Revolutionizing Home Automation: Can Matter Improve the Smart Home Experience?

The Future of Smart Home Systems: Improving the Matter Standard

When the Matter smart home standard was launched just over two years ago, it promised to revolutionize the way we interact with our smart devices, allowing for seamless communication and direct control between devices. And, for the most part, it has delivered. Today, there are a growing number of devices that support the Matter standard, including thermostats, smart plugs, and even lighting systems like Philips Hue.

Streamlining Device Control

When it works, the Matter standard is great. Using a direct connection for control, rather than relying on web-based APIs, can make for faster and more intuitive interactions. Take, for example, the new Tado X thermostat, which can be controlled seamlessly through Apple Home or SmartThings. However, it’s not always smooth sailing. Adding multiple devices to a system at once can be a frustrating experience, especially if you’re using a hubless system.

Streamlining Device Addition

To add devices to a system, you typically need to have them connected to a hub, such as a Philips Hue Bridge. This makes it relatively easy to add multiple devices at once. However, if you’re not using a hub, things get more complicated. Take, for instance, adding the Tado X thermostat to a system. You’ll need to add each thermostat individually, which can be time-consuming.

Imagine having to add nine separate thermostats, as I did, over the course of an hour.

Speeding Up Device Support

Another area where Matter falls short is in the speed of device support. The standard uses a series of defined device types, such as lights, bridges, locks, switches, and thermostats. While this uniformity is helpful, it also means that before a device can be added to a system, its corresponding device type must be supported by both the standard and the controlling software. This can lead to slow adoption, as manufacturers may be sluggish to release necessary firmware updates.

For example, the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra, which was initially Matter-compatible, lacked a defined device type for robots. Even now, support for robot vacuum cleaners in Matter software has been slow to develop.

Broadening the Range of Device Control

The current range of available controls is also limited by the defined device types. While this can be sufficient for simple devices like light switches, it stifles the potential of more complex devices, such as dishwashers or washing machines. For instance, when it comes to controlling a dishwasher, I can’t access all the wash cycles available,

Group Control: The Missing Piece

Finally, the Matter standard fails to offer the same level of group control offered by native apps. For example, I can’t set my Tado X system to "Home" or "Away" mode using Apple Home, only adjusting individual devices, and even then, changes to target temperatures only last as long as the app is open. Similarly, I’ve found that Philips Hue scenes aren’t available when connected via Matter, limiting voice control.

In many ways, the Matter standard leaves users with less control than native apps, even if the control is slower. As the standard continues to evolve, there are a few key areas that need improvement:

1. Make it easier to add multiple devices at once: Streamlining the process of adding devices to a system would greatly improve user experience.
2. Speed up device support: The standard needs to move faster to ensure widespread support for new device types.
3. Broaden the range of device control: Devices should be able to communicate a wider range of controls, such as a list of wash cycles for a dishwasher.
4. Implement group control: The standard should offer the same level of group control as native apps, allowing for seamless control of entire systems.