{"id":2870,"date":"2026-06-27T17:05:58","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T17:05:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/silvybrand.com\/?p=2870"},"modified":"2026-06-27T17:05:58","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T17:05:58","slug":"matter-unify-conference-csa-apple-google-amazon-samsung-smart-home-interoperability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/silvybrand.com\/?p=2870","title":{"rendered":"Inside the room where the smart home industry is still betting on Matter"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Four years ago, overlooking a canal in Amsterdam, the smart home industry collectively launched Matter<\/a>, the one interoperability standard to rule them all. Heralded as the solution to the industry\u2019s struggles, Matter was built on open standards and existing technologies and is the result of years of collaboration between traditional rivals, including Apple, Google, Amazon, and Samsung.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Matter promised an end to walled gardens and ecosystem lock-in. It promised to make a smart home device, like a lock, lightbulb, or sensor, easy to buy and set up. It promised you could choose any brand, use any platform, no expertise required \u2014 it would just work<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cMatter long-term won\u2019t be successful until everybody can use it at parity. That\u2019s the goal. And all the companies know that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Tobin Richardson, CSA<\/cite><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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It didn\u2019t. Today, Matter is still not there. Adding devices to your smart home is still cumbersome and finicky<\/a>; sharing them across ecosystems can be unreliable<\/a>, and some features users expect aren\u2019t part of Matter and still require the manufacturer\u2019s app<\/a>. But, based on what I saw at the Unify conference in Austin, Texas<\/a>, last week, Matter is much closer to its promise of a simple, reliable, interoperable smart home.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Following a rocky launch<\/a> and years of broken promises<\/a>, the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) designated 2025 as the year to fix Matter<\/a> \u2014 and I have seen significant improvements. This year at Unify, the CSA\u2019s first public-facing event since the Amsterdam launch of Matter, version 1.6 of the spec was announced<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The most significant new feature, Joint Fabric, will let you create a single smart home network that can be controlled by any Matter platform \u2014 which is the Matter we thought we were getting all along. The question is, will the platforms adopt it? And that\u2019s a question that has been at the heart of Matter\u2019s struggles to date. It turns out that corralling an industry is not easy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"A<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A panel at Unify hosted by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy featuring representatives from Google, Samsung, Homey\/LG, and CableLabs. <\/em>Here, <\/em>Daniel Moneta <\/span><\/em>of Samsung answers a question about Samsung appliances not being part of Matter, saying they are focused on offering a great first-party experience through SmartThin<\/em>gs.<\/em><\/figcaption>Image: CSA<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The mood at the three-day conference was optimistic but realistic. There was widespread recognition that Matter hasn\u2019t done what it set out to do, but that the work is being done to get it there.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I asked Tobin Richardson, the CEO of the CSA, whether he believed Matter had achieved that initial promise that you could buy a device with a Matter logo and it would be easy to set up and use on any platform. \u201cWe\u2019re on the path,\u201d he hedged. \u201cIn some ways, yes. But in some places, universally and globally, we still have a few more milestones to get there.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The biggest concern among many of the attendees I spoke to \u2014 which included representatives from silicon vendors, manufacturers, and ecosystem companies such as Google, Amazon, and Samsung \u2014 is the widening gap between the spec and its implementation by ecosystems<\/a>. This disconnect has led to more consumer confusion, rather than less.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Developed by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), whose members include Apple, Amazon, Google, and Samsung (and others<\/a>), Matter is an open-source<\/a>, IP-based connectivity software layer for smart home devices. It works over Wi-Fi, ethernet, and the low-power mesh networking protocol Thread<\/a>. Matter currently supports most of the main device types in the home. These include security cameras, lighting, thermostats, locks, robot vacuums, refrigerators, dishwashers, dryers, ovens, smoke alarms, air quality monitors, EV chargers, and more.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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A smart home gadget with the Matter logo can be set up and used with any Matter-compatible ecosystem that supports that device type via a Matter controller<\/a> and controlled from multiple smart home platforms at the same time with a feature called multi-admin<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, and Apple Home are some major smart home platforms supporting Matter, along with hundreds of device manufacturers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Matter 1.6 launched this month, but Apple, Google, and Amazon are barely at 1.3<\/a>, which came out two years ago. SmartThings has committed to adopting new specs within six months of release<\/a>, but Samsung still hasn\u2019t added Matter support to its appliances.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Without platform parity<\/a>, Matter\u2019s promise simply can\u2019t be fulfilled. George Yianni, head of technology at smart lighting company Philips Hue, summed up the general feeling: \u201cIt would be great if, within a year of new features being published in the spec, it was broadly supported by the ecosystems.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Matter may have mostly solved the initial challenge of getting everything<\/em> to work together, but it\u2019s still working on getting everyone <\/em>to work together. \u201cMatter long-term won\u2019t be successful until everybody can use it at parity. That\u2019s the goal. And all the companies know that,\u201d said Richardson. While he concedes there\u2019s a natural tension with competitors like Google, Apple, and Amazon working together, he says they know that the result is a bigger market. \u201cThese companies want to make money, but that\u2019s a good thing for Matter,\u201d said Richardson.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Technologist Kevin Ashton, who coined the term Internet of Things and developed WeMo at Belkin<\/a>, put it best, saying on stage that companies need to \u201cbe brave enough to compete on features and benefits rather than trying to build a prison for your customer.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Ultimately, it is the CSA\u2019s role to make competitors work together. \u201cWe create a safe space for them to collaborate,\u201d Jon Harros, head of testing and certification at the CSA, told me. \u201cCollaboration is still painful, but it is collaboration, and it is the way to move the needle forward.\u201d He points to the Interoperability Lab<\/a> they established and that the platforms are now accepting Matter certification for their Works With badges<\/a> as evidence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Six years after Apple, Amazon, and Google issued the first-ever press release with all three company names<\/a> in the headline, Richardson said the collaboration remains strong. \u201cYes, there are cracks all the time,\u201d he conceded. \u201cBut not in the foundation. In some ways, it is less confrontational now, more congenial over how we\u2019re going to solve this. Early on, there was a real wresting of control.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Over three days at Unify, I heard from representatives of all the major platforms and manufacturers across the industry, as well as the heads of the groups that manage the major wireless protocols: Thread, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, and Bluetooth. The universal message was that, by building on open standards and collaborating to find solutions, the smart home industry is moving toward a stronger future. And despite the slower-than-expected adoption from Google, Apple, and Amazon, I was repeatedly assured that the sheer resources these companies continue to pour into Matter is evidence that they\u2019re in it for the long term.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Dan<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Dan Wroclawski of <\/em>Consumer Reports moderates a panel with Tobin Richardson of the CSA; Vividh Siddha, president of Thread Group and Director of software engineering at Apple<\/em><\/em>; Neville Meijers, CEO of Bluetooth SIG; <\/em>and Kevin Robinson, CEO of Wi-Fi Alliance<\/em>.<\/figcaption>Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy \/ The Verge<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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One concrete example I was given: Earlier this year, Ikea, an early member of Matter, rolled out an entire line of new Matter-over-Thread smart home products<\/a>. It was the first large-scale, real-world deployment of Matter-over-Thread to a broader consumer audience, and it quickly ran into serious problems<\/a>. Customers either couldn\u2019t connect to the devices or they were dropping offline, and while not all buyers were affected, it was a big enough problem that the industry took notice.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cCollaboration is still painful, but it is collaboration, and it is the way to move the needle forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Jon Harros, CSA<\/cite><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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At the conference, engineers from several of the major ecosystems told me that they all gathered with Ikea for a weeklong troubleshooting session, working from 7AM to 10:30PM each day \u2014 even going to the local Best Buy to buy five of every Thread border router and tracking down ISP router manufacturers on LinkedIn to alert them to bugs they\u2019d found that were impacting the devices\u2019 ability to connect to users\u2019 networks. They tell me the efforts unearthed numerous potential problems and led Ikea to roll out several fixes<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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This type of collaboration feels unprecedented for any industry and is a strong indicator of the investment in the standard. It\u2019s clear that the engineers and product teams at these companies are dedicated to Matter\u2019s success. But I still have concerns about the continued investment of their management.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Apple\u2019s slow-and-steady approach seems the most solid. Google has certainly shown renewed interest in the smart home, propelled by Gemini. But I see Amazon as the biggest concern for Matter. The company\u2019s stance seems more on the side of \u201cwe support everything\u201d than \u201cwe believe Matter is the best solution.\u201d It has also begun moving further toward its own proprietary Sidewalk protocol<\/a> since Ring founder Jamie Siminoff\u2019s return to the company<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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A lot hinges on Matter\u2019s perceived success in the market. Several companies appear to be circling the standard, not fully committing until it becomes the default, ready to retreat if they\u2019re not forced by market pressures to adopt it. But by the numbers, Matter is looking strong.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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As a new standard, it has achieved a lot in a relatively short time. It now covers most smart home device types, including, finally, security cameras<\/a>, and has certified over 1,200 unique certified products. The CSA has 940 member companies, with 300 actively working on the standard and more arriving. ADT just joined the board of directors<\/a>, bringing another large, legacy company deeper into the fold.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Thread<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Thread has seen a significant increase in certified products in the last two years.<\/em><\/figcaption>Image: Thread Group<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Similarly, Thread<\/a>, one of Matter\u2019s two wireless connectivity protocols, has also seen a huge uptick in interest, including a 27 percent increase in membership over the last two years and over 1,000 certified devices, with 151 arriving just this year. There are now 71 Thread-certified components, meaning silicon providers are building solutions for manufacturers, creating a strong foundation for new companies looking to use Matter in their products.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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My biggest takeaway from Unify is that despite the problems the standard has faced, it\u2019s not in danger of failing. Despite some outliers and cautious approaches, the industry coalesced around Matter four years ago, and that coalition remains strong.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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That doesn\u2019t mean Matter where it needs to be, however. Along with faster platform adoption and a need for more devices in the newly supported device types (cameras in particular), it still needs to deliver on its initial promise of simplicity. As I said at the panel I hosted at the conference, for me, success will be when I can feel confident that when I hand my 80-year-old father a Matter lightbulb, he can get it set up and working with no help from me.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Buying<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Buying devices that support Matter is still confusing for customers.<\/em><\/figcaption>Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy \/ The Verge<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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For manufacturers, the roadblocks to that simplicity are still too many. Yianni at Philips Hue told me that while he believes Matter has landed as the \u201cdefinitive smart home interoperability mechanism,\u201d it\u2019s still confusing and complicated for his users.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In particular, this comes back to the slow adoption of the spec by ecosystems. The initial experience Matter delivered for Hue users was worse<\/a> than what they could offer without it. \u201cMatter launched too early, but a lot of those teething problems have been solved, with a lot of hard work from many companies,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cMost consumers just assume things will work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 George Yianni, Philips Hue<\/cite><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The challenge now is bringing those solutions to people\u2019s homes. Yianni said he\u2019s most excited for the just-announced Joint Fabric. \u201cNow we actually have the possibility to have a single Thread network and a Matter fabric for the home, like we have a Wi-Fi network. That\u2019s how everyone assumed it would work.\u201d However, as everyone has learned, just because it\u2019s in the spec doesn\u2019t mean it will be implemented.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Additionally, Yianni feels that communication to consumers about what Matter is has been disappointing. Too much has been placed on device manufacturers, and the ecosystems still push their users to look for the Works With badges. \u201cThe badges are a crutch,\u201d he said, arguing that most regular customers aren\u2019t looking for them. \u201cMost consumers just assume things will work.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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He and others I spoke to believe it\u2019s worth the investment by all the ecosystems and the CSA to make this much simpler for people looking to buy smart devices, and to reinforce that the Matter logo is all you need to look for if you want to know whether a device will work with your smart home. \u201cBecause today it\u2019s just confusing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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It should be so ubiquitous that the idea of a smart home device without <\/em>Matter is as absurd as a wireless router without Wi-Fi. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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John Bartucci, of Fortune Brands, the owner of Yale and Moen, pointed out during a panel that retailers also rely on the badges. \u201cRetailers want products that won\u2019t get returned; correct badging is how consumers trust it\u2019ll work at home.\u201d Austin Stewart of Schlage Locks agrees that talking with customers and retailers is still \u201ca Works With story.\u201d For their customers, the Apple Home badge means this lock works with the Apple Home app, \u201cand that\u2019s the experience you get,\u201d he said. As Matter grows and becomes more ubiquitous, that story may change. He compared it to Wi-Fi, a term so common that his grandmother knows it, but today, Matter is not there yet. \u201cIt\u2019s the experience that we\u2019re delivering, not necessarily the technology,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Ultimately, the Matter logo needs to become synonymous with smart home connectivity, in the same way Bluetooth is synonymous with wireless audio and Wi-Fi with wireless internet. \u201cToday, if you go buy some new headphones, you don\u2019t look for the Bluetooth logo; it should be the same for Matter with smart home,\u201d said Yianni. It should be so ubiquitous that the idea of a smart home device without <\/em>Matter is as absurd as a wireless router without Wi-Fi.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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That brings us back to the core concept of Matter: trust. The standard promised that I could just hand my father a smart lightbulb and trust that I would never get the call asking why he\u2019s sitting in the dark. We\u2019re not there yet. But, given the momentum at Unify and the evidence I saw of continued investment by many manufacturers and ecosystems, Matter feels closer to fulfilling its promise than it\u2019s ever been.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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