Matter, the smart home standard created by Apple, Google, Amazon, and Samsung, is finally gaining traction, two years after its inception.

Matter is a common language for your smart home that makes purchasing, configuring, and utilizing linked devices easier. You shouldn’t have to worry about if this smart lock and that lightbulb pair with your smart speaker or phone when you use Matter. Any smart home platform or gadget that supports Matter should also function with it.

All of the Matter-compatible products that are currently available for purchase are included in this article, along with information on how they will function in your smart home. We also provide details about how to get started with Matter-compatible smart home platforms. We’ll update this as soon as more details become available.

 

What is Matter?

 

If you’re not familiar with Matter, read my in-depth analysis here: “Matter’s plan to save the smart home.” Here’s a brief synopsis:

Prominent companies in the smart home space, such as Amazon, Apple, Google, and Samsung, developed the new standard known as Matter. These and hundreds of other companies are developing and supporting it. Matter is an open connection protocol that lets manufacturers create products that adhere to a single standard while yet functioning inside any ecosystem. It facilitates simpler, more secure, and more dependable communications between IOT devices.

Put otherwise, a smart device that is compatible with Matter can be used with any platform that is compatible with Matter, such as Apple Home, Google Home, or Amazon Alexa. Additionally, it may be linked to several platforms and controlled concurrently from within them with your preferred voice assistant or iOS or Android devices. Thus, you and your roommate can both operate your smart lights if you have an iPhone and they have a Google Pixel.

Both Wi-Fi and Thread, a low-power, low-bandwidth mesh networking protocol created especially for smart home devices, are used locally by Matter in addition to Ethernet. Turning on your smart lights should be just as quick as flipping a light switch because it doesn’t require a cloud connection. It’s just more handy. Additionally, security is ingrained in Matter, so purchasing linked gadgets will give you greater peace of mind.

Read my explainer, “What Matters about Matter,” for more information on how Matter will integrate with each smart home platform, what you’ll need to get started with Matter, and how Matter operates.

The current state of Matter

With a few significant exceptions, Matter now supports the majority of device types you could want to employ in your smart home, as of the May 2024 release of the most recent specification. Additionally, energy management—a strong argument for connecting your gadgets if you want to cut costs and consume less energy—is now included in the standard. Even though it might take some time for general adoption, this is a significant milestone for Matter.

But just because you created it doesn’t guarantee that others will visit. The foundation for a smarter house is provided by Matter, but as of August 2024, very few manufacturers had integrated support for the standard into their products. Furthermore, not all major platforms support every sort of device, even though they all support some.
Cameras and home security systems are currently not supported by Matter, and although energy management will be a fantastic feature when it is put into place, water heaters and heat pumps—which are crucial for reducing energy consumption—are not yet standard.

Matter’s feature support for certain device types is still limited; for example, Matter does not support smart lighting features like dynamic light scenes or adaptive lighting, nor can you add a PIN to door locks that are connected to it. In certain smart homes, thread border routers continue to be a pain, and Matter’s highly anticipated Multi-Admin feature—which ought to enable you to manage your devices on whichever platform you choose—is still erratic.

Because of all of this, Matter isn’t yet ready to be the primary method for connecting every gadget in your smart home, and it will take some time before it is suitable for widespread use. However, if you’re excited to get going and experience some of the anticipated advantages in your own smart home, such as enhanced device security, local control, and the ability to operate your devices with any smart home platform of your choice, then continue reading to learn everything you need to know about what functions with Matter as of right now.

Device types supported by Matter
As of August 2024, the Matter spec supports the following device types:

Implemented

These device types are in the Matter spec and are currently supported by some or all Matter-compatible platforms.
⦁ Air purifiers
⦁ Air quality sensors
⦁ Blinds and shades
⦁ Bridges (for bridging other protocols, such as Zigbee)
⦁ Door locks
⦁ Fans
⦁ Light bulbs and light switches (including smart buttons)
⦁ Plugs and outlets
⦁ Robot vacuums
⦁ Room air conditioners (i.e., window units)
⦁ Safety and security sensors (motion, contact)
⦁ Televisions and media devices
⦁ Thermostats and other HVAC controllers

Announced

Although these device types have been included in the Matter specification, none of the platforms presently support them, and/or there aren’t any devices in these categories that can be purchased.
⦁ Refrigerators / Freezers
⦁ Washing machines
⦁ Water management devices — leak and frost detectors, rain sensors, controllable valves
⦁ Smoke and CO alarms
⦁ Microwave ovens
⦁ Dryers
⦁ Dishwashers
⦁ Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment
You will have the same controls whether you use a device with Apple Home or Amazon Alexa because Matter supports the majority of device types for fundamental functions. Smart home platforms have the ability to add functionality to Matter, and for capabilities that Matter does not support, such assigning PINs to smart locks, mapping for robot vacuums, and dynamic lighting settings for smart lights, you might need to utilize the manufacturer’s app.

 

According to the Connectivity Standards Alliance, its roadmap includes support for Wi-Fi routers, access points, ambient motion and presence sensors, security cameras, and garage door controls. Additional functionality for current device kinds are also being developed.

Smart home devices that work with Matter

Products that are compatible with Matter will have a Matter QR code on the device and a Matter logo on the box. The only exceptions are devices that are already in use and can be added to Matter using a proprietary hub or bridge (like Philips Hue lighting) as well as devices that have received over-the-air firmware updates.

You will need a Matter controller and a smart home platform that supports Matter in order to use Matter devices. You can learn more about the platforms that support Matter here, and we’ve included information about controllers at the end of this post.

Let’s move on to the exciting thing about gadgets. These are all the goods that Matter is currently supported by.

 

Smart door locks

 

 

Through Matter, all the major platforms support smart door locks; however, at present, only a small number of locks are compatible with the standard. The reason for this is that the Matter spec does not support battery-powered devices that connect over Wi-Fi, and the majority of smart locks use Wi-Fi.

The most important thing to remember is that if you use a lock through Matter, the only support you can be sure of is being able to lock and unlock it. I’ve written more about the supported Matter locks here. Adding PINs is one of those features that depends on what the platform you are using supports. PINs are supported by Apple Home and SmartThings via Matter, but not by Google and Amazon Alexa.

 

 

 

 

Smart thermostats and heating / cooling / air purifying equipment

 

The Nest Thermostat (2020), which is compatible with standard HVAC systems in the US, is the sole thermostat that supports Matter as of now; the reason for this lack of availability is unclear. On August 20, Google’s Nest Learning Thermostat (4th generation) will be available and compatible with Matter.

Ecobee informed me that while it is dedicated to Matter, it has not yet disclosed when their thermostats will be compatible with the standard. When they do, you should expect an over-the-air upgrade, according to the firm, so if you’re itching to replace your Ecobee, wait.

 

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