Apple-backed Matter smart home standard delayed

Look out for this branding on smart stuff

Apple is working with the Connectivity Standards Alliance to introduce Matter, a standard for smart devices that is interoperable across systems and devices from different manufacturers. Matter had been expected to arrive last year, but this was delayed into spring and has now been delayed once again by the group.

What is happening?

In a blog announcing the delay the CSA explains the need to get the standard right. It also points out some of the group’s achievements so far. One major one is that there are now over 130 devices and sensors that will be Matter-certified once the standard ships.

All the same, things aren’t quite ready and the people behind Matter have decided to take additional time before publishing the standard to extend testing and validation. The focus of this work will be on code quality, stability and ‘clean-up’.

The work will also see the group engage in the “build and verification of more than 16 development platforms (OS’s and chipsets) so that Matter will launch with a healthy supply chain of compatible platforms to support new Matter devices, apps, and ecosystems.”

Eve will introduce Matter support across its range when the standard ships

What this means to the launch

While this will have the effect of pushing the public launch of Matter 1.0 by a few months, we’ll be launching with a larger pipeline of Matter-enabled devices, and a robust supply chain of development platforms for more devices to come.

Matter v.1.0 will now launch in fall.

What is Matter?

The proliferation of connected objects suffers the big challenge that disconnected platforms and disparate development paths have caused confusion for consumers and complicated processes for developers and innovators. The group wants these things to interoperate better, which is what Matter is all about.

Matter makes it easier for device manufacturers to build devices, and to ensure they are compatible with smart home and voice services such as Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s HomeKit with Siri, Google’s Assistant, SmartThings, and others.

Matter is a unified IP-based connectivity protocol that aims to deliver interoperable, secure IoT ecosystems.

The first specification release of the Matter protocol will run on existing networking technologies such as Ethernet (802.3), Wi-Fi (802.11), and Thread (802.15.4) and for ease of commissioning, Bluetooth Low Energy.

Who is involved

Amazon, Apple, Comcast, Google, SmartThings, and the Connectivity Standards Alliance came together in 2019 to develop and promote this new standard, joined by fellow Alliance board member companies IKEA, Legrand, NXP Semiconductors, Resideo, Schneider Electric, Signify, Silicon Labs, Somfy and Wulian.

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