The CSA is hosting an event in Amsterdam this week to celebrate the launch of the new smart home standard Matter. | Illustration: The Verge
Matter was finally released last month, and now, we are getting our first look at the devices that will work with the new smart home interoperability standard. At a Matter launch event in Amsterdam hosted by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), the organization announced that over 190 products are now certified or close to gaining certification in the first Matter categories. These include smart lighting, smart plugs, smart thermostats, smart shades, smart sensors, and smart locks. That’s a relatively small number in the infinite pool of smart home devices, but it’s a good start.
Today, the CSA announced four new device categories that are coming next, in addition to cameras, home appliances, robot vacuums, and more advanced energy management categories already announced. These are garage door controllers and electronic gates, environmental quality sensors and controls (such as indoor air quality monitors and air purifiers), smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and ambient motion and presence sensing.
Ambient sensing is using technology like Wi-Fi mesh, ultrasound sensing, and motion detection in cameras to trigger automations based on presence rather than just occupancy (which is already part of Matter). Tobin Richardson, president of the CSA, told The Verge they expect to update the Matter spec with new features and additional device types every six months or so. That means we should see the next update around March 2023.
At the event, companies including Amazon, Samsung, Philips Hue, WiZ, Somfy, Eve Systems, Mui Lab, and Nanoleaf are scheduled to demo their products working with Matter. Look for some hands-on reports from the show floor later today.
We can also expect to see products from Assa Abloy (owner of Yale and August), GE Lighting, LG Electronics, Schlage, and Sengled on shelves sometime soon, as they were all part of a Specification Validation Event (SVE) before the launch of Matter, according to the CSA. That means they have products that are Matter-ready and can now get these devices certified and into your hands.