The Matter connectivity standard helps different devices and smart-home platforms like Apple HomeKit and Amazon Alexa work together. And with an update Monday, it added nine home-appliance types and got other improvements, the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) behind it said.
Matter specification 2.1 adds support for refrigerators, dishwashers, laundry washers, robot vacuums, air-quality sensors, air purifiers, fans, stand-alone room air conditioners, and smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms.
Matter 2.1 adds support for 9 home appliance types and other features
The long-awaited smart-home technology standard Matter finally launched in October 2022. Its purpose was and is to make it so smart devices like video doorbells, locks and light bulbs can work on any smart-home platform, like Apple HomeKit, Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Samsung SmartThings.
New appliances supported
Matter 2.1 marks the second update to the standard. Here’s how CSA, which hopes to launch two updates per year, described the new appliances supported:
- Refrigerators – Beyond basic temperature control and monitoring, this device type is also applicable to other related devices like deep freezers and even wine and kimchi fridges.
- Room air conditioners – While HVAC and thermostats were already part of Matter 1.0, stand alone room air conditioners with temperature and fan mode control are now supported.
- Dishwashers – Basic functionality is included, like remote start and progress notifications. Dishwasher alarms are also supported, covering operational errors such as water supply and drain, temperature and door lock errors.
- Laundry washers – Progress notifications, such as cycle completion, can be sent via Matter. Dryers will be supported in a future Matter release.
- Robotic vacuums – Beyond the basic features like remote start and progress notifications, there is support for key features like cleaning modes (dry vacuum vs wet mopping) and additional status details (brush status, error reporting, charging status).
- Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms – These alarms will support notifications and audio and visual alarm signaling. Additionally, there is support for alerts about battery status and end-of-life notifications. These alarms also support self-testing. Carbon monoxide alarms support concentration sensing, as an additional data point.
- Air quality sensors – Supported sensors can capture and report on: PM1, PM 2.5, PM 10, CO2, NO2, VOC, CO, ozone, radon and formaldehyde. Furthermore, the addition of the Air Quality Cluster enables Matter devices to provide AQI information based on the device’s location.
- Air purifiers – Purifiers utilize the air quality sensor device type to provide sensing information and also include functionality from other device types like fans (required) and thermostats (optional). Air purifiers also include consumable resource monitoring, enabling notifications on filter status (both HEPA and activated carbon filters are supported in 1.2).
- Fans –Matter 1.2 includes support for fans as a separate, certifiable device type. Fans now support movements like rock/oscillation and new modes like natural wind and sleep wind. Additional enhancements include the ability to change the airflow direction (forward and reverse) and step commands to change the speed of airflow.
Other updates
CSA added that it also made a series of improvements to the software as well as testing tools and the certification program. Those include making descriptions of devices’ operational modes generic to help ensure they continue to be supported in upcoming versions.
And enhancements in the testing and certification program “helps companies bring products — hardware, software, chipsets and apps — to market faster,” CSA said.
What’s next
CSA added it expects to see new Matter-enabled products come to market in 2024.
“New products will come to market, filling out existing Matter device types and being among the first in the new Matter device types debuting with Matter 1.2,” the group said. “We expect that Matter will receive two new updates next year as part of the bi-annual release cadence — which should add even more device types and expand into new areas.”
