Matter is the name of the new connectivity standard designed for smart homes. Previously known as Project CHIP (Connected Home over Internet Protocol), this solution aims to unify everything related to the Internet of Things, connected homes, and home automation. Backed by several companies, this is a solution you'll be hearing a lot about, so it's important to understand it well. Here's everything you need to know.
What is Matter?
Matter is the new connectivity standard for smart devices , designed to create much more reliable, secure, and easy-to-manage connected experiences, both independently and alongside other existing IoT solutions.
Based on the use of IP technology , Matter will allow different devices to connect even when using different types of networks, which can range from WiFi, Bluetooth, Thread, Zigbee, Z-Wave, etc.
To achieve all this, what it does is create a layer or common language that all the products of the brands that have been joining the proposal will have since it was announced a few years ago. So, starting right now, the vast majority of smart devices that are released that you might want to use or need at home, the office, or anywhere else you're interested will be able to take advantage of Matter both individually and on their own. joint.
This also means that the catalogs for the different home automation platforms that exist right now will grow. For example, thanks to the support that Google, Amazon and Apple are giving to this new standard, their respective solutions powered by Alexa, Google Assistant and HomeKit will greatly benefit from the interoperability that it allows.
7 benefits of the Matter standard
As you can imagine, driving a new standard is not something that is done on a whim. The idea or objective should always be to bring one or more significant improvements to what current solutions offer, even if sometimes they are only related to allowing greater scaling as the number of devices grows.
In this case, Matter not only offers benefits for its growth, but also other advantages aimed at both the consumer and the developers of all this type of home automation solutions and remains of IoT devices. So let's see the 7 keys to Matter depending on whether you are a user or a developer.
The benefits of Matter for the user
At the user level, the main benefits of Matter are related to ease of use, something important to eliminate the current barriers that prevent or discourage many people from entering the world of home automation and the connected home. This is three:
- Ease: this is essential for home automation to begin to be used on a massive scale and Matter is going to make products easy to buy, use and above all configure
- Compatibility: Being able to work with devices from different brands without implying problems for the user is another of the benefits that Matter will bring
- Privacy policy: adopting solutions such as surveillance cameras, smart speakers that can listen to what we say, locks, etc., require a high level of privacy and security so that you trust the most precious thing you have. That will also be offered by Matter
The benefits of Matter for the developer
For developers and device manufacturers, Matter will also provide advantages and they are the following:
- Unified application layer: This allows developers to reduce both the cost and everything that development involves, which by being simplified also helps to save
- Open source: being an open source project, the developer community will be able to progressively make improvements and that will streamline all processes
- IP security: by using standard and open source security algorithms it will also be much easier to apply measures that protect the security of applications and the users themselves
- development speed: thanks to the use of technologies that have already been tested by others, the power to develop different solutions in less time will be possible and that will give more opportunities by not having to create practically nothing from scratch. Existing knowledge and implementations will be leveraged
Who is behind Matter
Behind Matter there are a large number of companies ranging from some of the most important in the technology sector such as Apple, Amazon, Google or Samsung and other very popular manufacturers such as Signify (the company behind Philips Hue), Ikea, Texas Instruments ,Huawei,Legrand,etc.
How to recognize Matter compatible devices
All Matter-compatible devices will have the new standard's logo clearly visible on the box and presumably on the device itself. This logo, shaped like three arrows pointing in the same direction, is easily recognizable, making it simple to identify which devices support it.
You also have to know that manufacturers like Philips and many others will release updates for their current devices that will allow them to be used together with other Matter-compatible products. So for future purchases it will be very easy to know which ones will not work, but that is not why you have to forget or stop buying right now certain products that will be one hundred percent operational.
Matter: questions and answers
Although it should have been clear to you by now what this Matter thing is, a series of common questions and answers that may be going through your head right now. In this way, and in a much more schematic way, we hope that the doubts will dissipate and you will know everything you need to know about the new standard.
When was Matter created?
The protocol was announced in 2019 , and its development was driven by Amazon, Apple, Google, and Samsung, along with other major partners. They understood that for growth in the smart home sector, the first step had to come from them, so they needed to simplify setup, usage, and connectivity between different brands' offerings.
Is Thread the same as Matter?
They are similar, but they are not really the same. Thread is a new protocol that products such as Apple's HomePod mini among many others already offer and facilitate this connection between devices. Still, that doesn't guarantee interoperability between products like Matter does.
To be more precise, Thread is one of the protocols that Matter will use to enable the connection and interoperability of different devices.
What about Zigbee, Z-Waver or even Bluetooth?
In the future , all these solutions will disappear , but for now, they will coexist with Matter without any problems. All you'll need is for the manufacturer of your current device with these connections to update their hubs so they can be integrated into a Matter-based system. Brands like Philips have already announced this, and it's very likely that the rest will follow suit by the end of the year.
Will I have to change my current devices?
The answer should be no , but it will depend on the manufacturers themselves, as we mentioned before. If they release firmware updates that allow integration into a Matter installation, there won't be any problem. Otherwise, you'll have to do something similar to what you do now if you want to have HomeKit devices alongside others designed for Alexa or Google Assistant.
Will Matter increase the price of products?
This is a question we can't answer with absolute certainty, but it's unlikely to happen. On the contrary , thanks to Matter, the prices of many smart home products may decrease or become more competitive. This is because competition will now be much greater, which is always a good thing. HomeKit users, in particular, could benefit the most, as certified solutions weren't exactly cheap compared to similar solutions for Alexa or Google Assistant.
When will Matter hit the market?
It is expected that we will start to see the first products at the end of 2021 , and then from 2022 onwards a massive wave of solutions that will allow us to enjoy home automation and its advantages much more within the home.