The Matter smart home standard is finding its way into the professional market. Alongside KNX and proprietary systems, products with a Matter logo are popping up more and more in catalogs. Not that the electrical engineering industry is in any particular hurry, but a trend is noticeable. And while many installers are critical of the standard, others are hoping for new impetus. Ultimately, even a breakthrough on the way to more and more easily networked buildings.
Why should installers keep an eye on this development? Because the number of IoT products in households is increasing. Theoretically, lights, thermostats, adapter plugs and robot vacuum cleaners can also be integrated via KNX IoT (link) in the future – even with help from the Thread radio protocol. In practice, however, Matter is making much faster progress. While components for KNX IoT – from Atouch or Siemens, for example – are still rare, the selection at Matter is already in the hundreds. Just take a look at the overview of Matter-compatible devices.
Chip manufacturers such as Espressif, Nordic Semiconductor, NXT, STMicroelectronics and Silicon Labs support Matter. They are contributing to its spread by providing developer tools and integrating Thread into their chip platforms alongside Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. This lowers the entry threshold for vendors and makes the use of the cross-manufacturer connection protocol more likely.
What is missing is a standardized interface for administration and commissioning – comparable to the ETS software for KNX (link). Set-up in a building shell, without Wi-Fi or a Thread Border Router installed, also causes problems. So far, this has not been provided for in the standard aimed at end consumers. However, efforts are also being made in this area, as some of the following solutions show.
Direct link to: 1Home, ABB/Busch-Jaeger, Atios, Eberle Controls, Eltako, Elsner, Hager, Jung, Legrand, Schneider Electric, Ubisys, Wibutler
1Home
1Home (link) has made a name for itself with voice control solutions for KNX installations. The software-driven company based in Berlin was also one of the first to bring Matter into professional installations. The 1Home Server KNX plays a dual role: it can work as a Matter Bridge and pass KNX devices to platforms such as Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, SmartThings or Home Assistant for control. At the same time, it has the capabilities of a Matter Controller.
This means that Matter products – like KNX devices – can be added to the server and used together with them in automations. 1Home has developed its own dashboard for automations for this purpose (link). The supported product categories can also be found online: for bridges (link) and controllers (link). The number of devices that can be bridged and controlled depends on the server model. There are two variants: 1Home Server KNX Pro with a high device limit (250/100) and a basic version, which is limited in this respect.
The 1Home Server Loxone transfers the same concept to installations with products from the Austrian smart home equipment manufacturer Loxone. Here too, devices from both sides are available for voice control and automation. The transfer to the customer’s Matter systems takes place via QR code – in the case of the bridges for all products together with one code as usual. If Matter products from the 1Home controller are to appear outside the company’s app, this is currently only possible individually, with a transfer one by one.
However, the company is working on enabling a group export for the controller as well. A dedicated Matter server (link) is also being planned, which installers can use to build a smart home entirely from Matter devices. More on this in the interview with 1Home CEO Satja Lumbar.
ABB / Busch-Jaeger
With the acquisition of Eve Systems, ABB set the course for the integration of Matter. Since then, the German subsidiary Busch-Jaeger in particular has been driving the project forward (link). However, the products are also available internationally under the ABB brand (link). The company’s own bus system free@home serves as the platform. Its Access Point 2.0 system can be extended to a Matter Bridge via a software add-on.
It then forwards up to 64 free@-home devices to Matter platforms. The following functions are supported: switching, dimming, blind control (shutters, blinds, awnings, skylights) and temperature control. A second add-on, which is currently in beta, transforms the access point into a Matter Controller. It integrates Matter products from the areas of lighting, switching, thermostats, shading and sensors. Within the scope of their capabilities, these can then be operated and automated in the system like free@-home products.
Alternatively or additionally, the OneTouch 7 control panel can also be used as a controller. The number of Matter products on both devices is limited to 16, but can be increased at a later date. ABB has big plans for the future: From the third quarter of 2025, the company wants to make use of the Thread radio protocol in free@home. An extension and a new access point allows products with “Mater over Thread” to register directly with the system. Currently, the same requirements apply here as for other professional solutions in this overview: Thread products need an installed Border Router from Apple, Google, Amazon & Co.
Atios
The Swiss company (link) has got two products that connect Matter with professional building installations. The Atios KNX Bridge fulfils several tasks at once: It is a KNX IP gateway for bus programming via PC, a Matter Bridge for KNX devices and additionally fulfills the same function for DALI components: An integrated DALI gateway passes such products on to the KNX system, from where they reach the Matter platform. The bridge supports all common product categories such as lights, switches, blinds, thermostats and sensors (link) – up to a limit of 200 devices.
The Atios SmartCore pursues a different strategy. It is designed for installations without KNX. Instead, it has twelve integrated relay outputs for electrical loads (16A), twelve digital inputs (12-230V) and a DALI-2 controller. Connected devices are forwarded to Matter systems in the same way as with the KNX bridge (link). The limit of 200 devices is also identical.
Operation and automation take place on the Matter target system, which simplifies the installation but also shifts the automation work there. In a next step, Atios wants to enable the integration of Matter wireless push-buttons on the SmartCore – without involvement of a third-party system. The connection will then be established between the devices via Matter Bindings.
Eberle Controls
Eberle (link) specializes in controllers for heating and air conditioning technology. The Nuremberg-based company’s catalog also includes Matter-compatible products. The flush-mounted thermostat inserts UTE-3500 (for valve drives) and UTE 3800 fit into the 55×55 grid and are installed like classic room controllers. No Wi-Fi is required for commissioning; the devices can be configured via their dot matrix display. After activating the Wi-Fi module, a connection to Matter platforms is possible – for control via smartphone, voice assistant or automation.
Eltako
The expert for switchgear and smart home applications (link) is taking a two-pronged approach when it comes to Matter. Its stake in Wibutler operator DBT provides the company with a bridge that connects its EnOcean wireless products to Matter (see Wibutler). In addition, Eltako produces the Series 64, a range of decentralized actuators for switch boxes and sockets. It is based on “Matter over Wi-Fi” and currently comprises four products: two impulse switching relays, a universal dimming actuator and a shading actuator.
Being Wi-Fi actuators, the modules respond to Matter commands or pass on pulses from a push-button connected by cable to Matter platforms. But there is a special feature: Eltako offers a plug-on EnOcean adapter as a companion. This EOA64 makes it possible to connect EnOcean products such as wireless push-buttons directly to the actuator. They then appear on Matter systems as well, because the actuator forwards them as a bridge. Currently, this forwarding works with EnOcean switches, but other product categories are to be supported in the future.
Elsner
The KNX Matter Server from Elsner (link) resembles the 1Home model. For good reason: the medium-sized KNX specialist buys it from them and doesn’t hide it: “Powered by 1Home” a description on the website says (link). The family-owned company from southern Germany was thus able to offer a solution at an early stage and gain experience with Matter without having to invest in a risky and expensive in-house development. The range of functions corresponds to the 1Home Server KNX Pro, and Elsner also refers to the 1Home website for documentation and information on compatibility.
Hager
Under the name Domovea, Hager has been offering servers for the control and visualisation of KNX projects for many years now. The latest generation – available from April 2025 onwards – has an integrated Matter Bridge. It connects up to 128 KNX devices from the building installation with Matter ecosystems such as Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, Home Assistant or Samsung SmartThings.
The Bridge currently supports the following functions: Light (on/off, dimming), switchable sockets, shutters/blinds (open/close), thermostats (ATC, virtual thermostat) and sensors (temperature, humidity, binary input). The selection is made in the server’s user interface. As far as Matter is concerned, there are no differences between the Domovea basic (TJAS671) and Domovea plus (TJAS471) models. Their differentiation takes place on the KNX side.
Jung
Matter is currently a peripheral phenomenon in the range of Albrecht Jung (link). The long-established manufacturer of electrical engineering has a battery push-button with Thread available, but otherwise keeps the standard out of its building systems. Using the push-button with double rocker (link), Jung customers can expand their range of switches to include control options for Matter devices – and have a variety of covers from the LS and A series at their disposal.
Legrand
The US branch of Legrand (link) is taking on a pioneering role within the French electrical group. Its flush-mounted switches, dimmers and sockets from the Radiant series became available with “Matter over Wi-Fi” in 2024. Two Wi-Fi smart plugs for indoor and outdoor use complete the range. In the manufacturer’s catalogue, the Matter-enabled products can be recognized by the three leading letters WWM in the type designation.
Schneider Electric
In the SE Group (Drayton, Merten, Schneider Electric), the role of a bridge builder falls to the wireless retrofit system Wiser Home. With the Wiser Hub 2nd Gen and the Wiser Home app (from version 7.0.0), a Matter Bridge is available for the manufacturer’s Zigbee products. It supports components such as switching and blind actuators, smoke detectors, room sensors, thermostats, and energy consumption meters. A list of compatible products can be found in the system manual (link).
Ubisys
The Gateway G1 from Ubisys (link) became the first Matter-certified Zigbee bridge on the market in 2022. It connects the German Zigbee specialist’s extensive range with Matter platforms and also passes through connected products from other manufacturers. More than a dozen device types are supported – from the areas of lighting, switching, shading, sensor technology and temperature control (link).
A radio-based building network can be set up with flush-mounted actuators and modules on the top-hat rail, which can also include energy-saving “Green Power” components. Automation is preferably carried out on the gateway using the Ubisys app, but can also be done on the Matter ecosystem.
Wibutler
With the Wibutler Pro 2nd Gen, another professional smart home control center is on the launch pad. Matter certification has nearly been completed and is expected for Q2 2025. This means that partner products from the Wibutler platform (link) can also be used on Matter systems in the future. The selection ranges from Bega brand lights, Eltako sensors and actuators and Maico exhaust fans to Viessmann heating control systems. More on this here to come when the software update is available.
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