Momentum for Matter continues to accelerate

Since the release, 190 products have received certification or are in queue for testing and certification.

The transition from standards development to standards adoption is clearly accelerating, with 4,400 downloads of the new Matter specification since its release and 2,500 downloads of the Matter software development kit (SDK) from GitHub. With the launch of the Matter certification programme for both hardware and software products, there are now eight authorised test labs in 16 locations across nine countries, making it easy to bring Matter products to life. 

"This is a major inflection point for the IoT. As we become more connected and break down the walls between the digital and physical world, we need to work together to make those connections meaningful. Matter and our membership are tackling this challenge head-on," said Tobin Richardson, President, and CEO of the Connectivity Standards Alliance. "With collaboration, inclusiveness, and a deep sense of responsibility to the market and consumers, Matter has the power to create a more connected, safe, and useful Smart Home."

CCS Insight, a European-based analyst firm, notes that purchase intent for smart devices is on the rise, with 35 percent of households in key European markets intending to purchase smart home products in the next 12 months. Additionally, in recent research by Parks Associates, a US-based firm, interoperability is top-of-mind with consumers, where 73 percent of US households that own or are planning to buy a smart home device say interoperability amongst products is important when choosing which smart home device to buy.

As part of the Matter launch event in Amsterdam, over 100 media and analysts representing 15 countries learned about the latest certified Matter devices and heard from member leaders on key topics including energy management, security, and empowering Matter developers. Those attending in person were able to see live Matter product demonstrations from 20 companies. A similar event will be held in China.

Members including Silicon Labs, Schneider Electric, Tuya Smart, and Amazon spoke individually about their perspectives on Matter as they relate to their position in the IoT ecosystem.

"The promise of Matter is the accelerated proliferation of connected things by bringing simplicity and interoperability to consumers who can now mix and match products from different ecosystems with greater ease and reliability. And the foundation of Matter's interoperability begins at the silicon level," said Matt Johnson, CEO of Silicon Labs. "Silicon Labs is proud to have contributed our breadth of protocol support, depth of wireless expertise, and focus on the IoT to Matter's development."

"As a global specialist in energy management and automation, we believe open standards, technology and interoperability of connected products are essential in bringing energy to all, making our homes more sustainable, and energy efficient," said YiFu Qi, Executive Vice President, Home & Distribution Division, Schneider Electric. "We are innovating to bring Matter-ready technology to help homeowners globally achieve net zero homes, by making it easier to utilize the full power of sustainable home energy management systems."

"Tuya Smart is committed to breaking down barriers between different smart product brands and categories and creating a more open and neutral IoT ecosystem for the global intelligence market," said Alex Yang, Co-Founder and COO of Tuya Smart. "As a Board member of the Alliance, Tuya participated in Matter's early development, application, and promotion. We also believe that with our extensive and growing partnerships in the IoT industry, the era of connecting everything in a smart way will come soon."

"As services like Alexa continue driving rapid smart home adoption, Matter presents a new opportunity to further simplify development for device makers and add to the customer experience of smart home devices from a range of different companies and brands," said Marja Koopmans, Director of Smart Home & Health at Amazon. "As an Alliance board member, founding company and long-time contributor to Matter, we look forward to introducing this open standard to over 100 million Echo and eero devices to make it easier for customers to set up and control their Matter-certified smart home devices."

With the initial launch of Matter, a variety of popular smart home product categories are supported including lighting and electrical, HVAC controls, window coverings and shades, safety and security sensors, door locks, video players, protocol bridges, and controllers embedded in many different kinds of products.

Looking beyond the initial release, work has begun and is ongoing for new device categories. In addition to teams working on cameras, home appliances, and more advanced energy management use cases, at the event the Alliance announced the formation of new teams to work on closures (such as doors and gates), environmental quality sensors and controls, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and ambient motion and presence sensing. The Alliance called on all interested companies looking to develop connected solutions in these areas to join the Alliance and build what's next in Matter.

Since the release of the specification, twenty companies have joined the Alliance. 

The Alliance conducted nine test events and a final Specification Validation Event (SVE) prior to the launch of Matter. Companies that successfully participated in the SVE and can proceed with certification applications include:  Amazon, Apple, Assa Abloy, CAME S.p.A., Espressif Systems, Eve Systems, GE Lighting a Savant Company, Google, Grundfos Holding A/S, Infineon Technologies, innovation matters iot GmbH, Latch, LEEDARSON, Legrand, LG Electronics, Longan.Link, Lumi United Technology Co., Ltd., mui Lab, Nanoleaf, Nordic Semiconductor, NXP Semiconductors, OPPO, PanKore, Qorvo, Resideo Technologies Inc., Samsung Electronics, Schlage, Schneider Electric, Sengled, Shenzhen CoolKit Technology Co., Ltd., Shenzhen ORVIBO Technology Co., Ltd., Signify (Philips Hue and WiZ), Silicon Labs, Somfy, TCL, Texas Instruments, Tridonic, Tuya, ubisys, and Universal Electronics.

Electronic Specifier caught up with Mark Benson, Head of Samsung SmartThings US to hear his thoughts on the event and the launch of Matter. Samsung was an initial foundering member of Matter and were one of the first to secure Matter certification.

“It’s an exciting moment in smart home history to be able to launch Matter. It’s going to expand the market and the accessibility of smart homes to a wider variety of users, not just the ones that are early adopters, or who are really techie, but more of the general user that just wants to use smart home tech to make their lives better.

“It is so important that all of the major ecosystems and leading brands in the smart home have come together.”