Once again, we’re seeing a delay to the new smart home interoperability standard, Matter. This new standard would allow devices from multiple companies to work together, even though they were initially built with a particular ecosystem in mind. Devices are expected to start shipping this year, but will begin in the fall instead of in the upcoming months as expected.
The Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), which oversees the Matter initiative, states the delay comes from an unprecedented interest in the standard from new companies. Companies such as Apple, Google, Amazon, and Samsung were in the first batch of manufacturers interested in Matter. The CSA initially expected it would only have four or five platforms to work with, but now there are more than 16.
The increase in companies and platforms shows great interest and need for the new standard, but it requires the CSA to consider some new measures. It now needs to go through its Software Development Kit (SDK) and finalize it with the new players in mind. The SDK is the code given to all manufacturers to ensure their devices will support and use Matter correctly.
We should still start seeing smart devices come from the initial batch of interested manufacturers this fall. That batch includes 150 accessories across 15 different home categories from 50 different companies. We should be seeing smart bulbs, plugs, thermostats, TVs, and more.
For the newer companies that will be adding the Matter code to their devices, the CSA will provide the finalized SDK later. This ensures that, since the feature set of Matter is complete and all that’s needed is further stabilization and tweaking to the code, we start to see devices without more delays. Newer interested companies should expect to receive access to the SDK, be able to apply for certification and testing, and finally start shipping devices at the end of this year or in 2023.
After multiple delays from 2020 until now, we’re starting to see the first finish line for Matter and its devices. Expect to see the first devices with Matter on board roll out in about six months, barring any other delays.
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