With Matter 1.4 and improved Thread support, you no longer need to cover your home with HomePod Minis to have enough Thread coverage. On the other hand, they do brighten up the place.
Credit: Apple
Routers join the Thread/Matter battle
A range of networking equipment known as Home Routers and Access Points (HRAP) can now support Matter, while Thread networks are also being extended with Matter 1.4.
“Matter-certified HRAP devices provide the foundational infrastructure of smart homes by combining both a Wi-Fi Access Point and a Thread Border Router, ensuring these ubiquitous devices have the necessary infrastructure for Matter products using either of these technologies” , the CSA writes in its announcement.
Before wireless networking equipment officially came into play, the devices that served as Thread Border Routers, which accepted and redirected traffic for endpoint devices, were a hodgepodge of equipment. Maybe you had HomePod Minis, newer Nest Hub or Echo devices from Google or Amazon, or Nanoleaf bulbs in your home, but probably not. Routers, and especially mesh networking equipment, should already be set up to reach most corners of your home with a wireless signal, so it makes a lot more sense to have that equipment do Matter authentication and Thread broadcasting.
Freeing home energy equipment from supplier lock-in
Matter 1.4 adds some big, expensive equipment to the list of device types and control privileges, and not a moment too soon. Solar inverters and arrays, battery storage systems, heat pumps and water heaters join the list. Thermostats and Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE), i.e. EV charging devices, also get some improvements. It is not a moment too early for the latter category, because chargers that support Matter can maintain their planned charging schedule without cloud support from manufacturers.
More broadly, Matter 1.4 integrates many timing, energy cost, and other automation triggers into the specifications, which – again, when supported by device manufacturers, at a future date – should enable better energy savings and customization in the home, without tying them down. all to one particular app or platform.
CSA says that, with “nearly two years of real-world deployments in millions of homes,” the companies, trade groups and developers leaning toward Matter are “refining software development kits, streamlining certification processes and optimizing deployment of individual devices.” Everything they've lined up seems neat, but it needs to go into more boxes to be truly impressive.
