At launch, Matter will work with smart light bulbs and switches, smart plugs, smart door locks, thermostats and HVAC controls, connected shades, and sensors. It will also work with a handful of media devices, including TVs and soundbars. The list of participating companies and alliance members reads like a who’s who in smart home tech, with big names such as Amazon, Google, Apple, Samsung, Philips Hue, Eve, Aqara, Nanoleaf, Schneider and more on board. The CSA has said that it will add support for smart security cameras in the future.
It’s worth noting that despite its big name backing, Matter will not replace any existing platforms and ecosystems, but will work alongside them to control compatible devices through the same apps. It’s called Multi-Admin, and allows you to use any app, ecosystem or voice assistant to control your Matter devices. In fact, the four big platforms — Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa and Samsung SmartThings — have all already pledged to support it. TP-Link’s Tapo app and the upcoming Wiser and Aqara apps are among the other ecosystems to have committed to offering Matter support in their existing products. The big four also all have existing hubs, smart speakers and digital displays that will act as Matter controllers. In addition, a number of bridges and hubs from manufacturers such as GE and Yale are expected to become Matter controllers too.
Will my current smart device support Matter?
If you have a device that uses Wi-Fi, ethernet or Thread to communicate with other devices, it could potentially become Matter compatible in the future through an over-the-air firmware update. Wi-Fi and Thread use mesh networks, so they’re well suited for battery-powered smart home devices. The other two options are more restrictive and require a hub.
Wi-Fi-only smart devices can become Matter compatible if the manufacturer adds a Matter-ready Wi-Fi radio. That’s likely to happen for many popular smart lights and plugs from major brands in the coming months. The same goes for some smart locks and other devices that rely on an external hub. The Z-Wave Alliance is pushing solutions to bridge existing Zigbee devices into Matter, and both Philips Hue and Aqara have promised to update their existing bridges to do this.
The more difficult to upgrade will be smart security systems, which don’t support Matter at the moment. The CSA has said that it will introduce support for them in the future, but that timeline is unclear at this point. That could be an issue for some homeowners, especially given that the biggest security brands — such as Nest and Samsung’s SmartThings Home Monitor and Alarm products — haven’t signed on to support Matter. Crestron, which is one of the largest smart home system integrators and provides a professional platform for installers to build systems, hasn’t weighed in on whether it will support Matter, either. It has previously been vocal about the need for a proper smart home operating system that provides installers and technology integrators with a set of tools to document, troubleshoot and deploy large-scale systems. matter residences
