All the smart home news from the Matter launch event

At the official launch event for Matter this week, I saw a lot of exciting things: a Google Nest Hub controlling an Eve Energy smart plug; a Wiz light bulb working with Apple Home; a Yale smart lock talking to a SmartThings hub over Thread. None of these things were possible before Matter. And all of these things worked well in their demos using voice, app, and other smart home control interfaces — even in the interference hell of a mini-trade show floor.

But I also saw that Matter has a long way to go before it fully delivers on its promise of an interoperable and simple smart home. A phrase I heard a lot throughout the two-day event was, “Matter is a journey,” followed by, “This is just the beginning.”

The Philips Hue Bridge is now Matter certified, with a software update coming to all users by Q1 2023. The free update will make most existing and new Hue lights and accessories Matter compatible. Developers, or anyone willing to live on the edge, can access the beta firmware as of today.

News of the Hue Bridge certification first leaked via the Connectivity Standards Alliance’s Matter certification database early Thursday morning, just as the Matter launch event kicked off in Amsterdam.

Level’s entire lineup of Bluetooth smart locks — best known for hardly looking like smart locks at all — have had hardware support for Thread this whole time and will soon be updated to support Matter over Thread. You love to see it.

Level’s smart locks, which include the Bolt, Lock, Lock Touch, and the just-reviewed Lock Plus with Home Key, are clever and discreet — the Bolt fits entirely within the cutout of your existing deadbolt. But they were Bluetooth-only, and smart home integration and out-of-home control were limited to Apple Home (with a Bluetooth connection to a HomePod Mini or Apple TV) and Ring (if connected to a Sidewalk Bridge like the Ring Video Doorbell Pro). With such limited platform support, Level’s locks have been pretty niche.

Matter was finally released last month, and now, we are getting our first look at the devices that will work with the new smart home interoperability standard. At a Matter launch event in Amsterdam hosted by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), the organization announced that over 190 products are now certified or close to gaining certification in the first Matter categories. These include smart lighting, smart plugs, smart thermostats, smart shades, smart sensors, and smart locks. That’s a relatively small number in the infinite pool of smart home devices, but it's a good start.

Today, the CSA announced four new device categories that are coming next, in addition to cameras, home appliances, robot vacuums, and more advanced energy management categories already announced. These are garage door controllers and electronic gates, environmental quality sensors and controls (such as indoor air quality monitors and air purifiers), smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and ambient motion and presence sensing.

Amazon will start its Matter journey slowly, bringing support for the new smart home standard to 17 Echo devices in December. But this first rollout will only be Matter over Wi-Fi (no Thread, yet), compatible only with Android phones, and cover just three device types: smart plugs, smart bulbs, and smart switches. Amazon announced the news at the Matter launch event in Amsterdam this week and says it will expand the rollout to iOS and Thread early next year, when it will also add more of the device types Matter supports.

The company, which is a founding member of the new smart home interoperability standard, also announced that Matter device makers will need to go through Amazon’s Works With Alexa program to get the WWA badge on their product pages. But they can do this in tandem with Matter certification. If a device is Matter certified, it will work with Alexa, regardless of whether it has the WWA certification. 

Nanoleaf has announced the addition of four new Matter-compatible smart bulbs and light strips to its Essentials smart lighting line. The Thread-enabled LED lights will launch in Q1 of 2023 and include a light strip and A19, GU10, and BR30 bulbs, making them some of the first to support Matter directly without a bridge.