Matter is the name of the new connectivity standard designed by and for the smart home. A solution that we previously knew as Project CHIP (Connected Home over Internet Protocol) and that was born with the idea of unifying everything related to the internet of things, the connected home and home automation. Powered by several companies, this is a solution that you will hear a lot about and that is why it is important that you know it well. So we tell you everything you need to know.
What is Matter
Matter is the new connection standard for smart devices and was born with the intention of creating connected experiences that are much more reliable, secure and easy to manage. Both independently and together with other existing IoT solutions.
Based on the use of IP technology , Matter will allow you to connect different devices even using different types of networks that can range from WiFi networks, Bluetooth, Thread, Zigbee, Z-Wave, etc.
To achieve all this, what it does is create a common layer or language that will have all the products of the brands that have been joining the proposal since it was announced a few years ago. So that, from now on, the vast majority of smart devices that are launched and that you may want to use or need at home, the office or any other place where you are interested will be able to take advantage of the advantages that Matter offers both individually and joint.
That 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 benefit greatly from the interoperability it allows.
7 advantages of the Matter standard
As you can imagine, pushing for a new standard is not something you do on a whim. The idea or objective should always be to provide one or more significant improvements to what current solutions offer, although 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 remnants of IoT devices. So let’s see the 7 keys to Matter depending on whether you are a user or 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. These are three:
- Simplicity : this is essential so that home automation begins to be used in a massive way and Matter will allow products to be easy to buy, use and, above all, configure
- Compatibility : being able to work with devices from different brands without causing problems for the user is another benefit that Matter will provide
- Privacy : adopting solutions such as surveillance cameras, smart speakers that can hear 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 implies the development that by being simplified also helps to save
- Open source : to be 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 the 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 anything 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 (company behind Philips Hue), Ikea, Texas Instruments , Huawei, Legrand, etc.
How to recognize Matter compatible devices
All Matter-compatible devices will have the logo of the new standard clearly visible both on the box and presumably on one of the parts of the device. This logo in the shape of three arrows pointing to the same point is easy to recognize, so it will be very easy to know which devices are supported or not.
You also have to know that manufacturers like Philips and many others will launch updates for their current devices that will allow them to be used together with other Matter-compatible products. So in the face of future purchases it will be very easy to know which ones will or will not work, but that is not why you have to forget or stop buying certain products right now that will be one hundred percent operational.
Matter: questions and answers
Although it should have been clear to you by now what all this Matter 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 doubts dissipate and you know everything you need to know about the new standard.
When was Matter created?
The protocol was announced in 2019 and it was Amazon, Apple, Google and Samsung along with other important partners that drove its development. They were aware that for them to grow in everything related to the smart home, the first step had to come from their side, so everything that was configuration, use and connectivity had to be facilitated between proposals from different brands.
Is Thread the same as Matter?
They are similar, but they are not really the same. Thread is a new protocol that products like 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 allow 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 problem. The only thing you will need is that the manufacturer of your current device with these connections update their HUBs to be able to integrate them into a Matter-based installation. This has already been announced by brands such as Philips and it is most likely that the rest of here by the end of the year will also do it.
Will I have to change my current devices?
The answer should be no , but it will depend on the manufacturers themselves as we said before. If they release Firmware updates that allow them to be integrated into a Matter installation, there will be no problem. Otherwise, you will have to do something similar to what happens now if you want to have HomeKit devices together with others that are designed for Alexa or Google Assistant.
Will Matter increase the price of the products?
This is a question to which we cannot give a 100% exact answer, but it usually does not happen. On the contrary , it is possible that thanks to Matter the prices of many technology products for the connected home will lower or adjust their cost more. Because now the competition will be much greater and that is always good. Especially HomeKit users can be the most benefited, because the certified solutions were not exactly cheap when compared to the same solutions for Alexa or the Google assistant.
When will Matter hit the market?
Well, it is expected that it will be at the end of 2021 when we begin to see the first products and from 2022 a massive wave of solutions that will allow us to enjoy home automation and its advantages within the home much more.
