Matter - smart home connectivity standard (formerly Project CHIP)

Devices & Integrations
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Update to the Wiz upgrade to Matter Article:

Update, Wednesday, April 26, 4:15 PM: Added details on the firmware number needed for lights to upgrade to Matter and that the option to upgrade is still being rolled out to compatible models.

However, the WiZ A19 bulbs I have aren’t showing as upgradeable, despite fitting the bill. WiZ told me that any compatible model on firmware 1.2 and higher should work. However, this Reddit post from someone who claims to work at WiZ indicates the update is rolling out slowly to specific model numbers and that more will be compatible next month. I’ve reached out to WiZ for confirmation.

reminder: your mobile device needs to be on 2.4 ghz

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There is some contributory information out there about the Wiz Matter upgrade. The Reddit page states that the minimum model number to be upgraded is 100,000. My oldest bulbs have a much lower model number on firmware 1.29.0.

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Info about the Third Reality Nightlight (Thread) development device

Ordered one a few weeks ago and finally took the time to try it out. The listing on Amazon is here. I’ve built new binaries for it using the instructions provided on the Github for the project - I didn’t have any problems following the directions, the only thing maybe not quite obvious is that the BL706 chip is the Thread version, and the BL602 chip is the WiFi version.

I initially tried adding it to Smartthings first, but I ran into a request for “default Thread network” and the network key for that network. I find this mentioned in the ST instructions located here. In my case I have a couple of Nest V2 hubs so ST showed two networks but I didn’t know the “network key” or how to get it (see more below).

So I instead tried adding to Google Home which took a few extra steps. As soon as I booted the device it popped up on my phone to add - but part way thru I got a message that the device is not certified and I couldn’t do anything else. Since the nightlight is a dev kit it comes with a test vendor id and product id. I went to the Google developer console, created a new project, then added a Matter integration and put in the vendor id (0xFFF1 - it’s in a device config header file) and product id (0x8005 - also in the config header file). When I pressed “test this device” on the Google Home developer console web page I got the popup to setup the device and this completed.

The device supported (1) on/off (2) level/intensity (3) color.

I was then able to go to “Link services” on the device and add it to ST. The ST app launched and did NOT ask about the thread network - so that is information that is probably carried along with the link sharing mechanism. Eventually I was taken to the ST app to complete the setup. The only thing I noticed is that “color” is not included.

I did some more searching and found out how Google/Nest store the thread network info. The API is here and some partial code for an android app is in the Thread Network SDK here. From that I was able to create a very simple Android app that I ran on my phone that displayed the preferred Thread network name and the network key.

So I uninstalled everything and tried it again starting with ST. The device added successfully now that I knew which network name to select and the network key to that network. As before, only on/off and level/intensity showed for the device. I tried to use the “link services” to link back to Google Home, but that failed with no useful error messages.

So, like all things Matter there are hiccups between the vendor implementations, and some things like network names and keys are not being displayed even though they are needed for other vendors integrations.

I looked at the ST Edge driver for Matter (called Matter Switch) and I see the capability for color in the code. So I’ll pull down the code and put in some debug/trace statements and see what I can do. I suspect the problem is in the C code that sits behind LUA so at best I may be able to just use the vendor id and product id and force the capability to be active in the Edge driver.

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Amazon has officially enabled the Echo 4th gen TBR and onboarding Matter devices via the Alexa iOS app.

This tidbit about Eve enabling Frustation Free Setup is really interesting to me.

With a shared philosophy of simplifying the customer experience, Eve will bring FFS to all its Matter-enabled devices, beginning with Eve Energy, Eve Motion and Eve Door & Window starting later this month. Customers who opt-in for the FFS feature at check out on Amazon.com can easily add Eve devices to Alexa. Out of the box, the device will connect to the network and be ready to use right after it’s powered on.

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Routine triggers in the new google home app are a bit odd for now…

While Google has added motion sensors as a trigger, currently, only sensors from Philips Hue are supported, and contact sensors aren’t at all. Kattukaran said both motion and contact sensors will be able to trigger Routines in the new Google Home script editor, originally slated for early this year and now coming later this summer. He added that the team hopes to bring full motion and contact sensor functionality to the Google Home app later this year.

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Does anyone have any news about SmartThings supporting Matter Bridges (AKA Philips Hue), last I read from The Verge they was working yet to implement that feature. I know probably the HUE LAN Beta driver is probably the best we can get at the moment but I am just curious about Matter.

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I know it’s a Long Thread, but if you read up topic, you will see that supporting matter bridges coming in is not here and is not on any specific timeline, so we will just have to wait and see.

As far as a smartthings/aeotec hub ever being a matter bridge out, so that it could be added to other companies’ apps, most of the interviews have said they aren’t going to do it, but one top executive said they would consider it.

And that’s all that’s been said publicly.

My guess is that supporting matter Bridges coming in should come within the next six months, but that they’re going to wait and see what happens in the market as far as becoming a Matter bridge going out. That’s just a guess though.

Right now, Aqara, Tuya, Ikea, and Philips Hue are all planning to be matter bridges out (so you can add at least one of their hub models to another matter controller app, and it will bring along some of its end Devices with it), but none of them have yet promised to support matter bridges coming in from other companies. :thinking:

Apple home, Google home, and Alexa have all said they will support matter bridges coming in to their apps. Apple home already does this, I’m not sure about the other two yet. But they definitely have it in their plans to do so.

So I think we will just have to wait and see for now.

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Everyone’s notes, experiences, and analyses have been a great read. Thankful Matter is slowly eking out.

One thing hit me a few days ago: May/June-ish 2023 is meant to be the next major update to the Matter standard.

November 2022: As for Matter’s immediate future, Richardson announced that the CSA is planning a regular, biannual release cycle for the standard, with key updates delivered twice a year. Here at launch, Matter is designed to support several key categories, including plugs, lights, thermostats and TVs – the next update, due in six months, should deliver support for new categories, including high-profile devices like robot vacuums and smart home cameras.

However, the device types are different than this CSA interview, which I trust more:

  • Spring 2023: robot vacuums, white goods will be added to Matter
  • Fall 2023: cameras will be added to Matter

//

I’m hopeful to see if the CSA will update beyond just device types, but perhaps on interoperability, multi-admin, etc…

Still if previous release dates are any indication, spring 2023 (technically until June 21st) might morph into summer 2023.

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Good article on what “fabric“ means in a matter context. :sunglasses:

@Automated_House

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Nada. No new device types in Matter 1.1. Well, that is disappointing.

We’ll soon be a half decade into Matter’s development.

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I originally posted this over on Stacy‘s blog

Interesting that the new Echo Pop advertises itself as supporting Matter, but doesn’t itself support Thread. Which means once again someone could buy two devices with the same logo that can’t actually work together, like the echo pop and the Eve smart plug. Disappointing.

I wonder if they expect most people who get This to also have an eero router (since the pop can also act as an extender for a eero network), and so get thread support from the eero device?

But since they’re described as in several places as perfect for a dorm room, I think we’re back in customer confusion territory. Fill your shopping cart with devices that all have the matter logo and only some of them will work together. Not what we were promised.

I really think the CSA has to come up with a “matter light“ logo for Matter controllers which don’t have thread support.

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I need to add a couple of Wi-Fi wall switches/dimmers at a location with ST, but without a hub, and an Echo Dot 4. Has anyone seen a vendor that has Matter enabled Wi-Fi wall switches available now? If not, a vendor that currently works well with ST and has announced an upgrade path to Matter?

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Leviton will be updating their 2nd gen models

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I got caught up in the hype of Govee’s CES press release thinking the 5 meter M1 would get a Matter OTA update. (apparently so did some blogs/news sites). So I ordered a couple of the 5m model and have them setup in my home. Well come to find out only the 2m model will get Matter and the 5m model will require a new control box :sweat_smile: There’s supposed to be some more info this week about how to get said control box.

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Interesting, but also depressing. :disappointed_relieved:

This is a line of yeelight products designed for small restaurants and other commercial spaces which are professionally installed. As far as I can, tell, these specific models were never sold at Amazon, for example. So it’s very unlikely that the yeelight products that the typical smartthings customer either has or is looking at will be in the group that is getting matter support.

Those specific models are mostly Bluetooth and work with a bridge device somewhat like a hue bridge. They are not the popular Wi-Fi models.

I think it likely that like some other manufacturers, yeelight has found that its individual devices Don’t have the memory capability to handle matter, but they can add it to their hub/bridge.

And, of course, if that’s the way it’s being done, it means that smartthings Has to add incoming “matter bridge” support, which so far they haven’t, or this will be yet another set of Matter compliant devices that can’t be added to a smartthings app.

All of which is likely to add a lot more consumer confusion, even among the power users who visit this forum. :thinking:

So like I said, a little depressing.

@Automated_House

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