Matter: everything you need to know about this protocol that could change the connected home industry

Based on the complexity of the various protocols used by connected objects in the home, Matter is both a new technology and a new connectivity standard. Matter is designed to enable connected objects using different protocols (ZigBee, WiFi, Bluetooth and Thread in particular) to communicate with each other and speak the same language. The protocol meets a long-standing consumer demand for interoperability in home automation.

Matter was born of the convergence of several tech giants’ efforts to create a more unified, interoperable ecosystem of connected devices. The project, initially known as CHIP (Connected Home over IP), was launched in 2019 with the aim of developing a new open standard for home automation.

Matter brings a new definition of ease-of-use to home automation, based on a clear philosophy: instant functionality as soon as you get home. This approach significantly simplifies every step of the process.

• Simplified pairing: No more multiple methods for adding a device: code scan, buttons, mobile app, alternative Wi-Fi connection, Bluetooth search, identifiers… Previously, each device required its own method. With Matter, activating a new device is simple: turn on the device and enter or scan a unique QRCode on a label.
• Universal applications: A Matter-compatible device works with various home automation applications such as Google Home, Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings, Apple Home or Eve Home. Matter offers the flexibility to add a device from one brand’s app to another, and even to use the manufacturer’s app simultaneously for advanced functionality.
• Inter-brand automation: Matter enables innovative automation between devices from different brands. Thanks to this technology, for example, it is now possible to control a Philips Hue switch to open a Somfy shutter and switch off an Eve socket simultaneously. These automations are harmonized through various applications, ensuring a fluid, integrated user experience.
• Localized remote control: Matter favors local operation, where commands are transmitted directly via the local network rather than the Internet. When you’re out and about, commands pass via the Internet to a Matter router (such as an Internet box, Google Home, HomePod, Apple TV…), which then relays them locally. This approach enhances network security and responsiveness.
• Fewer home automation bridges: The need to have several home automation hubs connected to your network could become obsolete with Matter. Thanks to Thread technology, each device can communicate directly with a router without the need for an additional bridge, simplifying the infrastructure of the connected home.

The Matter protocol redefines security in the IoT by taking a multi-layered approach. Using advanced encryption techniques such as AES-CCM to protect data, Matter ensures that information exchanged between your devices remains private.

Exchange security is further enhanced by the use of Essential Cybersecurity Controls (ECC) for key exchanges and digital signatures, guaranteeing secure, authenticated connections. What’s more, Matter makes a point of scrupulously verifying the authenticity of each device before allowing it to join the network, adding an extra layer of security. Designed to be open and transparent, Matter makes it easy for its community to ensure its robustness in the face of new threats.

Matter also enables devices to communicate directly with each other, without having to go through the Internet for every action.

As well as enhancing security, Matter enables your devices to communicate directly with each other, without going through the Internet for every action. This ensures faster, more reliable communication between devices, which don’t need to upload information to the cloud to interact..

However, Matter still offers manufacturers the option of using their cloud services for remote IoT control.

Devices from previous generations often present a conundrum when it comes to integrating them into the Matter framework. However, the Matter protocol offers a solution to this problem, with the promise of backward compatibility. Through the use of specific bridges and adapters, it is possible to include certain aging equipment in a Matter network, thus giving them the benefits of interoperability and connectivity with newer technology.

Older devices won’t have to be discarded, since Matter’s aim is to offer a software solution that enables products to be made compatible without having to touch existing IoT hardware.

While this approach is not universally ideal for every device, it does offer a path to extending their functionality and integrating them into an intelligent home ecosystem.

LACROIX offers innovative feature development for advanced Matter protocol-based functionality for terminal devices, edge routers and link entities. This proposal is designed to meet the specific needs of each customer, leveraging LACROIX’s proven universal platforms for a tailored and refined solution. Our comprehensive approach encompasses integration, prototyping, accreditation, industrialization and production, guaranteeing efficient marketing in line with the most demanding standards.

We understand the importance of device and product lifecycle management in the smart device ecosystem. Our holistic approach ensures not only optimum performance and compatibility of the products we develop, but also smooth, intuitive management of these products, from initial deployment through to decommissioning.

When you choose LACROIX, you’re opting for a reliable, experienced partner, dedicated to the success of your project in the world of smart home and IoT.