In an effort to repair the problems associated with Matter, the platform that was supposed to fix the marriage between automation brands, a new upgrade has been rolled out that claims to fix a lot of the problems with version one.
The Connectivity Standards Alliance announced the first major update to Matter, late last week claiming that the latest version fixes bugs as well as delivering improvements for developers who were hoping to use the new standard to bring together Apple, Google, Amazon Alexa and Samsung Smart Things platforms so that they would work seamlessly in the home.
The unifying standard was rolled out in November 2022, brands hoping to use the standard suddenly realised that Matter was a mess and not really workable in its current form.
The new release is a notable set of upgrades designed to fix a lot of the original problems.
The CSA claims that with the updated version developers should now find it easier to get started with and receive certification, while bug fixes should ensure users have a better time of it, too – particularly if they own battery-powered Matter devices”.
In a press release on their web site, they claim The updates in 1.1 make it easier for device makers and developers to get started with Matter, and to more easily certify products they’ve developed and get them to users faster. We’ve also enhanced support for battery-operated devices — an important feature across many smart home categories”.
In Australia brands such as Brilliant Lighting complained about the excessive cost of obtaining the rights to use the Matter logo on their Matter certified products.
The CSA now claims that ‘Intermittently Connected Devices’ (ICDs) should integrate “more cleanly”.
“Sometimes called “sleepy devices,” these are typically battery-powered devices like contact, motion, and temperature sensors as well as door locks and switches that need to conserve power for optimal operation and lifespan.
“The additional support reduces the likelihood that a device will be reported as offline when users or platforms interact with it. These improvements mean developers will find it easier to optimize their products and create better user experiences,” the blog post reads.
Despite some improvements coming through this update, this doesn’t necessarily appear to be a big fix for the problems Matter is facing claim observers.
Instead, it’s seen as more of a small step in order to enable another update coming later this year, with the CSA noting that “new features and device type support” are being planned.
With a new Matter Interoperability Test Facility opening in Portland, Oregon, it’s expected that Matter 1.2 could see the features that should have been in the original version.
Several brands including Google Samsung and Amazon have already launched Matter products into the market.
Amazon company behind Alexa launched Matter support over Wi-Fi on select Echo devices in smart homes that use Android devices.
Amazon recently claimed that support for Apple iOS is coming shortly along with support for Matter transmissions over Thread, a low power protocol that’s positioned to serve as a dedicated delivery service for device-to-device transmissions between compatible gadgets.
Back in December 2022 Google Nest devices and Android devices were deemed as being Matter-enabled.
Google said at the time, “As a member of the Connectivity Standards Alliance, the organization that develops Matter, we’ve worked alongside 300 companies for nearly three years to help make it easier to connect smart home devices across hundreds of brands. With Matter, everything from smart lighting, thermostats, window shades and door locks will work better together with less time and effort on your part”.
