Matter 1.0: New smart home standard finalized available

With Matter 1.0, the Connectivity Standards Alliance releases the new smart home standard in its final form. Smart home devices from over 280 manufacturers communicate with each other in the new standard and can be used across the board. Included are Apple, Amazon, Google, Philips Hue and many more.

Matter 1.0 launches

In recent weeks, many manufacturers aligned their products with the new smart home standard. Eve Systems was already showing off its first Matter-enabled devices at IFA 2022, TP-Link Tapo announced it was joining the alliance, and the new Ikea Dirigera Hub also offers Matter support.

The responsible Connectivity Standards Alliance now officially announced the launch of Matter 1.0, which is expected to start a new era in the smart home segment. The launch of version 1.0 also marks the start of authorized test labs, while SDKs (software development kits) are expected to enable the certification of new smart home products.

Already, nearly 300 manufacturers from what is still a 550-member technology alliance support Matter, including Amazon, Apple, Comcast, Google, Samsung SmartThings, Signify and many more. Thanks to the ease of certification, there could soon be significantly more.

Easy updates to Matter possible

Above all, Matter 1.0 enables rapid certification for the new smart home standard. Manufacturers, once certified, can easily launch updates to existing solutions, making them Matter-ready.

The development of new products and solutions is also noticeably simplified by the uniform standard. Another advantage of Matter 1.0 is that systems from different manufacturers can not only be combined with each other, but also managed centrally via an app.

Matter relies primarily on Thread, a wireless standard, to integrate smart home devices. However, devices can also be integrated into the Matter network via Ethernet, WLAN or Bluetooth Low Energy.

“Matter and Thread solve interoperability and connectivity issues in smart homes so manufacturers can focus on other important innovations,” said Vividh Siddha, president of Thread Group.

Thread uses a self-improving mesh network that becomes even faster and more reliable with each new system added. Thanks to ultra-low-power technology, Thread is even said to be able to improve device battery life. Thread uses the 2.4 GHz frequency band and is said to enable ranges of up to 100 meters.

Already in the coming weeks, many manufacturers are expected to rely on Matter 1.0 and introduce new devices. Currently, members are mainly focusing on smart lighting, air conditioners, door locks and the like.