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But the universal smart home standard has a long way to go
The Matter smart home standard just got a big boost. Samsung is applying the standard to its SmartThings home hubs, and you may already have one of the devices the South Korean company is upgrading.
After the update, the applicable SmartThing hubs are capable of controlling all Matter certified devices. Both second- and third-generation hubs will receive the update, so even if you have a slightly older home assistant, you’ll still be “ready for the matter.” While Matter-certified devices aren’t too common as things stand, there are plenty of “Matter-ready” items on the market that will be ready to go once the standard is fully released in the near future. Samsung itself has selected “Family Hub TVs and refrigerators to support the functionality.
Matter is a new standard that aims to make smart devices work together seamlessly. Unless you’ve bought all your devices from a handful of manufacturers, your smart home may have been plagued with compatibility issues, and getting it all to work probably involves numerous apps of varying quality. Matter aims to change that, with everything “Matter Certified” designed to work seamlessly with all other Matter devices.
Along with the hub update, Samsung’s SmartThing app received an update that allows it to control all Matter devices on the network. SmartThings “hubs” will get the update over the air, while Android users can update on their smartphone or tablet.
The Google Home app received a similar update earlier this month that made it ready to work with Matter-enabled devices. The update, which will be available first to Public Preview users, also adds a script editor, allowing users to customize their smart home to an extreme level. The app was launched alongside a series of “subject-ready” devices, which will be ready once certification has been achieved.
Despite the progress being made, the standard still has a long way to go. Its full release has been delayed until this year, and most of the products that will eventually work with Matter are currently going through a lengthy certification process. Samsung and Google are just two of the tech giants on board Matter. Other familiar names involved include Apple and Amazon, while many smaller manufacturers will be looking to get their devices Matter certified.
Source: Samsung
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