Matter 1.2 supports new device types alongside other enhancements

The Connectivity Standards Alliance has announced the release of Matter 1.2, the second update to the Matter standard.

Matter 1.2 – now available for device manufacturers and platforms – brings a slew of enhancements, including nine new device types, core specification improvements, and robust certification and testing tools.

New device types

Matter 1.2 introduces support for a range of new devices, enhancing interoperability and security. These...

24 October 2023 | Connectivity

Signify illuminates when Philips Hue will finally support Matter

Philips Hue maker Signify announced during the IFA tech show that compatibility with the Matter smart home standard will rollout this month.

The significance of this update cannot be overstated. Smart home owners have long grappled with the compatibility issues that arise when their devices cannot communicate effectively with each other.

Matter, introduced in the autumn of 2022, was designed to address this challenge by offering seamless compatibility across major smart...

1 September 2023 | Applications

Amazon’s latest Matter update unlocks Thread support

Amazon has announced a number of significant updates to its support for smart home standard Matter.

The company says it has now switched on Matter in over 100 million Echo smart speakers, the Alexa iOS app now works with the standard, and, most notably, Thread support has arrived.

Matter is a new smart home standard that was developed by a consortium of companies, including Amazon, Apple, Google, and Samsung. It is designed to make it easier for smart home devices from...

3 May 2023 | Connectivity

Matter creator CSA announces healthcare working group

The Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) has announced the creation of a working group focused on accelerating the adoption of Matter for healthcare purposes.

Matter was released by the CSA last year with the promise of providing an interoperable standard that will finally unlock the full potential of the smart home.

The CSA’s member list is nearing 600 organisations – including Apple, Google, Amazon, Huawei, Samsung, IKEA, Schneider Electric, Signify, Bosch,...

10 February 2023 | Applications

SwitchBot jumps on the Matter train with Hub 2

SwitchBot has added support for the Matter smart home standard with its new Hub 2.

Announced at this year’s CES, the Hub 2 is a WiFi-based bridge that enables SwitchBot’s popular Bluetooth devices to work with other ecosystems.

The new hub now features a simple display that shows information such as temperature and humidity in the air. However, those features are secondary to its main function.

With the Hub 2, users of SwitchBot’s devices can use the...

4 January 2023 | Applications

Smart home IoT standard Matter officially launches

Matter has officially launched with the arrival of the 1.0 release of the smart home IoT standard.

The Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) is responsible for creating, evolving, and managing the Matter standard. Today, the CSA and its members released the Matter 1.0 standard and certification program.

“What started as a mission to unravel the complexities of connectivity has resulted in Matter, a single, global IP-based protocol that will fundamentally change the...

5 October 2022 | Connectivity

Matter gets closer to becoming the ubiquitous smart home standard

Matter is getting closer to becoming the ubiquitous standard for the smart home with two big updates from Apple and Google.

From Apple, we saw the release of the iOS and iPadOS 16.1 developer betas bring a new option for “Matter Accessories” in the Settings for each operating system:

Apple first announced that iOS 16 would support Matter back at WWDC, but now we’re beginning to see the first signs of real-world integration.

Selecting the new option...

15 September 2022 | Connectivity

IKEA announces Matter-ready smart home hub

IKEA is ramping up its smart home ambitions with the launch of a Matter-ready hub.

Many IoT standards have come and gone over the years. Most of these standards have promised interoperability to break down barriers but consumers have still ended up being left with numerous hubs to support their various products.

Matter promises to change that. The royalty-free standard was launched and introduced by Amazon, Apple, Google, Comcast, and the Zigbee Alliance. With that kind...

25 May 2022 | Connectivity

Samsung SmartThings adds support for the Matter protocol

Samsung’s smart home platform SmartThings has added support for the industry-changing Matter protocol.

Matter is a new IoT standard that’s backed by more than 180 companies (even Apple!) and is guided by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (formerly Zigbee Alliance) whose members span various industries.

Michelle Mindala-Freeman, Head of Marketing for the Connectivity Standards Alliance, said:

“We truly believe that Matter is the foundation and future of...

28 October 2021 | Consumer IoT & Wearables

Samsung’s IoT platform SmartThings now supports edge computing

Samsung’s IoT platform SmartThings now supports edge computing to improve home automation.

Edge computing enables more core functionality to be processed locally. For the end-user, that means tasks are executed faster, more reliably, and with greater security.

In a blog post, the SmartThings team wrote:

“While users will not see a change within the SmartThings app, on the backend, SmartThings Edge is transforming connectivity and the experience in a...

20 August 2021 | Edge Computing