Matter promises to change the smart home forever.
But it’s uneven rollout has made things a bit more complex.
So what do you actually need to know about it?
And then what devices do you need to make it work?
Well, the first thing you need to know about Matter is it actually has two parts.
First, Matter itself is an interoperability standard or specification for how smart home
devices should talk with each other, regardless of which company made them.
Meaning, it's not an app or a smart home platform that you can use to view and control all of
your smart home devices.
The second thing you need to know about Matter involves hardware.
Matter supports Thread, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth.
Although Bluetooth is just used for device setup.
Now you've probably heard about Ethernet and Wi-Fi, but what about Thread?
Unlike Zigbee and Zwave, Thread doesn’t need a hub for translation.
You just need to have a Thread border router or a Matter controller with Thread, to connect
Thread devices to other Matter devices as well as the internet.
Unlike Zigbee and Z-Wave, you can have multiple Thread border routers working together in
your home, which can make the network more reliable.
And because Thread is IP based, IP standing for internet protocol, Thread devices can
directly communicate with Wi-Fi and Ethernet devices, which ends up making Thread very
fast with low latency.
It also supports up to 250 devices on the network and supports low power.
So, bringing all of this back to Matter, because Matter devices can either use Thread, Ethernet
or Wi-Fi, that allows for Matter devices to have things like local control, low latency,
low power, if they’re Thread-based, and have a self-healing network, meaning if you
accidentally unplug one of your devices, it's not going to bring down the whole network.
There are three things you need for a Matter-supported smart home.
You'll need a Matter controller, a Thread Border Router, and a Matter-Supported Smart
Home Platform App.
The good news is there's a good chance that you have all three of these devices in your
home already.
A Matter controller helps you set up new smart home devices, controls any Matter device in
your smart home network, runs automations, and facilitates remote access.
Matter Controllers can currently be found in several devices including all HomePods,
HomePod Minis, Apple TV 4ks, Amazon Echo speakers and displays, Google Nest speakers and displays,
Samsung SmartThings hubs, Home Assistant software, and the new Homey Pro.
Now, in order to set up new smart home devices and automate them, you're going to need to
use a Matter supported smart home platform app.
At the time of recording only the Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings apps support Matter
for both iOS and Android.
The Apple Home and Eve apps only support Matter on iOS and the Amazon app only supports it
for Android.
By the end of 2023, more apps will support Matter for both phone platforms.
Lastly, in order for Thread Devices to be able to connect to the internet, you'll need
what's called a Thread border router, which is simply a device that has both Thread and
Wi-Fi built into it.
And yes, you can have a single device that acts as both a Thread border router and a
Matter controller.
Some of these devices include the new Apple HomePod Gen 2, HomePod Mini, Apple TV 4K (2021
and 2022 versions), 2nd Gen Google Nest Hub, Google Nest Hub Max, Samsung Smart Things
Hub v3, 4th Gen Amazon Echo, and the new Homey Pro.
And you only need to have one Matter controller, and one Thread border router in your home.
Though if you end up having multiple devices that act as Thread border routers, they will
ultimately work together to create a single Thread network.
Now, what about all the smart home devices you may already have in your home today?
Will they be able to be upgraded to Matter?
Well, some of these devices might be able to be upgraded to Matter if they have either
Thread or Wi-Fi built-in.
Even some Zigbee hubs will get Matter support like the Philips Hue and Aqara hubs via and
over the air software update.
But here's the tricky and slightly confusing part.
Even if you have a bridge in your home, that is updated to support Matter.
The device serving as your Matter Controller also needs to get what's called bridge support.
At the time of recording, only Apple Home supports Matter Bridges, with the other Smart
Home Platforms confirming support for bridges will roll out later in 2023.
So, unfortunately, with Matter at the time of recording, it's not as simple as seeing
the Matter logo on a smart home device box, buying it.
And then having that device seamlessly work with all of the major smart home platforms…yet.
That is still the promise of Matter.
And we're not that far away from it becoming reality.
Now if you're looking to start or expand your smart home, the next thing you should do is
watch my how to start a smart home guide and you can get to that by clicking on this video
here.
And I used a lot of great reporting and articles to make this video.
I've left all of my sources in the description below if you'd like to read more about the
Matter standard, and if you found this video helpful, make sure you give it a thumbs up.
Thanks so much for watching.