Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) has released a new version 1.6 of the Matter standard. The new update has already been made available to device manufacturers and platform developers, and this time it focuses on improving the user experience, installation, and interoperability between different systems for existing devices, rather than new device groups.
The biggest and most practical innovation concerns device commissioning, which introduces new NFC-based pairing. Until now, adding devices has often required scanning QR codes and utilizing a Bluetooth connection, but in the future, a Matter device can be set up simply by tapping it with a smartphone.
Thanks to two-way NFC communication, a device can be integrated into a smart home even before it is powered on. In practice, this means that, for example, a smart bulb can be paired before it is placed in a ceiling fixture, or a wall switch before the power is turned on.
Another significant improvement relates to sharing devices between different ecosystems. The new Joint Fabric technology expands the previous Multi-Admin functionality by allowing multiple different controllers to manage one shared Matter network through a centralized data repository.
From the device's perspective, this consumes fewer resources, as it is counted as only one network resource in the device's memory capacity. For the consumer, this means that devices are directly accessible and controllable from any app preferred by the family, without separate installation processes for each platform.
Smart thermostats also gain new intelligence in the update in the form of the Thermostat Suggestions feature.
Currently, smart home systems may send direct commands to thermostats without considering the user's situation or other settings.
In the future, instead of direct commands, systems will send time-bound recommendations, which the thermostat will compare against the user's own presets and prevailing environmental conditions before taking action. For example, if a user has just manually adjusted the temperature from the device or via another app, the thermostat will be able to recognize the situation, reject the change suggestion made by background automation, and send an explanation to the system as to why the command was not followed.
Security sensors will be able to share their event history in real-time, providing a better overall picture of home events. Additionally, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors will be able to notify the system if they have been physically removed from their wall or ceiling mounts. On the cybersecurity side, certificate revocation lists have been divided into smaller segments, making the system lighter and easier to update as the number of devices grows.
As with previous Matter releases, the timeline for new features reaching consumers depends entirely on device manufacturers and smart home platform developers.
Thanks to two-way NFC communication, a device can be integrated into a smart home even before it is powered on. In practice, this means that, for example, a smart bulb can be paired before it is placed in a ceiling fixture, or a wall switch before the power is turned on.
Another significant improvement relates to sharing devices between different ecosystems. The new Joint Fabric technology expands the previous Multi-Admin functionality by allowing multiple different controllers to manage one shared Matter network through a centralized data repository.
From the device's perspective, this consumes fewer resources, as it is counted as only one network resource in the device's memory capacity. For the consumer, this means that devices are directly accessible and controllable from any app preferred by the family, without separate installation processes for each platform.
Smart thermostats also gain new intelligence in the update in the form of the Thermostat Suggestions feature.
Currently, smart home systems may send direct commands to thermostats without considering the user's situation or other settings.
In the future, instead of direct commands, systems will send time-bound recommendations, which the thermostat will compare against the user's own presets and prevailing environmental conditions before taking action. For example, if a user has just manually adjusted the temperature from the device or via another app, the thermostat will be able to recognize the situation, reject the change suggestion made by background automation, and send an explanation to the system as to why the command was not followed.
Security sensors will be able to share their event history in real-time, providing a better overall picture of home events. Additionally, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors will be able to notify the system if they have been physically removed from their wall or ceiling mounts. On the cybersecurity side, certificate revocation lists have been divided into smaller segments, making the system lighter and easier to update as the number of devices grows.
As with previous Matter releases, the timeline for new features reaching consumers depends entirely on device manufacturers and smart home platform developers.
