Matter was only briefly mentioned in the keynote speech at the Samsung developer conference SDC24 (link). But the news about the cross-manufacturer standard was quite something. SmartThings will be one of the first smart home ecosystems to support Matter 1.3. Jaeyeon Jung, Head of SmartThings at Samsung, had asked a prominent guest to deliver the message: In a video clip, Tobin Richardson, President and CEO of the CSA, emphasized the company’s commitment, having so far implemented every new Matter release in a timely manner.
After Matter 1.2, SmartThings implements 1.3
SmartThings is one of the few ecosystems that already supports Matter 1.2, although there are hardly any products that use the functions or device categories it contains. However, this preparation is essential for the development and dissemination of the standard. Without the help of the major platforms, there will be no corresponding devices – the incentive for manufacturers is simply too low. One example: Bosch has postponed its Matter 1.2 update for fridges to the first quarter of 2025 – and even then, it will be early because Amazon, Apple and Google have yet to integrate control for this device type.
The same applies to version 1.3, which was released in May 2024 and includes e-car chargers alongside other types of household appliances as well as water and energy management. The latter in particular is of interest to SmartThings users, as the Samsung platform already comes with extensive tools for displaying and optimizing energy consumption. Matter products that transmit energy data in a standardized way could expand their possibilities in the future.
Home Assistant integrates Matter energy measurement
And another driver of Matter integration is making progress: Home Assistant has added support for energy measurement into its latest software version 2024.10 (link). The open-source platform is thus expanding its recently introduced support for Matter 1.3. In a live-streamed release party on YouTube (link), Franck Nijhof, Head of Technology at Home Assistant/Nabu Casa, also announced the certification. The platform is to leave its beta status and become an officially certified Matter Controller. This would give tech-savvy users who don’t want to wait for the big corporations a local and cost-effective alternative.
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