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Matter

Matter is a new standard that aims to fix the smart home’s biggest problems: interoperability, reliability, security, and being easy to use. With Matter, your smart lights, smart lock, smart thermostat, and other smart devices will all work with together, easily. All the major smart home platforms are on board — Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings — and so are almost all the big device brands, from Philips Hue and Lutron Caseta to August, Ikea, and TP-Link. If you see the Matter logo on a product, you know it will work with any other Matter-compatible gadget in your home.

Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
Switchbot’s $30 presence sensor runs for two years on a pair of AAAs.

Following Aqara and Meross, SwitchBot has announced a new presence sensor with light, PIR, and 60 GHz mmWave radar sensors to detect when people are in a room. It runs on two AAA batteries that are easy to replace and is compatible with various smart home platforms when paired with the SwitchBot Matter Hub.

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<em>SwitchBot’s presence sensor comes with an articulated magnetic base so it can be angled to detect humans but not pets.</em>
<em>The sensor can directly trigger various SwitchBot smart home devices, but it also works with platforms like Google Home and Apple Home when using the SwitchBot Hub.</em>
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SwitchBot’s presence sensor comes with an articulated magnetic base so it can be angled to detect humans but not pets.
Image: SwitchBot
Meross’ radar presence sensor ditches the cord and adds Matter-over-Thread supportMeross’ radar presence sensor ditches the cord and adds Matter-over-Thread support
Aqara’s cord-free presence sensor runs for up to three years on battery powerAqara’s cord-free presence sensor runs for up to three years on battery power
Ikea’s new low-cost line is a huge win for Matter and your smart home 

The new Matter-over-Thread lineup delivers affordable, platform-agnostic lighting, sensors, and remotes for every smart home.

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Ikea’s new smart home collection is entirely Matter-compatibleIkea’s new smart home collection is entirely Matter-compatible
The Echo Dot Max is Amazon’s biggest little speaker yet

8

Verge Score

The hardware finally feels ready, but Alexa Plus is still a work in progress.

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
The iPad just got the chip it needs to be a smart home controller — againThe iPad just got the chip it needs to be a smart home controller — again
Samsung SmartThings finally adds support for joining existing Thread networksSamsung SmartThings finally adds support for joining existing Thread networks
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Matter gets its moment at the Samsung press conference.

Eve’s Tim Böth is on stage discussing how its smart home devices work with Samsung SmartThings via Matter. “Eve’s smart plugs capture energy efficiency data for SmartThings Energy, the motion sensors provide data to help SmartThings understand your daily routines,” he said. “Our products show how AI can fade into the background.”

Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
Philips Hue lights get bigger, brighter, and cheaper with a major product refreshPhilips Hue lights get bigger, brighter, and cheaper with a major product refresh
Philips Hue responds to cheaper competitors with major product overhaulPhilips Hue responds to cheaper competitors with major product overhaul
Kwikset’s new locks point to a smarter, more open future for your front doorKwikset’s new locks point to a smarter, more open future for your front door
Hands-on with the Level Lock Pro: sleeker, smarter, still very expensive

Level’s latest lock adds faster performance, built-in door sensing, and Matter support while keeping its “invisible” design.

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Google’s first Gemini smart home speaker detailed in leakGoogle’s first Gemini smart home speaker detailed in leak
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
You can now buy this neat keypad lighting controller.

The GE Cync Smart Dimmer Keypad, which was announced at CES, costs $44.99 and works with Matter-over-Wi-Fi, so you can program it to control any Matter-compatible lighting in your home and use it with any Matter smart home platform.

Common in pro-installs, keypads are useful for activating different scenes, and it’s good to see some affordable options.

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission.

<em>The keypad has two programmable buttons as well as regular on /off and dimming functions.</em>
<em>A new smart dimmer paddle switch is also available for $25.99</em>
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The keypad has two programmable buttons as well as regular on /off and dimming functions.
Image: GE Cync
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
The Pixel Pro 10 phones include a certified Thread radio.

This means you should be able to use them to set up and pair Matter-over-Thread smart home devices, even if you don’t have a Thread Border Router.

Apple’s newer Pro iPhones also support Thread, and while the Pixel 9 series has the hardware, it looks like only the Pixel 10 Pro line is officially certified.

If you need to catch up on what Thread is, listen to the latest Vergecast for a deep dive.

We could make Rosie the Robot, but should we?
Play

iRobot co-founder Colin Angle on the future of home robotics and then it’s time to learn the story of Thread.

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Surprise Matter update focuses on reliability and stabilitySurprise Matter update focuses on reliability and stability
Sengled’s downfall shows the peril of relying on cloud connections for smart home controlSengled’s downfall shows the peril of relying on cloud connections for smart home control
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Hunter Douglas adds Matter support to its smart shades.

A firmware upgrade for its PowerView Gen 3 platform is now available, allowing users to control their shades locally via Matter platforms, including Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and others.

Hunter Douglas first said it would bring Matter to its smart shades back in 2022, and is finally following through. However, the upgrade is only coming to the gen 3 shades connected to a PowerView Gateway or Gateway Pro.

Thread count: Ikea is stitching together a smarter home

With plans to launch more than 20 Matter-over-Thread devices, Ikea is embracing Matter in a move to make its smart home simpler and more affordable.

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Ikea’s smart home hub is now a Matter controller.

The Swedish retail giant’s latest update for its Dirigeria hub adds the feature in beta. Matter controller functionally means you can add Matter devices from other brands to the hub and control them with Ikea’s Home Smart app. Ikea’s David Granath told The Verge it hopes to send the update to all users by “the beginning of next week.”

The hub is already a Matter bridge, allowing its lights, blinds, and sensors to be used on other Matter platforms (Apple Home, Alexa, etc.). With a Matter controller, Ikea can become a Matter platform in its own right.

Updated July 3, added comment from Ikea.

Ikea Update Adds Matter Controller Functionality to Dirigera Hub

[homekitnews.com]

It could be 2026 before all your Thread border routers work togetherIt could be 2026 before all your Thread border routers work together
Aqara adds support for 50 new Matter device typesAqara adds support for 50 new Matter device types
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Z-Wave is remaking itself to find a new place in your smart homeZ-Wave is remaking itself to find a new place in your smart home
These robot vacuums are getting upgraded to support Apple HomeThese robot vacuums are getting upgraded to support Apple Home
SwitchBot’s next smart hub comes with a control knobSwitchBot’s next smart hub comes with a control knob
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Home Assistant makes it official.

After supporting Matter in beta since 2023, the open-source smart home platform is now officially certified as a Matter Controller. This won’t make a jot of difference for users, says founder Paulus Schoutsen, but it’s “the cherry on the cake.”

He added that certification has been a lengthy and expensive process; to certify a controller, you have to test every device type it’s compatible with. And, unlike Apple, Amazon, and Google, Home Assistant supports most Matter devices.

Home Assistant officially Matters

[home-assistant.io]

Wes Davis
Wes Davis
Apple may require its HomeKit architecture upgrade soon.

That’s according to 9to5Mac, which spotted code in the latest iOS 18.4 developer beta suggesting the Home app is dropping support for the older version.

The updated HomeKit, which Apple rolled out in 2023, is required if you want to use Matter devices. If you’re not sure how to upgrade, check out our handy guide for doing so.

Apple to require users to upgrade to new HomeKit architecture

[9to5mac.com]

SwitchBot launches cut-your-own smart shadesSwitchBot launches cut-your-own smart shades
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Ikea registered a Matter-over-Thread temperature sensor with the FCCIkea registered a Matter-over-Thread temperature sensor with the FCC
The iOS 18.4 beta brings Matter robot vacuum supportThe iOS 18.4 beta brings Matter robot vacuum support
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Matter plans to fix your home Wi-Fi.

The Wi-Fi Alliance and Thread Group have revealed they’re working with the CSA on several solutions to make sure your Wi-Fi router plays well with your smart home devices:

These include features like IPV 6 and multicast discovery, which we want to make sure are consistent and reliable across routers ... The way routers implement their multicast discovery can be broken, and that leads to a pretty bad experience for users ... We need to make Wi-Fi work reliably for all of the IoT use cases.

I’ve experienced network issues setting up Matter devices and keeping them online, and I’m not alone. If Matter can fix Wi-Fi routers, all will be forgiven.

Matter will be better in 2025 — say the people who make it

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Here’s another use for that Thread radio in your iPhone.

In an interview with The Verge, Vividh Siddha, director of engineering at Apple and president of Thread Group, shared another use case for the Thread radio in newer iPhones.

As well as allowing setup of a Thread device when you don’t have a Thread border router, the Thread radio in the iPhone lets you control devices when the power is out:

But the other important factor is the ability to use your accessories, and some important ones, like your front door lock when there’s a power outage. If you have no infrastructure — your Wi-Fi router is down, your Thread border router is down — and you still want the ability to get into your house or do other things that might be smart home related. Those are some use cases that it’s explicitly designed for, but it’s not limited to that.

Matter will be better in 2025 — say the people who make it

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Matter will be better in 2025 — say the people who make it

The CSA, Thread Group, and Wi-Fi Alliance say they’re working to fix the biggest problems with the smart home standard. In this exclusive interview, I ask them how and when.

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
These POE smart shades are the first to work with Matter.

SmartWings, one of the first to offer Matter over Thread smart shades, has another first. Today, the company announced its Matter over Ethernet smart shades, which use a single cable to provide power and connectivity — no batteries, Thread, or Wi-Fi required.

Matter compatibility means the shades, which come in roller, zebra, and woven styles, will work with Apple Home, Google Home, SmartThings, Alexa, and other smart home platforms.

SmartWings’ new Matter over Ethernet shades have a CAT 6A Inline coupler to connect to a port on a compatible router or switch for power and connectivity in one cable.
SmartWings’ new Matter over Ethernet shades have a CAT 6A Inline coupler to connect to a port on a compatible router or switch for power and connectivity in one cable.
Image: SmartWings
The Google Home app will soon support the Nest ProtectThe Google Home app will soon support the Nest Protect
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
This mechanical keyboard can control your smart home.

ThirdReality’s MK1 Magic Keyboard ($80, launching March) is a Matter smart button. Ingenious!

The function keys are programmable buttons. Just press to activate a scene or control smart devices like lights through Apple Home, SmartThings, or Home Assistant. Mechanical keyboard / smart home nerds rejoice!

This smart keyboard has RGB lighting, Gateron Yellow switches, and a Matter-over-Wi-Fi chip on board.
This smart keyboard has RGB lighting, Gateron Yellow switches, and a Matter-over-Wi-Fi chip on board.
Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
Google Home hubs can now work locally thanks to MatterGoogle Home hubs can now work locally thanks to Matter
I found the first Matter smart fridgeI found the first Matter smart fridge
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

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