Apple-backed Matter adds new smart home device types, better cross-platform experience, more

2 weeks ago 11

The Apple-backed group that oversees the Matter smart device standard has launched its latest big update. Matter 1.4 debuts today with a variety of improvements that further advance smart home capabilities. Here’s what’s new.

New device types supported

A big focus in most Matter updates is adding support for new device types. In Matter 1.4, there are a variety of new supported devices that relate to energy management.

New devices categories include:

Solar Power
Batteries
Heat Pumps
Water Heaters

There are also new energy management features supported for electric vehicle chargers, thermostats, and more.

Finally, in-wall smart home switches for controlling lights and fans are now given their own device types rather than being categorized as lights. This should provide more robust settings and automation features.

Multi-admin helps devices operate across multiple ecosystems

Matter 1.4 introduces a lot of changes to the smart home standard, but one that should provide a lot of convenience for users in the future is Enhanced Multi-Admin.

Here’s how it’s described:

Multi-Admin is central to Matter’s vision of choice and interoperability, allowing users to connect Matter devices to multiple smart home systems. However, sharing each device individually when managing multiple platforms can become tedious and complex as users expand their smart homes. Enhanced Multi-Admin makes smart home management easier with single user consent, enabling existing and new devices to connect to multiple ecosystems automatically.

If you’ve ever tried to juggle device setups between multiple platforms like Alexa, Google Home, and HomeKit, you know it’s a pain. Hopefully Matter 1.4 will make that a lot better.

Other additions include the introduction of Matter certifiable routers, which could make setting up and using Matter devices more seamless in the future. Also, battery-powered devices now use a new protocol that could extend battery life.

Matter 1.4 won’t necessarily offer immediate change to your smart device experience, but it lays the groundwork for future devices and changes that should lead to a better smart home future.

Do you use Matter devices in your home? What new support are you hoping for? Let us know in the comments.