The euphoria surrounding the Matter smart home standard has recently waned somewhat. Slow adaptation of specifications and teething problems with the Thread wireless protocol have caused frustration among users and manufacturers. So a little positive news can’t hurt. And indeed: the announcement by the Connectivity Standards Alliance on Matter Release 1.4 (link) reads as if it addresses important points of criticism.
Improvements for Thread networks
Matter 1.4 – published on 7 November 2024 – contains a new product category designed to simplify the creation of wireless networks with the Thread protocol. Thread is intended for wireless connections in the Matter standard alongside Wi-Fi, but has hardly been widely used to date. As Nanoleaf CEO Gimmy Chu explained in our interview, only a few households fulfil the technical requirements or even know what Thread is.
With the new Home Routers and Access Points (HRAP) from Matter 1.4, this knowledge may no longer be necessary in future. The device class combines Wi-Fi access point and Thread Border Router in one housing. An HRAP can take various forms: as a Wi-Fi router for the home network, Internet modem, Wi-Fi access point or set-top box, for example. The key is to combine both wireless protocols to ensure support for all wireless Matter products in the home.
However, a Matter-certified HRAP should be able to do even more: It comes with a secure directory where the access data for the Thread network can be saved. For the first time, there is a standardized storage location for these credentials. Until now, the way how additional border routers may join an existing Thread network was not standardized. Platforms from Apple to Google and Home Assistant to SmartThings developed their own solutions for this purpose. If they failed or there were operating errors, the new Border Routers set up separate wireless networks. This led to fragmented, patchy wireless islands instead of a strong, shared mesh network.
With the HRAP, Matter will also implement improvements that are provided for in Thread 1.4. At the beginning of September 2024, the Thread Group responsible for the radio protocol published its latest release (link) and standardized how devices recognize and trust each other. The fact that Thread 1.4 and Matter 1.4 share the same version number is a coincidence. Both standards are developing in parallel and more of less independently of each other.
What exactly the implementation of the HRAP specifications is going to look like will be revealed by the Connectivity Standards Alliance in further blog posts on its website. This also applies to a second new feature in Matter 1.4, about which very little is currently known: “Enhanced Multi-Admin”.
Parallel use of multiple Matter systems
Multi-Admin is considered one of the major advantages of Matter. The feature allows parallel operation from different systems. This means that family members can control an installed Matter product via Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, Google Home or other compatible platforms. However, the multi-admin operation does not work without further ado. The devices must first be released for others from the ecosystem in which they were set up.
Because each platform works slightly differently, the process can be confusing: Sometimes a QR code appears on the screen, sometimes a combination of numbers. Sometimes the app assists with detailed instructions and offers compatible target systems, sometimes not. The fact that each product has to be put into pairing mode individually and again for each desired connection does not make the whole thing any easier.
That is why Matter 1.4 now introduces an Enhanced Multi-Admin. It is supposed to bundle the queries in a central user authorisation. Existing and new devices should then automatically connect to multiple ecosystems. The announcement does not reveal exactly how this will work – and due to a CSA member meeting in Budapest, no spokesperson was available at short notice. Manufacturers who were asked did not want to get ahead of the alliance. Because follow-up articles are also planned for the CSA blog.
Extended energy management
With Matter 1.3, energy management was introduced to the standard for the first time. Software clusters allow consumption data to be measured and transmitted, and charging systems for electric cars can be intelligently controlled. The specifications in version 1.4 expand these possibilities. They add device categories that are essential for a comprehensive energy management system (EMS):
- Solar systems with device types they contain, such as inverters, photovoltaic panels and hybrid solar/battery systems.
- Batteries, such as those found in electricity storage systems, battery walls or storage systems (BESS), to buffer energy and discharge it when required.
- Heat pumps for heating or cooling, whose operation can be shifted to off-peak times outside periods of high demand.
- Water heaters with heating schedules that can be overridden as required to enable rapid heating.
In addition, there are apparently improvements to the electric vehicle chargers (EVSE) and heating control. Thermostat clusters now support schedules and presets for presence, absence or vacation. There is also a new “Device Energy Management Mode”, which optimizes the energy flow in three stages: device-specific, locally in the building or in relation to the energy grid.
Detail improvements in Matter 1.4
As with every new release, details have been tweaked again. For example, Matter 1.4. introduces two new device types for flush-mounted installations. They switch the power and offer dimmable load control for fans or other non-smart devices. Previously, this function was usually realised via light clusters, which led to restrictions on the user interface and automation – because products appeared as lamps in a connected Matter system.
For better presence detection, the sensor cluster now supports technologies like radar and should offer customisable sensitivity. To improve the battery life of sleepy devices such as wireless push buttons, temperature and motion sensors, the Long Idle Time (LIT) protocol has been updated. It allows devices to sleep for longer periods of time while consuming less energy. Network traffic is also reduced during predictable state changes, which further improves efficiency.
Experience has shown that it can take many months before the specifications result in market-ready products. It also takes time for Matter platforms like Amazon Alexa or Apple Home to implement new features with a software update. If they do it at all, because there is no obligation from the standard to implement everything. Samsung SmartThings and Home Assistant recently updated their hubs to Matter 1.3. Other ecosystems are still on an earlier software version.
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