Matter now supports your fridge, dishwasher and other domestic kit

by Jonny Evans · October 23, 2023

Back in the bad old days of yesterday, the Matter standard only supported smaller smart devices such as lights and window alarms. Now this has changed with the release of Matter 1.2, which adds support for vacuums, refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers, and other devices to the mix.

The Apple and Matter connection

For Apple users, Matter matters because it lets a vast forest of connected household devices integrate far more easily with HomeKit and Siri. Apple was famously among the big consumer electronics companies to get involved in development of the standard years before it got christened Matter. The standard properly hit the industry in early 2023 and a wide range of devices are now available that support it.

What the Matter people say

Announcing the news, the Connectivity Standards Alliance said: “Since the release of Matter 1.0 a little more than a year ago, we’ve seen real growth and progress, with over 24,600 downloads of the spec,1,214 certifications, nearly 24% growth in the number of companies who have joined the Matter Working Group, and a new Alliance Interoperability Test Facility.”

Additional improvements in Matter 1.2

The group claims hundreds of millions of devices now support the standard, before explaining which devices it now supports. The full list and explanation is at the end of the article, but the release also updates a few other things. For example, latch and door locks are now better supported in Europe, the icons that show devices has been improve, and the introduction of semantic tags makes for better interoperability.

CSA also promised more to come, including two new updates in 2024 and the introduction of an array of Matter-enabled products and more.

“Teams of engineers and product leaders from hundreds of global technology brands are actively working on future device types, features, and use cases while solving challenging technical problems and enhancing the overall experience for consumers and developers,” they said.

Nine New Device Types gain Matter support

“We are adding support for nine new device types in Matter 1.2, bringing new layers of interoperability, simplicity, reliability, and security while unlocking new use cases and features for the future.

“The new device types supported in Matter 1.2 include:

Refrigerators– Beyond basic temperature control and monitoring, this device type is also applicable to other related devices like deep freezers and even wine and kimchi fridges.
Room Air Conditioners– While HVAC and thermostats were already part of Matter 1.0, stand alone Room Air Conditioners with temperature and fan mode control are now supported.
Dishwashers– Basic functionality is included, like remote start and progress notifications. Dishwasher alarms are also supported, covering operational errors such as water supply and drain, temperature, and door lock errors.
Laundry Washers– Progress notifications, such as cycle completion, can be sent via Matter. Dryers will be supported in a future Matter release.
Robotic Vacuums– Beyond the basic features like remote start and progress notifications, there is support for key features like cleaning modes (dry vacuum vs wet mopping) and additional status details (brush status, error reporting, charging status).
Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarms– These alarms will support notifications and audio and visual alarm signaling. Additionally, there is support for alerts about battery status and end-of-life notifications. These alarms also support self-testing. Carbon monoxide alarms support concentration sensing, as an additional data point.
Air Quality Sensors– Supported sensors can capture and report on: PM1, PM 2.5, PM 10, CO₂, NO₂, VOC, CO, Ozone, Radon, and Formaldehyde. Furthermore, the addition of the Air Quality Cluster enables Matter devices to provide AQI information based on the device’s location.
Air Purifiers– Purifiers utilize the Air Quality Sensor device type to provide sensing information and also include functionality from other device types like Fans (required) and Thermostats (optional). Air purifiers also include consumable resource monitoring, enabling notifications on filter status (both HEPA and activated carbon filters are supported in 1.2).
Fans–Matter 1.2 includes support for fans as a separate, certifiable device type. Fans now support movements like rock/oscillation and new modes like natural wind and sleep wind. Additional enhancements include the ability to change the airflow direction (forward and reverse) and step commands to change the speed of airflow.”