Does it matter yet?

A realistic roundup of what today’s Matter launch means for your smart home

190 devices are certified, but few are available just yet.

Kevin Purdy – Nov 3, 2022 2:31 pm | 107

Companies like Nanoleaf have products coming soon with Matter support, but your ability to actually integrate them into any system, using any phone, is still a hazy promise.

It’s not too often that there’s an international launch event for an interoperability standard with a nearly 900-page spec manual. But there are big hopes pinned to Matter, an industry-wide effort to make smart home devices easier to shop for and set up without compatibility concerns.

Companies brought their Matter-ready devices to Amsterdam overnight for the Connectivity Standards Alliance’s (CSA) Matter Launch Event. The CSA states that 190 devices have been certified for Matter since the standard was finalized in early October. Those devices include motion blinds, smart plugs, HVAC controls, door locks, lighting, hubs and gateways, and certain kinds of sensors. More device categories, including vacuums, cameras, and large appliances, are due next.

Matter’s launch video.

There were charts with smart home growth projections, talk from executives about what Matter means for the future of everything, and lots more light revelry and broad pontification. We’ll focus here on what this actually means, in the short-term, for people who might be aiming to upgrade their home setup—or avoid doing so at all costs.

So here’s what was announced today by dozens of companies in hundreds of press releases, videos, and social posts:

Image showing both Matter and Works with Alexa badges next to devices — Matter interoperability is not going to replace “Works with Alexa” or any of the other Big Tech branding schemes any time soon.

The big players: Amazon, Google, Samsung, Apple

Amazon had a big presence at the launch event, which makes sense given its commanding lead in the smart home market. Its first Matter move is to back-port Matter to 17 devices in December, with a few catches. These devices will be “Matter over Wi-Fi,” not the newer Thread mesh. They’re limited to Echo devices, plugs, switches, and bulbs, at least for now. And they’re only going to work with Alexa through the Android app. iOS support, Thread networking, and additional device support, including for Eero networking gear, is due “early next year.”

Simultaneously, Amazon announced updates to its Works with Alexa program. Device makers must now go through Matter certification as well as Amazon’s own labeling approval, but having that badge on your box means customers can “easily identify whether they have compatible Echo devices that can act as Matter controllers.”

That’s a good frame for how a lot of early Matter support is going to arrive: partial, in categories, with an eye to the future, and not without some old-fashioned ecosystem pressure. Amazon’s ultimate goal is to bring support for 30 Echo and Eero devices. It’s not embracing Matter as a replacement for “Works with Alexa” but as a kind of extension of the idea of Amazon products as universal hubs in the home.

Samsung and Amazon announced a “team up” that allows the Alexa and SmartThings apps to control each other’s devices, share Thread network credentials, and generally make moving between those systems easier. Amazon’s Alexa devices fill a voice-control gap in the SmartThings ecosystem, while Samsung’s SmartThings provides broader compatibility, especially with ZigBee, Z-Wave, and other small, low-cost devices. The two are taking this Matter moment to firm up an already useful alliance.

Samsung has been ahead of the curve, shipping Matter compatibility updates to its SmartThings and Aoetec hubs earlier this month, initiating another team-up with Google.

Google and Apple had already called their Matter moves before today’s announcement. Google plans to push updates to most of its own Nest and Home devices to enable Matter support and has redesigned its Home app to support Matter. Apple has rebranded HomeKit as Apple Home, added Matter support to iOS 16.1, and its HomePod mini devices already work as some of the earliest Thread border routers. But Matter support won’t free HomeKit/Home systems out of compatibility headaches just yet, as Apple Insider details.

Eve plugs and energy meters on white background — Some of Eve’s new Matter-ready products due out in early December. Credit: Eve

The gadget brands: Hue, Eve, Aqara, and more

While each tech giant is figuring out how to support compatibility while still bolstering its brand, Matter support should help device-focused companies streamline their offerings, even if they still might want to get certified inside each ecosystem.

Philips Hue‘s lighting bridge hub appeared in the CSA’s list of Matter-certified devices, though no software update has gone out yet. The same goes for products from Ikea and Aqara, which will support Matter through updates to their own hubs.

Eve, an iOS-focused device maker that was early in its adoption of Thread, will also beat most makers to the punch by issuing Matter support for three of its device categories on December 12—at least for iPhone users. Updates for other devices, new Matter-compliant gear, and an Android app will all follow in the first quarter of 2023, Eve claims.

Nanoleaf, maker of striking wall-mounted accent lighting, announced a new set of relatively restrained bulbs and light strips, all with Matter compatibility, due to launch in early 2023. There was no word on Matter support for its signature lights, though Nanoleaf claimed more Matter-ready devices would also launch in early 2023.

Level, maker of the most traditional-looking smart locks, will update all of its existing locks to work with Matter. This is surprising for a couple of reasons. For one thing, the company had focused almost exclusively on the Apple/HomeKit market, so a Matter update is a relatively big deal, freeing the locks up to be accessed and controlled from Androids, Alexa speakers, and other Matter gear. The other notable surprise is that Level is doing this by tweaking a 2.4 GHz radio inside the locks to work with Thread networks.

You, the person who may or may not buy smart home things

If you don’t need (or desperately want) to add gadgets to your home in the next few months or replace what you already have, it’s definitely a good time to wait out the first few months of early Matter adoption. More companies announced new products with Matter or Thread support built-in coming in early 2023 than updates to existing products. As more devices pick up Matter and Thread support and routing capabilities, including routers and speakers, the promise of picking up a device with a Matter badge and assuming it works will become much more real.

Until then, there are a few ways you can try to make Matter devices work in your home. It’s just not the kind of shift in smart home thinking that CSA and device makers are promising, at least not yet.

Kevin Purdy Senior Technology Reporter

Kevin is a senior technology reporter at Ars Technica, covering open-source software, PC gaming, home automation, repairability, e-bikes, and tech history. He has previously worked at Lifehacker, Wirecutter, iFixit, and Carbon Switch.

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