We have covered “Matter” and the effects it will have on the Smart Home industry quite extensively on this site. Basically, Matter is a new standard for smart home platforms, apps, and devices that makes it possible to connect smart home devices from different brands with one hub that is compatible across mobile operating systems. This is all possible thanks to “Thread” — the local and low-power networking technology that works as a wireless mesh.
“Matter” was developed by the Connectivity Standards Alliance in collaboration with Amazon, Apple, Samsung SmartThings, and Zigbee to reduce fragmentation and achieve interoperability among smart home devices. Google announced its involvement back in May when it confirmed that Google Nest devices will eventually become Matter controllers that will let you connect all your Matter-enabled devices to Google Home, and thus able to control them both locally and remotely with the Google Home app, Google Assistant, etc.
Today, Google has announced that day is finally here for those using Google Home and Android. Back in July, Google pushed an update to its Nest devices to make them compatible with Matter and double as a hub. These devices include the original Google Home speaker, Google Home Mini, Nest Mini, Nest Audio, Nest Hub (1st and 2nd gen), Nest Hub Max, and the new Nest Wifi Pro. Additionally, the Nest Wifi Pro, Nest Hub Max, and Nest Hub (2nd gen) work as Thread border routers in order to connect Thread devices as well.
So, basically, you can from this point on purchase new Matter smart home devices, which will start hitting stores this holiday season and through early 2023, and connect them to your Google Home-powered smart home. You’ll only need to look for the new Matter badge on the product box to know that they’ll work out of the box with what you already have. Additionally, on Android, you’ll be able to use Fast Pair to quickly connect Matter-enabled devices to your home.
Google also said that it is continuing to work with partners such as Eve, Nanoleaf, Philips Hue, and Tuya, to make sure more of their devices work with matter. They are also working with Samsung to build a smoother Multi-Admin experience so that you are able to easily add to your Google Home devices that have been set up with Samsung SmartThings. Finally, in 2023, Google will be enabling even more devices with Matter and bringing iOS support to the Google Home app. This is truly a game-changing milestone, and I can’t wait for the day that setting up a smart home will be just as easy as pairing a set of earbuds.
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