Your Smart Home Devices May Soon Play Nice With Each Other
The Connectivity Standards Alliance this week released Matter 1.0—a new connectivity standard that aims to seamlessly connect smart home products.
The global, open-source standard promises to allow web-connected devices from different manufacturers to simply and securely communicate.
"What started as a mission to unravel the complexities of connectivity has resulted in Matter, a single, global IP-based protocol that will fundamentally change the IoT," Tobin Richardson, president and CEO of the Connectivity Standards Alliance, said in a statement(Opens in a new window).
Matter promises to help manufacturers more easily build devices compatible with Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, Google Assistant, and other smart home and voice services, in hopes of fostering interoperability among devices, regardless of brand.
"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," Richardson said. "With global support from companies large and small, [the] Matter 1.0 release is more than a milestone for our organization and our members; it is a celebration of what is possible."
Matter 1.0 launches with eight authorized test labs for companies that plan to buy in. For its initial release, Matter will run over Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and networking protocol Thread using Bluetooth Low Energy, with support for a handful of common smart home products like lighting and electrical, HVAC controls, window coverings and shades, safety and security sensors, door locks, media devices, and bridges.
In terms of security, Matter relies on distributed ledger technology and Public Key Infrastructure to validate device certification and
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