Matter Smart Home Standard 1.2 arrived with 9 New Device Types and Enhancements
9 months ago • 4 min read
The world of smart homes is about to undergo a significant transformation with the release of Matter 1.2. This IoT connectivity standard is designed to revolutionize the way our smart devices interact with each other. In this article, we'll explore the latest updates in Matter 1.2 and what they mean for your smart home.
All the new device types supported in Matter 1.2
Matter 1.2 is set to revolutionize smart homes by introducing support for nine new devices that are crucial for your smart living space. From robot vacuums to refrigerators, washing machines, and dishwashers, these everyday appliances are now part of the smart home ecosystem.
- Refrigerators: Matter allows temperature control and monitoring fir refrigerators, including specialized wine coolers and "kimchi" compatments. Companies like Bosch and Siemens are already working on Matter integration for their appliances.
- Dishwashers: In additions to basic functions, dishwashers can now provide notifications for issues like water supply disruptions or improperly closed doors.
- Laundry Washers: These machines can now transmit progress notifications, indicating the end of a wash program. Tumble dryer support is on the horizon.
- Air Purifiers: Matter 1.2 enables air purifiers to work in tandem with air quality sensors and control fan speed. It can also monitor filter conditions, supporting both HEPA and activated carbon filters.
- Room Air Conditioners: Stand-alone air conditioners, including monobloc models, canbe controlled for temperature and fan speed.
- Robot Vacuum Cleaner:Beyond remote start and progress notifcations, Matter now handles dry vacuuming and wet mopping modes. Manufacturers like SwitchBot are planning to update their devices to be Matter-compatible.
- Fans: Fans can now be certified as a separate device type. New features include oscillating operation, natural wind stimulation , reversible airflow direction, and step-by-step fan speed control.
- Air Quality Sensors: Matter 1.2 supports ten different air quality measurements, from Particulate Matter to Carbon Monoxide. It also allows for the reporting of the Air Quality Index (AQI) based on location.
- Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms: These alarms can now be integrated into Matter systems, performing automatic self-tests and communicating battery status.
If you're wondering about Samsung's SmartThings, you may find out more about Samsung's SmartThings Multi-Hub Network.
Enchanced User Experience
Matter 1.2 goes beyond introducing new device types. It also brings enhancements designed to improve the overall user experience. Notably, it includes a device appearance description, allowing users to identify devices more accurately based on color and finish.
The update also offers improvements to the software development kit (SDK) and test harness for developers, further facilitating the integration of Matter into smart home devices.
Detail Improvements with Matter 1.2 Smart Home
Matter 1.2 isn't just about new device categories. It also brings subtle but important enhancements to the standard.
- Latch Locks: For European markets, Matter now includes an additional locking state not found in American deadbolt locks, addressing regional needs.
- Device Appearance: Matter allows for defining colours and surfaces of devices, improving display clarity and differenciation.
- Device Compositions: Device with multiple components, such as light fixtures or switches, can now be hierachically structures and grouped for easier control.
- Semantic Tags: Sematic Tags help mainatain consistent appearance and operation across different platforms, making it easier to understand the function of buttons and controls.
- Generic State Descriptions:Matter 1.2 introduces generic descriptions for device operating states, facilitating the creation of new device types and ensuring compatibility across various platforms.
Also, Tapo Smart Plug Mini, Mediola Matter Bridge, and many other devices are Matter-supported.
A Commitment to Consistent Updates
The Connectivity Standards Alliance is committed to providing consistent updates, promising "two new updates next year as part of the bi-annual release cadence." These updates are expected to introduce even more device types and expand into new areas, ensuring that Matter remains at the forefront of the ever-evolving smart home ecosystem.
Matter's Progress
Matter has become quite popular, with more than 24,600 downloads of its specifications. It has received 1,214 certifications and seen a 24% increase in the number of companies joining the Matter Working Group. This success is partly due to the ability to update existing devices over the air and make them work with Matter.
Matter's Mission
In 2022, the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) introduced Matter as a fresh standard for smart home connections. Its goal was to get rid of the problems related to different devices not working together in smart homes. Then, in April 2023, they rolled out Matter 1.1, a sort of "update," which made small improvements to Matter-certified products.
Conclusion
Matter 1.2 is not merely an update; it's a significant leap forward, expanding the possibilities for smart home automation and enhancing user experiences across a wide range of devices. The future of smart homes is looking brighter than ever, thanks to these exciting developments in the Matter standard.
FAQs
The ZigBee protocol is known for their stable connection and it creates an efficient wireless connection. It consumes a lesser bandwidth but Matter is the better when it comes to security and Matter can work with any device that supports WiFI, BlueTooth or Thread.
Matter devices that use Wi-fi and Ethernet does not require a hub for communication.
Matter offers a free services and they also provides a premium service.
