Updates to Matter Certified Devices Soon to Follow
After tremendous build-up, the Matter 1.0 launch has arrived. In addition, the Connectivity Standards Alliance, the international community of more than 550 technology companies committed to open standards for the Internet of Things, announced the opening of the Matter certification program.
Formerly the Zigbee Alliance, the Connectivity Standards Alliance was established in 2002 with the aim to create and evolve universal open standards.
Over 280 member companies — including Amazon, Apple, Comcast, Google, Samsung SmartThings, and Signify — have brought their technologies, experience, and innovations together since then to ensure Matter met the needs of all stakeholders including users, product makers, and platforms.
Collectively, these companies led the way through requirements and specification development, reference design, multiple test events and final specification validation to reach this industry milestone.
“What started as a mission to unravel the complexities of connectivity has resulted in Matter, a single, global IP-based protocol that will fundamentally change the IoT,” says Tobin Richardson, President and CEO of the Connectivity Standards Alliance.
“This release is the first step on a journey our community and the industry are taking to make the IoT more simple, secure, and valuable no matter who you are or where you live. With global support from companies large and small, today’s Matter 1.0 release is more than a milestone for our organization and our members; it is a celebration of what is possible.”
Alliance members can begin rolling out Matter 1.0 updates to their compliant products once certification is achieved.
Matter 1.0 Test Certification Launches for Alliance Members
As part of the 1.0 release, the Matter standard launches with test cases and comprehensive test tools for Alliance members and a global certification program including eight authorized test labs who are primed to test not only Matter, but also Matter’s underlying network technologies, Wi-Fi and Thread.
Wi-Fi enables Matter devices to interact over a high-bandwidth local network and allows smart home devices to communicate with the cloud. Thread provides an energy efficient and highly reliable mesh network within the home. Both the Wi-Fi Alliance and Thread Group partnered with the Connectivity Standards Alliance to help realize the complete vision of Matter.
“Matter and Thread resolve interoperability and connectivity issues in smart homes so manufacturers can focus on other value-adding innovations,” Thread Group president Vividh Siddha says. “Thread creates a self-healing mesh network which grows more responsive and reliable with each added device, and its ultra-lower power architecture extends battery life. Combined, Thread with Matter is a powerful choice for product companies and a great value for consumers.”
Matter is also striking new ground with security policies and processes using distributed ledger technology and Public Key Infrastructure to validate device certification and provenance. This will help to ensure users are connecting authentic, certified, and up-to-date devices to their homes and networks.
This initial release of Matter, running over Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and Thread, and using Bluetooth Low Energy for device commissioning, will support a variety of common smart home products, including lighting and electrical, HVAC controls, window coverings and shades, safety and security sensors, door locks, media devices including TVs, controllers as both devices and applications, and bridges.
Learn more about the Alliance at www.csa-iot.org, and Matter at www.buildwithmatter.com.