Matter Residences is a new smart home standard designed to reduce the number of apps and cloud services you need for your devices to play nicely together. It’s built on top of existing protocols, including Wi-Fi and Thread, and uses your local network rather than the cloud for communications and automation. That means your smart plug and lock will be able to talk directly to each other without needing to go through your smartphone’s app first. You’ll also be able to control them with Apple, Google and Alexa voice commands as well as Samsung’s Bixby.
Matter controllers are the brains behind your smart home, managing communication between devices and automations. They can be a smart speaker or router like the Amazon Echo Show and Nest Hub Max, or a digital display or smart TV from the likes of Nanoleaf, LG and Samsung. Then there are the bridges and hubs you might already own, from manufacturers such as Aqara, Philips Hue and eWelink.
The list of partners that support Matter’s initial 1.0 specification reads like a who’s who of the smart home tech world. The biggest players — including Amazon, Google, Apple, Samsung, Legrand and a host of smaller manufacturers like Veea, Switchbot, Aqara, MicroEJ and Roborock — all have commitments to add support.
Some smart devices will require a hardware upgrade to become Matter-compatible, such as Yale’s locks or Eve Systems’ smart plugs. But other than that, you should be able to get Matter working with your current gear with an over-the-air update from the manufacturer. matter residences