Roller blinds, shutters and Venetians were included in the Matter standard right from the start. Version 1.0 of the specifications already contained the so-called cluster for “Window Covering”, in which things such as up and down, the position or the tilt are defined. Various manufacturers are already making use of it. Eve Systems, for example, has launched an Eve Blinds Collection alongside its tubular motor for retrofitting interior roller blinds – with customised window blinds that can be ordered online (link).
Matter motors with Thread
Coulisse from the Netherlands uses the same MotionBlind technology to provide Matter support for its installer products. The Dutch brand offers a huge range of window coverings – from roller blinds, pleated blinds and Venetian blinds to vertical blinds and curtains (link). Those who can (or want to) install drives themselves are offered products by the Texan company SmartWings, which has included Matter in its catalogue as an additional option alongside motors for Zigbee, Z-Wave and more (link).
Thanks to integrated rechargeable batteries, these retrofit solutions do not require power connection. Radio signals establish contact with a control system. The Thread protocol used (“Matter over Thread”) also eliminates the need to install additional hardware. A Border Router from Amazon, Apple, Google, Smartthings – or a comparable product – is sufficient for operation.
Matter motors with Wi-Fi
Alternatively, there are motors that use the router’s Wi-Fi network for their connection (“Matter over WiFi”). Manufacturers such as Zemismart (link) have such drives in their programme. Because the Wi-Fi chip requires more energy for sending and receiving than a Thread product, these are usually hard-wired motors with a 240 or 120 volt mains connection. Therefore, a socket should be located at the installation site or – even better – a power distributor in the wall that the electrician can tap into.
Systems with a Matter-Bridge
Third option: shading solutions with a Matter Bridge. In their case, the radio protocol of the system is irrelevant from a standards perspective – it can be Bluetooth, Dect, Zigbee, Z-Wave or a proprietary protocol. The Matter-enabled bridge translates the internal data traffic and forwards the required information to Matter platforms.
Companies such as the Schoenberger Group from Germany are taking this approach. The house label Jalousiescout (link) has developed a bridge (“JS Bridge”) that connects shading products from the two Schoenberger brands Jarolift and Julius Mayer with Matter. It was developed in collaboration with smart home specialist Mediola, which in turn offers a bridge for the RTS radio protocol from Somfy (link). Aqara, Ubisys and Zemismart pass on shading products from their own Zigbee systems to Matter platforms via a bridge feature. SwitchBot does the same with its curtain and roller blind drives, which are based on Bluetooth radio.
Other potential candidates for this list would be Bosch and Ikea. Their smart home hubs already support Matter, but currently exclude shading products. Only light (Ikea) or electricity and heating (Bosch) are passed on. For users of Ikea smart blinds or Bosch actuators for roller shutter control, this means that the app of the respective system is required for operation – or one of the classic smart home integrations without Matter. A tip for those who like to experiment: beta software is available for AVM’s Smarthome gateway, which forwards compatible Zigbee products to Matter ecosystems – including the blackout blinds and folding blinds from Ikea (Fyrtur, Praktlysing, Tredansen).
Differences in operation
There may be various reasons why vendows are hesitant to launch. One possible reason is that the user experience on the Matter platforms is somewhat inconsistent. Amazon, Apple, Google & Co all support the cluster for window covering. However, their settings menus vary, which can cause confusion if the ecosystems are used alternately (or at the same time) – and may result in more customers contacting support.
An example: Amazon Alexa understands the degree of opening as the part of the window area that is covered. In the image example below: 26 percent. Apple, Google and SmartThings interpret the opening in exactly the opposite way: for them, the 74% open area is relevant and therefore appears in the app. The voice assistants react in correspondingly different ways.
Even seemingly unambiguous states such as “open” or “closed” leave room for interpretation. For example, a horizontal awning used as sun protection on a patio is normally considered closed when it is fully retracted. However, if the fabric is hanging vertically in front of a window, many people would consider this state to be open. After all, you can see outside unhindered.
Ideally, there should be settings that allow this status to be reversed at will. However, such options do not currently exist in the apps from Amazon, Apple, Google & Co, which is why Matter beginners have to learn what “open” and “closed” mean in their case.
Major B2B providers are still hesitant
Professional building outfitters from the roller shutter and sun protection industry shy away from using Matter for another reason: the specialised companies often install their products at a very early stage in the construction phase – when there is neither Internet nor Wi-Fi or a functioning IP infrastructure in the building. And certainly no border router that would allow Thread motors to be put into operation.
What’s more, this commissioning would have to be done using a customer’s smartphone, because newly added products are integrated into the user’s Matter Fabric. It is rather unlikely that the customer will come to the building site and lend their phone to the installer to get the roller shutters to work as desired. And what happens if there is a change of owner or tenant?
Solutions are being worked on. 1home, for example, is planning a system for installers that allows specialised companies to configure Matter products before installation so that they can be handed over collectively later – without even touching the customer’s smartphone (link). Other companies can imagine a kind of “cold” commissioning: The installer prepares the drive on site using Bluetooth with their smartphone and creates documentation including a QR code. After moving in, residents would only have to scan this code to transfer the Matter product to their private smart home app.
However, it will be some time before practical professional solutions are available. This explains why major suppliers such as Somfy from France or the German Warema Group are in no great hurry. Especially as these companies have well-established and functioning shading systems, door and garage drives. This does not mean that they are completely ignoring the topic. Warema has already shown prototypes at various trade fairs, as has drive specialist Becker. Somfy has been on the list of Matter supporters from the outset, but is keeping a low profile and has not yet revealed anything about its own developments.
So for the time being, Matter is entering the retrofit market. With interior roller blinds, venetian blinds and curtains that are fitted in existing buildings and require little installation effort. And for users who do not need to be convinced of the benefits of smart shading. Unlike the traditional and sometimes very conservative roller shutter and sun protection industry.
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