For all of us who are interested in home automation, the announcement of MatterThe new communication standard between smart devices, it was great news. At last the big mess between standards, platforms, voice assistants, etc., was going to be solved thanks to a language that would facilitate understanding between different products such as smart bulbs, switches, etc. Now we know that its release will be delayed, but it is not bad news even looking like it.
Matter is delayed until the first half of 2022
Unless you have opted for a single solution from the beginning, it is normal that you have connected devices at home that can work with different platforms such as Apple, Google or Amazon. And that is or it would be great if later in real life there weren't the communication problems that most of us know for having suffered in our own flesh.
And it is that home automation has been needing for several years now a single standard that helps to solve the existing mess between protocols and compatibilities depending on the platform and assistant that you would like to use at all times. Because if at one point you decide to bet on Alexa and later you want to switch to Siri and HomeKit, the headache you get from trying to make everything work the same may be important.
Hence when Matter was announced we all jumped for joy. Because these problems could finally end with a communication language between connected devices that would not make distinctions between platforms. Thus, if the user wanted to use Google Home together with Google Assistant, they could also do it with other options such as HomeKit and Siri or the Amazon Alexa platform without resorting to convoluted solutions like HomeBridge.
Well, although the official launch date had been set for the last quarter of this 2021 and the first products would also arrive at the end of the year, now those responsible for the development of Matter they have said that delayed to first half of 2022.
This has made many users wonder to what extent this means that the standard is already stillborn or if its delay is bad news. It is not easy to answer, but it is neither one nor the other. That is to say, that it is delayed always annoys, but the decision is well justified because they want the partners behind the project to receive a previous version.
In this way, with the previous version, correct implementation could be ensured in both current and new products. Something important, because from the beginning Matter must arrive to reinforce the idea that this is the standard that everyone must use to advance as the rest of the current options never managed to achieve.
The problem or collateral damage is that the first devices with Matter will also be delayed because you have to make sure that everything works fine from day one. But in any case, it is still great news that Matter is concerned to function optimally from the first moment it is released for use by any user.
The future of the connected home is de Matter
Without hesitation and with a clear tone: Matter is vital to the home automation market. To achieve an experience when connecting with light bulbs, switches, vacuum cleaners, speakers, locks, etc., it is vital to have effective and safe tools.
So, yes, it is bad news if you wanted to start acquiring new devices with the intention of being compatible in the future, but a delay is not a bad sign if when it arrives it does so with all the guarantees and compatibility promised.