Do you sometimes wonder why some devices in your smart home do not work with others? Matter, a new smart home connectivity standard, is here to fix this. It will be a unifying factor so that devices in a smart home can work seamlessly together.
What is Matter?
Matter is anything that has mass and takes up space. Scratch-that! In this context, Matter is a smart home interoperability protocol invented by the joint effort of some of the biggest industry players such as; Google, Apple, Amazon, etc.
It is an open-source connectivity protocol that leverages existing technologies such as Thread, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and ethernet to allow all the devices in a smart home to communicate with each other impeccably.
The objective of Matter is to be an interactive protocol that ensures that smart home devices can work faultlessly across different ecosystems. For example, Matter will make sure that an Amazon Echo should work seamlessly with a Google Nest Hub the same way it would with Philips Hue White LED lights.
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How Matter will Work
Matter will provide a standard platform that manufacturers can use as a connectivity protocol for their devices. From a customer’s perspective, you could have a motion sensor trigger your smart lights, even though they’re from different manufacturers. Consumers won’t have to seek devices from one particular ecosystem. A retailer can now feel confident that all smart home products in their store are compatible despite the manufacturer.
The protocol will come with IP-based technology to ensure there is no dependency on bridges or hubs. For a start, as Matter is adopted, it will work with existing IP technologies, like Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. If you are worried about buying new devices that support Matter, that might not be the case. Instead, manufacturers are likely to send out updates with support for Matter.
With Matter, devices will not need the internet to function. Your smart sensors can trigger your smart lights with or without the internet, and this is because the Protocol will work with technologies such as Ethernet and Bluetooth.
A major hindrance in the use of smart home tech has been that devices don’t always like talking to each other. Matter wants to change that. Since it is an open-source code, those who want to dig into it can find it all on GitHub.
Do you think Matter matters? What are your expectations from this smart home connectivity standard? Please share with us your thoughts in the comments section.
