Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple-Backed 'Matter' Smart Home Standard Again Delayed Until Fall 2022
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I have about 60 or so smart devices in my home. I wonder, and maybe (likely) there are smarter people here that can tell me, will this be compatible with these products? Specifically, hue bulbs (and bridge) ring home security and lights, kasa switches and plugs, echoes, etc.
incorrect, never had that issue, i have 7 eeros in 4000 sq ft. never a device offline.
Philips/Signify hasn’t said that they will update existing bulbs or bridges, but O know that Signify is part of this alliance and so is Zigbee.
Zigbee and Bluetooth are the protocols used by the current Hue bulbs. Maybe we need to buy new Hue bridges, if the don’t update existing bulbs or the existing bridge.
”To take the Philips Hue smart home integration to the next level, the software in the user's Hue Bridge will simply be updated automatically with Matter. Via this update Philips Hue users will benefit of a simplified connected experience when integrating with other smart home devices.”
https://www.signify.com/global/our-...h-new-smart-home-connectivity-standard-matter
Thanks! I had missed that info. I’ve looked for that info before, but didn’t find anything.
My guess is HomeKit and Matter will exist side by side, at least for a long while. Whether a device is legacy HomeKit or Matter will likely be transparent to the user, at least after setup is complete. You’ll probably just go into your Home app just like you do today to control your devices.
It’s integrated with Homekit. Apple is already supporting Thread which is the connectivity part, Matter is the SDK/software interface part and that all links into HomeKit.
What it should mean is a better and more reliable HomeKit plus being able to natively use all smarthome devices with it.
Not all HomeKit products are created equal, and I just want more stability overall. I have 20+ Leviton Decora Smart Switches that routinely lose connection to WiFi and never reconnect until factory reset. Pretty miserable experience.
I also have various other HomeKit accessories and wish I could say they were any better, but they all have the same issues of responsiveness.
I am so so excited about Matter. I've invested in Eve's thread devices as they promise to have Matter compatibility out of the box and in the meantime I love the quality and reliability of them. (And security/privacy). I say take your time to get it right, we'll be ready for "the next WiFi" when it comes out.
This is exactly right. Homekit is complete and total garbage.
Thread is the name of the protocol, just like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are protocols. Matter is the framework, and it can use Thread and other protocols.
This becomes the ongoing standard for how these devices talk to each other. This would end up replacing HomeKit and AlexaKit (or whatever it’s call) and Google Home and all of the others. One ring to rule them all!
Probably because HomeKit is the one lagging behind competitors.
And Apple is less ad-reliant than competitors.
I have no confidence that this will work, because:
- Device manufacturers will always try to create their own custom standards that claim to be compatible, but only with their own devices. This pattern has played out so many times with traditional home device manufacturers. They ALWAYS seem to have a head salesperson demanding that they try to lock-in users to their own ecosystem "because once we lock everyone in we will own the market". People buy into it, but only enough for the salesperson to make their bonus for the year, but it doesn't reach the critical market share and they eventually shut down (world domination or bust!).
- Internet companies will always try to lock devices into a cloud service so they can collect data. There's absolutely no reason these devices should be REQUIRED to have a cloud connection, and yet they always seem to need it. They're more interested in data collection than providing actual products. If I don't care about controlling things when I'm away from home, that should be my choice (and I can always setup a VPN to my house if I want to).
I understand you, but....
- Device manufacturers which adopt Matter may have their R&D costs greatly reduced (useful for little or medium companies);
- Matter isn't completely cloud-less, but it moves most (if not all) of the internet connection to the smart-speaker, THERE will be the true competition.