Smart homes take a step closer to interoperability with Matter 1.0 release
After several false starts and delays, the Connectivity Standards Alliance announced on Tuesday the much-anticipated release of the Matter 1.0 specification and the opening of the Matter certification program, which many predict will revolutionize the smart home and residential security technology markets.
As Security Business magazine reported in February, Matter is a proprietary, royalty-free home automation connectivity standard. First announced on Dec. 18, 2019, it aims to reduce fragmentation across different vendors, and achieve interoperability among smart home devices and Internet of things (IoT) platforms from different providers.
“The release of Matter 1.0 represents a great step forward in the world of interoperability, and I look forward to working with and helping with the maturity of the standard as it moves forward,” says Avi Rosenthal, managing partner for smart home and security consulting firm Bluesalve Partners LLC (https://bluesalve.com). “This release is the beginning of a long and hopefully, successful future for Matter. I am excited about its prospects and how the consumer will benefit from its launch.”
As part of the Matter 1.0 release, authorized test labs are open for product certification, the test harnesses and tools are available, and the open-source reference design software development kit (SDK) is complete – all to bring new, innovative products to market. Further, Alliance members with devices already deployed and with plans to update their products to support Matter can now do so, once their products are certified.
What does it mean for the residential security market?
“It is too soon to tell how the integrations between the security panels and Matter devices will shake out,” Rosenthal says. “One of the features of the standard is something that allows for multiple ‘managers’ of a device. This gives control of a specific sensor to both the security panel and the Matter ‘controller’ (Google Home or Amazon Alexa, for example). But it is unclear how that data will pass from a security panel if they have not allowed this feature.”
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.
“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,” Tobin Richardson, President and CEO of the Connectivity Standards Alliance, explained in a press release. “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.”
The Matter 1.0 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 said in the release. “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.
“There are still lots of questions, but it is going to be very exciting to see how they are solved,” Rosenthal says. “I hope to learn more when I attend the Launch in Amsterdam next month.”
The Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) is spearheaded by some of the heaviest hitters in the smart home and residential security technology space, with its Board of Directors including executives from Amazon, Apple, ASSA ABLOY, Comcast, Google, Huawei, Latch Systems, Legrand, Lutron Electronics, Resideo, Samsung SmartThings, Schneider Electric, and others.
“We would not be where we are today without the strength and dedication of the Alliance members who have provided thousands of engineers, intellectual property, software accelerators, security protocols, and the financial resources to accomplish what no single company could ever do on their own,” Bruno Vulcano, Chair of the Alliance Board and R&D Manager for Legrand Digital Infrastructure, said in the release.
Paul Rothman is Editor-in-Chief of Security Business magazine, a printed partner publication of SecurityInfoWatch.com. Access the current issue, archives and subscribe at www.securitybusinessmag.com.
