Smart home groups press ahead with Matter despite slow platform support
At the CSA’s Unify conference, industry leaders said Matter is improving, though Apple, Google and Amazon still lag behind the latest spec.
By Hana Yoshida · Markets Reporter
3 min read
The smart home industry is pressing ahead with Matter, the interoperability standard meant to make connected devices work across major platforms. The push matters because buyers still face setup problems, missing features and inconsistent support four years after Apple, Google, Amazon and Samsung helped launch the effort.
At the Connectivity Standards Alliance’s Unify conference in Austin, Texas, the group announced Matter 1.6, according to The Verge. The update includes Joint Fabric, a feature intended to let one smart home network be controlled by any Matter platform.
Matter was designed as a common local language for smart home devices, using Wi-Fi, ethernet and Thread, with backing from major platform companies and device makers. The standard now covers many common product categories, including lights, locks, thermostats, robot vacuums, appliances, smoke alarms, EV chargers and security cameras, according to the CSA and The Verge.
Progress remains uneven
The Verge reported that the mood at Unify was hopeful but measured, with attendees acknowledging that Matter has not yet met its original promise. Device setup can still be unreliable, sharing devices across platforms can fail, and some functions still require manufacturers’ own apps.
Tobin Richardson, chief executive of the CSA, told The Verge that Matter is “on the path” toward the goal of buying a Matter device and using it easily on any supported platform. He said the standard still has “a few more milestones” before that experience is universal.
A major issue is the gap between the latest Matter specification and support from the biggest ecosystems. Matter 1.6 has arrived, while The Verge reported that Apple, Google and Amazon remain near Matter 1.3 support, a version released two years ago. Samsung SmartThings has pledged to adopt new Matter specs within six months, though The Verge reported that Samsung has not added Matter support to its appliances.
George Yianni, head of technology at Philips Hue, told The Verge that broad platform support within a year of new Matter features would be helpful. He also said many buyers do not study compatibility badges and expect connected products to work.
Companies point to collaboration
CSA officials and industry participants highlighted joint troubleshooting as evidence that companies remain invested in Matter. The Verge reported that engineers from several major ecosystems worked with Ikea after the retailer’s Matter-over-Thread product rollout ran into connection and reliability problems earlier this year.
According to The Verge, those engineers spent a week testing Thread border routers and identifying network-related bugs, which led Ikea to issue fixes. Jon Harros, the CSA’s head of testing and certification, told The Verge that collaboration is difficult but necessary, and cited the CSA’s interoperability lab and Matter certification work as signs of progress.
The standard also has scale behind it. The Verge reported that Matter has more than 1,200 unique certified products, while the CSA has 940 member companies, including 300 actively working on the standard. ADT has joined the CSA board of directors.
Thread, one of Matter’s wireless options, has also grown, according to Thread Group figures cited by The Verge. The group reported a 27 percent membership increase over two years, more than 1,000 certified devices and 71 certified components.
The next test is adoption by the large platforms and a simpler buying experience for consumers. Yianni told The Verge that Joint Fabric could bring Matter closer to the single-network experience many users expected, but the feature will only help if ecosystems implement it.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.