Dusseldorf In times of high energy prices, it sounds tempting: If lamps, sockets and heating thermostats can be controlled via an app, consumers can save on electricity and heat. The installation of the technology for the networked home – in the technical jargon smart home – is considered complicated, confusing and expensive. As a result, the spread is lower than hoped for by many in the industry.
An unusual alliance wants to change that. More than 300 companies support a new standard called Matter, which should make it much easier to set up products and give hope for lower prices.
The major platform operators Amazon, Apple, Alphabet and Samsung are among the members, as are the well-known brands Ikea, Miele and Sonos, as well as specialists such as Assa-Abloy, Busch-Jäger and Viessmann. They all share the goal of making the smart home better and thus selling more products.
On Thursday, the umbrella organization Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) presented Matter, in the coming weeks and months more and more products that support the standard are likely to come onto the market – recognizable by the logo with the three arrows. What consumers need to know now.
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What exactly is matter?
The range of smart home products is confusing. There are different connection technologies from Bluetooth to Zigbee, and each manufacturer also offers its own app. The complexity is daunting.
In a survey by the IT association Bitkom, 28 percent of non-users stated that the operation seemed too complicated to them – only security and data protection concerns played a greater role.
>> Read here: Why rivals like Apple, Amazon and Google pull together in the smart home
Matter aims to establish a universal language, a lingua franca for the smart home. The connection standard enables products from different manufacturers to communicate with each other. Data is exchanged via the local network, i.e. without first having to transfer it to the cloud. The technical basis is the open internet protocol (IP).
This simplifies home automation with devices from different manufacturers. A conceivable scenario if everything works as advertised: When the front door is locked with the smart lock, the lights go out and the vacuum robot starts working. Something like this is currently only possible via programming interfaces and is therefore unthinkable for most consumers.
How is this changing the smart home market?
There is no shortage of standards for the smart home, but none has established itself as a universal language. It could be different with Matter: Almost 300 companies are organized in the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), which develops the standard.
So the choice will be great once the standard is established – and it will continue to grow. “Matter lowers the barriers to market entry,” says George Yianni, CTO at Signify and inventor of the lighting brand Hue. The standard makes it easier to develop smart home hardware and automation scenarios. “There will be many innovations,” he is convinced.
For buyers, this means: There will be more products that differ in terms of functions and prices – possibly some cheaper ones than before. And there will be more investment security, because devices can not only be controlled with Homekit or Smartthings, Alexa or Google Assistant, but with all platforms.
How is the technology used?
In everyday life, Matter will be largely invisible to users: the user interface for connecting devices or setting up automation scenarios is provided by apps from various smart home providers – only that it will be easier to integrate products from other companies in the future.
The large platforms are likely to play a central role in operation. Apple and Google are integrating the technology of their mobile operating systems, upgrading hundreds of millions of smartphones and tablets into smart home control centers. Amazon upgrades various speakers, routers and lamps, Samsung various televisions, monitors and refrigerators.
However, part of the equipment park that is already in the apartments should not receive an update. The new standard requires a certain amount of computing power and storage capacity, and the adaptation is also associated with some effort.
what is the schedule
The first products with the Matter logo should be on the market soon, and the CSA says it has completed 190 certifications. However, it may be some time before the standard is widespread and the benefits for consumers become noticeable. The release of the first version is “a big step in a long process,” said CSA boss Tobin Richardson.
Manufacturers who subsequently make products compatible via updates have to test the software as well as the interaction with other devices from other manufacturers. And for new models, they need certification, which is time-consuming. “We’re focused on delivering quality,” Richardson said.
The changeover will therefore not take place overnight. However, Signify manager Yianni is convinced: “Before the Christmas business next year, the majority of smart home products will offer Matter integration. You will see that on the packaging and in the stores.”
Initially, only devices from eight categories are available, including lamps, televisions, and cooling and heating. Other product categories are to follow, including cameras, vacuum robots and household appliances.
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