Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) has released Matter 1.0.

Historically, smart homes have been plagued by a lack of device interoperability. To address this issue, the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) and industry giants such as Google, Apple, and Samsung have developed Matter, an IoT standard centred on interoperability.

Now, after considerable anticipation, the CSA has released Matter 1.0 to the general public. This initial edition operates through Wi-Fi, Thread, and Ethernet and employs Bluetooth Low Energy for device commissioning to support a variety of smart home devices, such as lighting and electricity, HVAC controls, window coverings and blinds, security sensors, door locks, and media devices.

What exactly Matter is?

If consumers desire an interoperable smart home in the present multi-protocol IoT ecosystem, they must either purchase devices only within one ecosystem (e.g., the Amazon Alexa suite of goods) or use several apps and services to control their “interconnected” smart home gadgets.

According to a number of industry analysts, the inconvenient nature of these two options has created an entry hurdle for customers and slowed the adoption of smart home technologies.

Matter was developed by the Connectivity Standards Alliance and a number of industry partners to address these issues. Matter is an open wireless communication protocol meant to facilitate interoperability between Internet of Things (IoT) devices, with a focus on smart homes. Matter proposes to create a local network for direct device-to-device connections in which all Matter-certified devices can operate.

Matter utilises IP communication methods. In particular, Matter largely relies on Wi-Fi for high-bandwidth applications and utilises Thread for low-bandwidth, ultra-low-power IoT applications by establishing a mesh network within the home. Also supported are the ZigBee and Z-Wave technologies.

Matter 1.0 Is Now Available

With the release of Matter 1.0, IoT hardware developers now have access to a comprehensive programme for designing, testing, and certifying Matter devices. To complement this effort, the CSA has announced the opening of eight authorised test facilities for certification and testing of products.

Additionally, the CSA is distributing test harnesses and tools, as well as an open-source reference design software development kit (SDK) for designers and developers.

Matter employs distributed ledger technology and public key infrastructure to address smart home device security and privacy. These solutions assess device certification and provenance to ensure that users connect authentic and up-to-date Internet of Things (IoT) gadgets to their homes.

The CSA anticipates that an influx of Matter-certified products will usher in a new era for IoT devices in which interoperability will be the standard, hence lowering the barriers to entry for the smart home and fostering a larger adoption of IoT in general.