Matter 1.4 Brings Support for New Devices and Easier Integration to Smart Home Setups

Matter 1.4 adds enhanced interoperability features for smart home ecosystems like Apple's HomeKit, including multi-platform device support and expanded energy management.

matter iot standard
The Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), the organization responsible for Matter, has now finalized version 1.4 of the specification (via The Verge), introducing a range of new device types and enhanced functionalities that promise to improve interoperability between smart home ecosystems, including ‌HomeKit‌.

Matter 1.4 introduces support for home routers and access points (HRAPs) that are certified to operate as both Wi-Fi access points and Thread border routers. This means that any Matter-certified HRAP device will be able to enhance network stability and simplify smart home connectivity. Thread border routers allow Matter-enabled devices to connect across a home, regardless of which company manufactures them, while Matter-certified routers can securely store and share Thread network credentials.

The update also introduces Enhanced Multi-Admin, which allows users to add Matter devices to multiple ecosystems automatically with a single authorization. For example, a smart light or thermostat could be added to both Apple Home and Google Home without the need for multiple setup processes. Enhanced Multi-Admin achieves this by enabling "Fabric Sync," a system that allows each Matter ecosystem to securely communicate with other ecosystems a user has authorized.

Matter 1.4 also broadens its support for energy management devices. New categories include heat pumps, water heaters, battery walls, and solar energy devices, such as solar inverters and hybrid solar/battery systems. Matter 1.4's expanded energy management options allow devices to adjust their energy consumption based on demand.

While it's unclear exactly when Apple will introduce support for Matter 1.4's features, the CSA's bi-annual release schedule suggests that Apple and other Matter supporters will implement elements of the specification over the next few years.

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Top Rated Comments

Will Co Avatar
2 weeks ago
Seems to me to all be a bit of a mess - and I work in that line of business. There is very little clarity as to what devices support what, what hubs are needed, who will really interoperate with whom else. I think it's fair to say - it's not gone well. And I'm not sniping - I want it to go well.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
victorvictoria Avatar
2 weeks ago
So all that remains is convincing manufacturers to adopt Matter support. They're few and far between at this point. Nest products especially.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Powerbooky Avatar
2 weeks ago
The last time I tried to use a Matter device (Eve Energy) it broke a part of my Thread network. All HomeKit only devices that were near and tried to connect to this Thread node, the Home app lost their connections. Maybe it's specific for Eve, but apparently HomeKit and Matter do not mix on the same Thread network.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mozumder Avatar
2 weeks ago
Houses could be built around an expanded Matter protocol. General maintenance should also be part of the spec. I could use info on when air filters need to be replaced, when gutters need to be cleaned, if a drawer is left open, if sump pump is still working, if air quality is acceptable, when indoor plants need to be watered.. so much maintenance in a house needs to be automated.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WarmWinterHat Avatar
2 weeks ago

Yah most people would much rather not spend time doing ANY housework. It's why restaurants and maids and car service centers exist. Life's too short for that.
We have a maid service for weekly cleaning, but the rest we do. Gardening and working out in the yard and field beat watching tv or YouTube or playing video games any day.

My opinion, anyway.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ChrisA Avatar
2 weeks ago

My Aqara G4 video doorbell shows up in Home, but that brand suffers from requiring 2.4Ghz WiFi connection, and not supporting 5Ghz.
This is really common. They call it a "feature" but a bug. 2.4 GHz is better is going through walls then is 5 ghz. Almost all automation devices that use WiFi are 2.5 GHz only. This is not unique to Aqura. It is almost universal. And really how fast do you need to move data for a doorbell or a door lock? 5 ghz is not needed.

Home automation over WiFi needs a _VERY_ reliable 2.5 GHz network. Enough so that it is worth is to add a few access points around the house so that every device has the full "five bars". WiFi is my least preferred connection method because the last thing I want is for my lights to stop working if the router needs a reboot. I like Zigbee, Thread or even Lutron's proprietary radio links better than WiFi as they seem to be much more reliable. But still, WiFi can be made to work if you add enough access points. If the devices were 5 ghz, you would need even more APs.

You can use 5 ghz for the backhaul to the APs but Ethernet is more reliable if you can pull the cable.

Today, many times you can not find a Thread device, so I look for a Zigbee device. Only if this fails I am forced to WiFi. So I have a mix. While my goal is to have 100% matter over Thread, this is not possible in 2024.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)