Smart home products that use Zigbee radio are not inherently suitable for Matter. The Zigbee protocol is not part of the new standard. Instead, Thread comes into play there. However, smart home systems will still be able to access Zigbee devices in the future via a Matter-capable wireless bridge. Philips Hue, among others, is following this path with its Hue Bridge. Aqara also retains Zigbee as its internal radio standard and translates the radio signal into the language of Matter via gateways.
Home automation “Made in Germany”
Ubisys from Germany will offer yet another solution: The Düsseldorf-based company is planning a software update for its gateway G1 (link) for the launch of Matter in the fall. The Zigbee central unit with Ethernet connection (LAN) can thus be integrated into all ecosystems that use the Matter standard – from Amazon Alexa to Google Home to SmartThings. And together with it, the connected Zigbee sensors and actuators enter the respective system.
Around the central unit, the manufacturer has built a professional, radio-based range “Made in Germany”. It includes installation modules for switching and dimming as well as a controller for LED lights, blind actuators and interfaces for heating control. The system can be expanded via products from third-party manufacturers that also use Zigbee (link). In this way, wireless pushbuttons, motion detectors and other sensors can also be connected to the installation. An app handles the configuration of the gateway and manages scenes, automations as well as the alarm function.
The Ubisys example shows that Matter can be interesting not only for the do-it-yourself market. With installations in the electrical distribution board or flush-mounted modules, even a professional installation becomes compatible with the new standard.
Share this information:
