Matter is a standard for IoT devices from Apple, Google and Amazon

Intelligent lights, thermostats, speakers, blinds and other IoT devices have already become a common part of Slovak households. Three big American software companies Apple, Google a Amazon now according to the portal CNET certified a network standard called Matterwhich is designed for these IoT household products

The Matter standard is available free of charge from the manufacturer as open source

Originally, this network protocol for IoT devices was called Connected Home over IP (abbreviated CHIP). Apple, Google, and dozens of other companies agreed two years ago to create a universal smart home protocol to connect a Manufacturer A device with a Manufacturer B device.

The new certified Matter standard is based on the same IP protocol. For data transmission, it currently supports Wi-Fi and Thread (IEEE 802.15.4) and Bluetooth Low Energy for registering a new device on the network. The protocol is being developed as open source and is available on the GitHub web service. As a result, manufacturers do not have to pay any fees for it.

Along with the new name of the standard, the Zigbee Alliance, which has so far covered hundreds of manufacturers who used the original protocol, is also changing its name. Its new name is to be the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA). The members of the CSA alliance are all major companies such as Apple, Google, Ikea, Samsung, ARM and even the Chinese Huawei.

Products with the Matter logo should guarantee mutual compatibility

The certified standard will mainly help customers. For example, when buying smart speakers such as Amazon Echo or Google Home, they will have the certainty of compatibility with other devices thanks to the Matter logo on the body of the product. The smart speaker will be easier to connect to, for example, a smart TV or other speakers to create multi-channel sound.

At the same time, the creation of the entire smart home ecosystem should be simplified, from door lock control, blinds, lights to the climate. The Matter standard is intended to guarantee reliability, flexibility and safety. Especially the last point is the most important thing for most customers when building a smart home.