Matter 1.4 Specification Update: Bringing New Features and Device Compatibility to Smart Home Technology

November 25, 2024

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Matter 1.4 Specification Update, a major update released by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), aims to improve the functionality and compatibility of smart home products. Numerous new features that are set to enhance user experience across several ecosystems, simplify energy management, and strengthen home network infrastructure are included in this edition.

1Key Enhancements in Matter 1.4

2Detailed Features

3Mounted On/Off and Dimmable Load Control

4Enhancements to Occupancy Sensing

5Enhancements to Battery Powered Devices

6Future Developments

7Popular Matter Supported Products

Key Enhancements in Matter 1.4

Cross-Ecosystem Synchronization: Matter 1.4 improves multi-administrator capabilities, enabling users to easily control devices from various smart home systems. This feature lowers the difficulty of maintaining smart home installations by making it easier to connect devices to various ecosystems.
Home Network Infrastructure: One of the most important steps in building dependable and compatible home networks is the release of Matter-certified Home Routers and Access Points (HRAPs). These gadgets minimize fragmentation and enable a single network for Matter products by integrating Wi-Fi access points with Thread border routers.
Energy Management Devices: By supporting new device types like solar panels, batteries, heat pumps, and water heaters, the upgrade greatly increases the capabilities for energy management. In line with consumers’ increased interest in energy efficiency, this enables customers to more efficiently monitor and optimize their energy consumption.

Detailed Features

Improved Energy Management: Advanced features for energy management systems (EMS) are introduced in Matter 1.4 Specification Update. Smart thermostats, battery storage systems, and solar power devices can now be combined into a single energy management system. Without requiring human intervention, this connection helps to reduce electricity bills by enabling real-time monitoring and automated modifications depending on patterns of energy usage.
User-Friendly Features: The upgrade offers improved thermostat scheduling options and user-defined preferences for electric vehicle charging equipment (EVSE). These capabilities enable customers to customize their smart home systems to meet their unique requirements and tastes.
New Device Types:
1. Solar Devices: Users may directly control their solar energy production within the Matter ecosystem thanks to support for solar arrays and inverters.
2. Battery Storage: With new features that allow load balancing and energy discharge, battery systems can function as virtual power plants.
3. Heat pumps and water heaters: These appliances can optimize energy use during peak hours by modifying their operation in response to demand projections.
4. Enhancements to Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE): EVSE support is enhanced by introducing user-defined charging preferences like specifying when they want their car to be charged, allowing users to choose optimal times for convenience and cost, building on the provisional features from earlier versions.
5. Enhancements to Thermostats: Thermostat clusters add support for scheduling and preset modes like vacation and home/away settings. Presets can be triggered through motion detection, integrated with other devices, and even automation based on calendar events.
6. Device Energy Management and Mode: With support for Device Energy Management, Matter 1.4 allows energy-consuming devices to adjust start times based on energy usage forecasts and power management needs. This feature is ideal for devices in optimizing their consumption patterns. The new Device Energy Management Mode cluster enables easy toggling between device-specific, local, or grid-wide energy optimization, providing greater flexibility and efficiency for managing power across the home.

Mounted On/Off and Dimmable Load Control

Matter 1.4 Specification Update introduces two new device types built exclusively for fixed in-wall smart home devices that provide electrical power to wired devices, such as in-wall switches used to operate lights, fans, and other non-smart appliances. Previously, these were often represented as lights, which limited user interface and automation flexibility.

Enhancements to Occupancy Sensing

Improvements to the existing sensor cluster now support sensing methods such as radar, vision, and ambient sensing. The update now includes adjustable sensitivity settings and improved tuning for sensor and history reporting via event-based updates, resulting in a more precise and adaptive smart home experience. These upgrades lay the groundwork for future work to support new sensing approaches, enabling functionalities such as person detection and activity classification.

Enhancements to Battery Powered Devices

Matter 1.4 Specification Update includes basic advancements to improve battery life and communication for Intermittently Connected Devices (ICDs) such as switches, buttons, and sensors. The Long Idle Time (LIT) protocol, which increases battery life, and a new Check-In Protocol, which ensures dependable connectivity for low-power devices that require LIT, are among the most significant enhancements. Furthermore, quieter reporting of known characteristic changes minimizes network traffic, which improves battery performance and network efficiency.

Future Developments

The CSA is dedicated to continuously enhancing the Matter standardMatter is a new standard for smart home devices, aiming to simplify connectivity and interoperability. Developed by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), it promises to unify existing smart home platforms and protocols, eliminating the need for separate hubs and apps for different devices. Here's a breakdown of the Matter Standard: Goal: • Create a unified smart home ecosystem. • Simplify... More. The goals of further upgrades will remain improving interoperability and increasing the number of devices that are supported. Future blog postings from the Alliance will provide more details on how these new features will really function.

In conclusion, Matter 1.4 Specification Update promises a more integrated, effective, and user-friendly experience for customers everywhere, marking a significant advancement in the development of smart home technologies. The future of linked living spaces is anticipated to be significantly shaped by this standard as it becomes more widely accepted.

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