Matter — The SmartHome solution
we’ve been waiting for

#2 of my Tech Predictions for 2023

Finally, it looks like we will be able to connect all our Smart home devices together across vendors and systems. This could deliver the big breakthrough for IoT that we have been waiting for.

Consumer-oriented IoT products have been the talk of the town for several years. I predicted an early breakthrough in 2019, and a lot has happened since.

Even though it doesn’t work all the time , smart speakers from Amazon, Google, and Apple have paved the way for easy voice control of everything from heating, blinds, music, lighting, door locks, alarm system, and smart appliances.

But one overarching challenge has kept the Smart Home from meeting the growth opportunity many of us expected early on: Hardware providers have developed their equipment around their own infrastructure, protocol, and setup. So if you started buying Samsung, Apple, or Google products, you eventually found yourself in a walled garden, unable to connect your different systems seamlessly for everything to work together.

Missing standards are a classical challenge when a new technology area emerges. Think about the different browsers at the beginning of the Internet era; think of ePub readers, memory cards, or even power adapters. For a technology to be a success, it is crucial with interoperability and a shared open standard protocol.

Matter — the new standard for IoT products

Despite taking some time for major IoT players to come together, in October 2022, a group of 300 companies from various industries finally released the new, compatible protocol called Matter.

This initiative from the Connectivity Standards Alliance has the potential to enable the frictionless deployment of secure endpoint-to-cloud solutions that we have dreamt about, making it faster and easier to set up new equipment and thereby lowering the barriers to consumer acceptance. Expect setup procedures supported by NFC, so a tap with your phone could do the work!

But it is also about future security when all our stuff one day is connected and online. The Matter solution is designed to work locally over Wifi, so it will function without having to reach the Cloud whenever you want to turn on the light. And finally, Matter will improve reliability.

Amazon will support Matter across their range of IoT products

The good news is that all the big players stand behind this initiative: Google has released its first few Matter compatible products, and more will follow. In addition, IOS 16.1, released in November from Apple, supports Matter, and Amazon has released its roll out plans for the Matter Standard.

So, what can we expect in 2023? First of all, many updated and new devices compatible with Matter. At CES 2023, Matter was this year’s Buzzword across the exhibition halls. Several interesting launches were announced, with the beautiful, natural wood touch display from MUI Labs as a sure winner.

The beautiful MUI natural wood touch display

The Samsung SmartThings Station looks like a winning Matter-compatible Smart Home Hub that doubles as a wireless charger and a device tracker to help you find your lost phone.

But the control room could also end up in your fridge. The latest bespoke fridge from Samsung with a 32” screen supports Matter and will give you an excellent overview of your Smart Home setup.

Control your complete Smart Home from your fridge!

My verdict
The support and roll-out of Matter will finally lead to Smart Home Systems that work seamlessly. Expect pretty much all devices to be connectable and compatible within this year. I predict that Matter will boost Smart Home take off, allowing late followers and even laggards to get into the game.