HomeKit What is Matter and what do I need to do for it to work?

[NYCValkyrie]

Don't laugh but I have some dumb questions about Matter and what it's supposed to do or how it works. I'm just generally confused about it. I understand it's a new protocol that is supposed to make cross functionality better. But what does that mean exactly?

Current Setup:
I have smart bulbs (Tuna) and a couple of outlets (Meross) + My Sonos speakers as the extent of my "Smart Home." It's fairly simple. The lightbulbs and outlets were supposed to be compatible w/ HomeKit but I could never get the bulbs added to Home. Plus Siri doesn't work on Sonos speakers but they do show up on Home/AirPlay. Anyway, I use Alexa on Sonos to control the smart bulbs because of this. I also have the ATV 4K & HD.

Questions:
- Does any of my existing equipment work with Matter or do I need new equipment? (I was already considering getting a HomePod Mini but waiting on an updated version, which doesn't look like it's coming soon.)
- Do I need new lightbulbs? Do they need to be Matter specific like they needed to be Alexa/HomeKit/Google specific before?
- Will Siri finally work on Sonos? L
- Will my ATVs be compatible w/ Matter via software update and work as a Hub? UPDATE: Answer is YES per this post.

Thank you!

 

[Mr.Blacky]

Homekit = Homekit
Alexa = Alexa
Google Home = Google Home
Matter = Doesn't matter

 

[NYCValkyrie]

Homekit = Homekit
Alexa = Alexa
Google Home = Google Home
Matter = Doesn't matter

Why oh why do jaded people still post on this forum? Is it just because you feel alone in your misery and want to bring others down to your level of cynicism? geez. I'm genuinely looking for some information and make sense of it. But I hope you get the energy back in life that you put out here.

 

[parseckadet]

This video is a good primer on Matter:

Now Matter doesn't have much to do with Siri. You'll be able to use Siri to control Matter devices, and you'll be able to use Alexa to do the same. But that's not the same as adding Siri to a third-party device. Matter has nothing to do with that bit, so it's not going to help bring Siri as the built-in assistant on your Sonos devices.

As for your bulbs, you'll need to see what the manufacturers say as to whether they will deliver firmware updates to enable Matter on those devices, or whoever made the hub you're using to control them. But I would say that if it's supposed to work with HomeKit now but isn't for some reason, I wouldn't count on Matter saving the day.

I'll provide one example to illustrate some of the weirdness that still lies ahead of us. I have SmartThings controlling several Zigbee and Z-Wave devices. Samsung announced that they will update their hub to support Matter. But they will NOT bridge Zigbee and Z-Wave into Matter, just WiFi, Blutooth, and Thread. So even though my hub that talks to these devices will technically support Matter, and I have multiple AppleTVs that will also support Matter, I still won't be able to use HomeKit to control my devices. Needless to say that I'm pretty cheezed off at Samsung right now and am in the process of moving away from them.

 

[Itinj24]

Why oh why do jaded people still post on this forum? Is it just because you feel alone in your misery and want to bring others down to your level of cynicism? geez. I'm genuinely looking for some information and make sense of it. But I hope you get the energy back in life that you put out here.

Mr.Blacky isn’t wrong or being jaded. Meaning, if you use HomeKit, it will continue to work as it always did. The only benefit will come from accessories that didn’t have HomeKit support before, like say an Echo Dot for example, will have it now. If you don’t plan on switching smart home platforms, it really doesn’t matter.

Matter has a new branding on the box. Whether previous accessories will be updated to support it or not, or new hardware is necessary will be dependent on the manufacturer and the hardware in the accessory.

Bottom line is, there’s nothing really much to know. Look for the Matter branding in the box if it matters to you. That is, if you plan on switching between platforms.

 

[NYCValkyrie]

This video is a good primer on Matter:

Now Matter doesn't have much to do with Siri. You'll be able to use Siri to control Matter devices, and you'll be able to use Alexa to do the same. But that's not the same as adding Siri to a third-party device. Matter has nothing to do with that bit, so it's not going to help bring Siri as the built-in assistant on your Sonos devices.

As for your bulbs, you'll need to see what the manufacturers say as to whether they will deliver firmware updates to enable Matter on those devices, or whoever made the hub you're using to control them. But I would say that if it's supposed to work with HomeKit now but isn't for some reason, I wouldn't count on Matter saving the day.

I'll provide one example to illustrate some of the weirdness that still lies ahead of us. I have SmartThings controlling several Zigbee and Z-Wave devices. Samsung announced that they will update their hub to support Matter. But they will NOT bridge Zigbee and Z-Wave into Matter, just WiFi, Blutooth, and Thread. So even though my hub that talks to these devices will technically support Matter, and I have multiple AppleTVs that will also support Matter, I still won't be able to use HomeKit to control my devices. Needless to say that I'm pretty cheezed off at Samsung right now and am in the process of moving away from them.

Thanks for this. Your example is helpful! I watched the video as it was posted in another thread and helped to clear up some things as well. Appreciate your help!

 

[NYCValkyrie]

Mr.Blacky isn’t wrong or being jaded. Meaning, if you use HomeKit, it will continue to work as it always did. The only benefit will come from accessories that didn’t have HomeKit support before, like say an Echo Dot for example, will have it now. If you don’t plan on switching smart home platforms, it really doesn’t matter.

Matter has a new branding on the box. Whether previous accessories will be updated to support it or not, or new hardware is necessary will be dependent on the manufacturer and the hardware in the accessory.

Bottom line is, there’s nothing really much to know. Look for the Matter branding in the box if it matters to you. That is, if you plan on switching between platforms.

This explanation was helpful as well. Thank you for the genuine help.

 

[DD88]

In classical physics and general chemistry, matter is any substance that has mass and takes up space by having volume. What do you need to do for it to work? It just works without anything

 

[Itinj24]

This explanation was helpful as well. Thank you for the genuine help.

No worries. Yeah, that’s pretty much it in a nutshell. I’m not switching platforms so I’m only looking forward to more accessory options for HomeKit via Matter.

 

[Enzo Morocioli]

In classical physics and general chemistry, matter is any substance that has mass and takes up space by having volume. What do you need to do for it to work? It just works without anything

Technically, matter only works when it's observed. Otherwise it's just in a superposition.

 

[DD88]

Technically, matter only works when it's observed. Otherwise it's just in a superposition.

Wrong

 

[Itinj24]

Technically, matter only works when it's observed. Otherwise it's just in a superposition.

So if I fart in an elevator and nobody else is around to smell it, does it really make a smell?

 

[fatTribble]

Why oh why do jaded people still post on this forum? Is it just because you feel alone in your misery and want to bring others down to your level of cynicism? geez. I'm genuinely looking for some information and make sense of it. But I hope you get the energy back in life that you put out here.

Honestly I get that he didn’t answer your questions, but I didn’t get the sense that the post was jaded or cynical. I think it was cleverly stated that with Matter you no longer have to care about who built the device or for what ecosystem. I think many of us are struggling with the details of our non-HomeKit devices.

 

[antiprotest]

As a matter of fact, on this matter of matter, no matter how I tried, I could not understand why matter would matter to the matter of how I use my home devices. Well, no matter.

 

[Enzo Morocioli]

View attachment 2101369

Wrong

Not wrong: "Observers are powerful players in the quantum world. According to the theory, particles can be in several places or states at once—this is called a superposition. But oddly, this is only the case when they aren't observed. The second you observe a quantum system, it picks a specific location or state—breaking the superposition. The fact that nature behaves this way has been proven multiple times in the lab." Source

Oh, also this:

 

[Itinj24]

Not wrong: "Observers are powerful players in the quantum world. According to the theory, particles can be in several places or states at once—this is called a superposition. But oddly, this is only the case when they aren't observed. The second you observe a quantum system, it picks a specific location or state—breaking the superposition. The fact that nature behaves this way has been proven multiple times in the lab." Source

Oh, also this:

I’m gonna sneak up on my steak and see if I can catch it turning into liquid and back to solid.

 

[DD88]

Not wrong: "Observers are powerful players in the quantum world. According to the theory, particles can be in several places or states at once—this is called a superposition. But oddly, this is only the case when they aren't observed. The second you observe a quantum system, it picks a specific location or state—breaking the superposition. The fact that nature behaves this way has been proven multiple times in the lab." Source

Oh, also this:

You’re talking quantum mechanics, not classical physics. Quantum mechanics are by definition “useless” and most of it is complete conjecture. I know scientists who specialise in this thing day in day out, please do not argue further