It has been a little over a year since the original Matter standard was released to help unify and simplify smart home device connectivity. Now the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) has released the second update to Matter with nine new device types, revisions and additions to existing categories.
Additionally, the standard comes with core improvements to the specification and software design kit (SDK) as well as testing tools.
Called the Matter 1.2 specification, the new devices in this iteration were not included in the previous rollouts and, looking ahead, more devices will be supported in future releases.
The goal of Matter is to simplify the smart home with a unifying internet protocol-based connectivity. For vendors, this means designing new devices that will work with potential competitors' projects, but also offers many possibilities for future growth by making it easier for homeowners to have their devices interact.
For homeowners, it means having one central app or ecosystem to control all their smart home devices regardless of manufacturer. That means devices from Google, Apple, Samsung, Amazon, Comcast or any other company will work together for the first time.
Nine new devices
The Matter standard has been expanded to support a variety of new devices inside the home. These include:
- Refrigerators
- Room air conditioners
- Dishwashers
- Washing machines
- Robotic vacuums
- Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
- Air quality sensors
- Air purifiers
- Fans
Matter allows basic temperature control and monitoring, remote start and progress notifications, operational errors, battery status and end-of-life notifications, filter status and more.
Other features
Core improvements to the Matter 1.2 specification include support for European latch and bolt door locks, added descriptions of device appearance, endpoint composition, semantic tagging and descriptions of device operational states.
The Matter 1.2 specification’s SDK is available for new platforms and those developers looking to build new Matter-enabled smart home devices.
The update also includes a test harness, which ensures the features are being implemented correctly. This is also available now via open source for developers.
Looking ahead, CSA said it plans to expand its footprint further into the smart home and into the internet of things ecosystem. In 2024, new Matter-enabled products are expected that will adhere to the 1.2 specification. CSA said it plans to release two updates per year to add more device types and expand into new areas.
