The glue that binds all your smart devices together: That’s the promise of the two-year-old Matter standard, and it’s a compelling one.
But the budding Matter protocol still comes with too many rough edges, and that’s especially true if you want to add a Matter-enabled device to multiple smart home ecosystems, like Alexa, Apple HomeKit, and Google Home.
You’d think that connecting (for example) a Matter-ready smart plug to one smart platform under the Matter standard would automatically add them to the others, but that’s not how it works–at least, not yet.
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The latest update to the Matter standard lays the groundwork for a better multi-admin process that should eventually make it much easier to add Matter devices to several smart-home ecosystems at once. That’s good news for those of us with Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings crammed together in the same household.
Matter specification 1.4 is bringing other improvements, too, including a framework for Matter- and Thread-enabled home routers and access points, along with support for more energy-related device categories, such as solar panels and whole-home backup batteries.
One category that still isn’t part of the Matter standard is security cameras. The latest word is that Matter will add security cam support sometime in 2025.
With the “enhanced” multi-admin process rolling out in Matter 1.4, existing and new Matter devices will be able to connect to multiple smart home ecosystems automatically thanks to new “single user consent” functionality.
That means when you add a Matter-enabled device to (for example) the Alexa app, it will be added seamlessly to the other Matter-compatible smart platforms you’re using, such as Google Home and Apple HomeKit.
Currently, Matter users must add new Matter devices to each smart-home platform separately, a “tedious and complex” process (as noted by the Connectivity Standards Alliance, the industry group behind Matter).
To be clear, the improvements in Matter 1.4 won’t come immediately; they must be implemented by device manufacturers and platform developers, so patience will be required.
Also coming in Matter specification 1.4 is a standard for Matter-certified home routers, access points, and set-top boxes.
With the new standard, manufacturers will have guidelines for building Matter-ready home Wi-Fi routers and access points that include Thread border routers, which allow Thread-enabled Matter devices to connect to the internet and each other.
Plenty of home devices already work as Thread border routers, including Alexa, Google, and Apple smart speakers, but adding Wi-Fi routers to the mix can help make even more households join the Matter party.
The latest Matter update also expands the standard’s support for energy monitoring and management, ideal for smart home users looking to save on their energy bills.
Matter 1.3 already added the ability for thermostats and other smart energy devices to report how much power they’re using, and now Matter 1.4 is adding support for more energy-related categories, including solar panels, heat pumps, water heaters, and batteries.
The new Matter update also brings support for thermostat schedules and presets, such as vacation and home/away modes, along with the ability for Matter-enabled energy products to tweak their start times depending on power-usage forecasts.
In the realm of smart lighting, in-wall smart switches are getting their own device types within Matter 1.4, instead of simply being labeled as “lights.”
Additional Matter 1.4 improvements are designed to boost the battery life and connectivity of battery-powered Matter devices, while Matter’s occupancy-sensing abilities will now encompass radar, vision, and ambient sensors.
