What is the Matter protocol?
The Matter protocol is the new standard for smart home connectivity, developed by the members of the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA).
The CSA is an organization that brings together leading technology companies from around the world. Matter was created to address the challenges of fragmentation in the smart home sector. In the past, consumers often had to use devices and platforms from a single manufacturer, as they were not compatible with each other. Matter puts an end to this by providing a unified standard that connects devices from different brands.
The goal: a seamless, interoperable, and user-friendly smart home experience for everyone.
How does Matter work?
Matter was designed so that communication between your smart home devices primarily occurs locally. It uses proven technologies such as the Internet Protocol (IP) as well as networks such as Wi-Fi, Ethernet and Thread to ensure a fast, stable, and reliable connection. This allows your devices to interact seamlessly with each other even when no internet connection is available.
An additional advantage: Many control hubs (e.g., from Google, Apple, or Amazon) offer the ability to remotely access your smart home system. However, this remote access occurs via the cloud and is independent of the local communication between Matter devices. This way, you enjoy both the security and speed of local connections as well as the flexibility to control your devices from anywhere.
The main advantages of Matter:
- Cross-manufacturer compatibility:
- With Matter, devices from different manufacturers communicate seamlessly with each other – whether they come from large providers like Apple, Google, or Amazon, or are developed by smaller, specialized smart home brands.
- Matter ensures that all devices, regardless of the manufacturer, work together seamlessly and provide a consistent user experience.
- Easy setup:
- The installation of new devices has never been easier: Matter not only ensures intuitive and fast installation processes but also provides a consistent user experience.
- Regardless of whether you are adding devices from large providers or smaller brands, the installation process in the user interface (UI) always remains similar and familiar. This makes operation easier and reduces the effort required to integrate new devices.
- High security:
- Matter relies on state-of-the-art encryption technologies to comprehensively protect your data and devices. The standard uses end-to-end encryption (E2EE), ensuring that data can only be exchanged between authorized devices.
- Additionally, every device you integrate into your smart home network is verified through a secure onboarding process to prevent tampering or unauthorized access. Thanks to regular updates and security certifications, Matter always stays up to date with technology to provide you with maximum security.
- Future-proof:
- Matter is continuously being developed to always support the latest technologies and innovations in the smart home sector. A central component of the standard is the Over-the-Air update capability (OTA), which is mandatory for all certified devices.
- This allows all Matter-enabled devices to be regularly updated with the latest features, security updates, and improvements – all without manual intervention. This continuous development ensures that your smart home system remains up to date and compatible with future devices and technologies.
The Matter logo represents this future-proof, secure, and cross-manufacturer standard that makes smart home technology easier and better connected:
Why Matter is the Future
In a world full of different smart home platforms, Matter provides consistency and finally makes it possible to create a connected home without compromises. With Matter, you can operate, expand, and customize your devices more easily—regardless of which brands or products you prefer.