Smart Home Tech Just Got A Lot Cheaper Thanks to One Surprising Change
Matter's rollout and adoption have faced many bottlenecks in the past. However, the new smart home standard is gradually catching up through continued updates, which are enhancing smart home device support and introducing new features along the way. Following a major update last year, a new one has just been released, proving vital in improving Matter overall.
Matter 1.4.1 was released in May of this year, and just a few months later, we got another surprise update from the CSA (Connectivity Standards Alliance) through Matter 1.4.2. Although labeled as a minor update, it offers important tweaks in accessibility and reliability of smart home devices and platforms. Here's what's new and why you should be excited about Matter's future again.
- Also read: Check all Matter-ready robot vacuums
Matter Devices are Getting Cheaper
The most notable enhancement in the latest Matter update is the new Wi-Fi-only specification for device setup. This means that smart home vendors can drop Bluetooth chips and the related wireless protocol from their devices, or allow Wi-Fi connectivity for pairing when Bluetooth is not available.
With Bluetooth chips removed, manufacturers can make their devices even cheaper. According to the CSA's head of technology, this could allow prices of devices to be reduced by a dollar. However, there are still some hindrances to this, as most radio chips still bundle both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Regardless, there's a promising takeaway for this in the long run, especially for ultra-low-cost sensors or accessories.
Beyond affordability, the update also enhances security during initial setup, as smart home apps will require fewer permissions.
Smarter and Faster Automation
Users will also benefit from more intuitive device control and management. The update introduces support for pre-defined scenes across controllers, enabling users to manage multiple rooms with a single command. The result is faster and more responsive control of entire smart home setups with multiple devices.
Admins can now assign custom identifiers to devices with identical functions, like switches across different Matter platforms, making management easier. For robot vacuum cleaners (RVCs), the update adds support for chronological commands, allowing users to override current actions. Crucially, devices can now receive live updates that add new capabilities without requiring a reboot or reset.
Better Battery Life and Security
Accessories and gadgets should get improved battery life and power management through quieter reporting. The change in network optimizations enables devices to have more efficient communication with hubs or controllers for reduced battery drain and network traffic, which is particularly useful in dense smart home environments.
On the vendors' side, multi-admins now require stricter controller verification. At the same time, the update limits some access for sensitive settings to controllers and alerts users of uncertified devices.
As with the previous Matter 1.4 release, no new devices have been added to the compatibility list. However, this is expected to change with Matter 1.5, slated for rollout in the coming months.
Do you think Matter (and Thread) is becoming more exciting with these changes and enhancements added with every update? We'd like to hear your opinion in the comments.
Source: MatterAlpha
