The Matter protocol was designed to unify smart home devices by leveraging existing IP technologies, like Wi-Fi and Thread, to establish a new open standard. Silicon Labs has been a supporter of the standard since the beginning. With deep experience in small, embedded devices, they continue to champion high standards for low power and high security as the standard develops.

Matter 1.2, released by the Connectivity Standards Alliance, marks the second round of updates to the Matter protocol since its initial release in fall of 2022. Updates like this, which introduce new device types, expand the reach of Matter into new markets while also bringing other improvements that enhance interoperability and user experience.

More Matter Device Types:

This release expands device types to include white goods, fans, robot vacuums and air quality control.

New Matter Device Types Include:

  • Washing Machines
  • Refrigerators
  • Dishwashers
  • Room Air Conditioners
  • Robotic Vacuum Cleaners
  • Air Quality Sensors
  • Air Purifiers
  • Smoke/CO Alarms
  • Fan Control

Some of these devices aren’t addressed by existing protocols to date. However, many tend to be Wi-Fi-enabled but often have limited ecosystem support and require proprietary app control. With support in Matter 1.2, manufacturers can simplify the user experience, including commissioning, while enabling integration into key smart home ecosystems.

In addition to the new device types, Matter 1.2 adds new features that improve the user experience for commissioning to better describe the product or its elements. For example, a door lock could be described in a Matter Controller's UI as having a chrome finish to help the user verify it is the same one they are interacting with, or a lamp with multiple bulbs can describe the location or position in a controller UI to make it clear which bulb is being bound to a smart switch. With the release of Matter 1.2, Silicon Labs provides the new and revised clusters required to support all new and existing Matter device types. While we provide a sample application based on the dishwasher device type, customers can use the ZCL Advanced Platform to configure the necessary end points, clusters and attributes needed for all Matter device types. 

Wi-Fi 6 is playing an increasingly important role in IoT devices, with a focus on not only increasing bandwidth but also supporting larger networks and lots of different types of applications with varied bandwidth requirements, and also on battery-based devices that may not require high bandwidth but need long battery life, as an increasing number of wireless IoT devices are battery operated. With Wi-Fi being ubiquitous, and with its latest versions and security offerings, the combination of Matter over Wi-Fi provides tangle benefits to users by ensuring that they will have a more seamless experience across various product types and applications, improving ease-of-use regardless of device vendor. Soon developers will be able to use Silicon Labs' latest IoT-optimized Wi-Fi offering, the SiWx917, which combines the latest Wi-Fi 6 protocol with Bluetooth LE networking and Matter along with ultra-low power capabilities to achieve longest battery life, best-in-class security and AI/ML accelerators in a single system on chip, enabling developers to design Matter products that can support a multitude of applications across various market segments, whether it be smart home, commercial, smart cities, industrial or health.

Matter 1.2 Remains Steadfast to Security Standards

From its inception, Matter raised the bar in terms of security, and Matter 1.2 maintains that standard. To support developers in their efforts to meet or exceed these security specifications, Silicon Labs offers a Custom Part Manufacturing Service, so engineers can customize wireless hardware and MCUs with advanced security and unique certificates. They also offer Secure Vault™, their standard set of security features designed to combat today’s IoT threats, many of which are central concerns for Matter too.

Looking Beyond Matter 1.2

Matter has proliferated quickly, partly because key ecosystem devices like hubs and voice assistants have been enabled to support Matter through over-the-air software updates. So in reality, many users already have Matter in their homes. In fact, Amazon has already added Matter to more than 100 million Echo and eero devices. In future releases, we can expect even more Matter device types, specifically cameras and energy management devices to further unify smart home ecosystems.