The Matter smart home standard, developed by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), is poised for significant advancements by 2025, aiming to enhance device interoperability, reliability, and user experience. Since its initial release in October 2022, Matter has undergone several updates, each introducing support for new device types and improvements to the protocol. As of November 2024, Matter 1.4 has expanded its focus to include electricity-related areas, such as batteries, solar systems, home routers, water heaters, and heat pumps, along with enhancements to existing areas like increased support for electric vehicle chargers and significant improvements to Thread devices.
Industry leaders from the CSA, Thread Group, and Wi-Fi Alliance have acknowledged initial challenges, including delays in support from major tech companies and issues with reliability and interoperability. However, they assert that 2025 will be pivotal for resolving these problems, with planned improvements focusing on enhancing the reliability and performance of Matter. Potential significant changes include software embedding in home routers and utilizing Thread radio, potentially supplanting Bluetooth for onboarding devices. The collaboration and data sharing among companies like Apple and Google are expected to be instrumental in refining Matter’s deployment.
In a move to streamline the certification process, Apple, Google, and Samsung have agreed to accept Matter certification for smart home products in their respective “Works With” programs. This means manufacturers will only need to undergo testing once to receive certification across all major ecosystems, simplifying the process and encouraging broader adoption of Matter-compatible devices.
Google has also announced that its Google Home hubs, including Nest hubs, speakers, Chromecasts, and certain LG TVs, can now locally control Matter devices through Home Runtime integration. This update improves reliability, privacy, and reduces latency, as devices no longer need to rely on cloud connectivity for operation. Even if the internet is down, Google Assistant will still be able to perform tasks such as turning on the lights.
These developments reflect a concerted effort within the industry to address early challenges and enhance the Matter standard, with the goal of providing a more seamless and reliable smart home experience by the end of 2025.
