in the corresponding network. Commands to and from Matter devices don’t travel over the Internet. In other words, controlling a smart home should be possible even if your Internet connection fails. However, manufacturers can still build cloud connectivity into their devices.

Who’s behind Matter?

At the end of 2019, Amazon, Apple, Google, Samsung and the Zigbee Alliance, among others, launched the «Connected Home over IP» project. The initiative quickly had almost 300 members, with around 2,000 engineers and software developers working on it. It now operates under the name Connectivity Standards Alliance, abbreviated CSA. This was followed in May 2021 by the debut of «Matter» as a name and initial definitions of the standard, which manufacturers could use to begin work on products.

Finally, Matter 1.0 was released in early October 2022. First manufacturers announced products with Matter or software updates for already sold products, which are still to be released in 2022. Google, for example, has already added Matter to its Home app and introduced the Nest Wi-Fi Pro – shown in the lead image – as a router with Matter support.

This means that there will hardly be any way around Matter for new smart home gadgets in the future.

What advantages does Matter offer users?

In the shortest possible terms, Matter offers easier setup and more security.

With Matter, you no longer need a manufacturer’s app to set up your smart home device. This works directly via control systems such as Apple HomeKit or Google Home. QR codes on the products further facilitate setup. If you scan them with your smartphone’s camera, the appropriate app will open in the right place. However, manufacturer apps will probably continue to exist – especially for functions that go beyond the scope of Matter.

Matter also increases security. For devices to be considered Matter-enabled, they have to meet minimum requirements: for example, they must encrypt any communication. In addition, hackers should no longer be able to impersonate smart home devices and thus eavesdrop on communications within a network.

Matter, like cryptocurrencies, relies on blockchain technology. Here, data is stored in unchanging chains. At Matter, this is used to store device certification and software updates in a tamper-proof manner, making them traceable. In addition to identifying the devices, this should make hacks using fake software updates impossible.

Will Matter also come to old devices?

It’s theoretically possible to retrofit existing devices with Matter via a software update. However, devices must meet minimum memory and processor performance requirements for manufacturers to update.

Another important requirement for a Matter update: the devices must support an IP transport layer such as Wi-Fi or LAN. This means that pure Z-Wave or Zigbee devices are out.

Will previous smart home gadgets become e-waste?

No, you can still use them. As mentioned, controls will continue via the smart home systems that are already in place now. In addition, manufacturers can update many of their existing devices to Matter. If this isn’t the case, the gadget will still remain functional. Its setup will simply remain more complicated and operation won’t be as safe.