As somebody who follows smart home technology, I have been waiting for the Matter protocol to deliver on all its promises. It was supposed to be the hottest thing in smart home development when it first launched last year. However, its introduction to the market has been underwhelming. That may change thanks to something known as Matter-over-Thread.
Matter-over-Thread combines two fantastic smart home technologies into one package. It offers all the promise of Matter compatibility along with the low-power networking Thread brings to the table. Combining the two could prove to be the most important advancement in smart home tech moving forward.
What Matter Does
Matter is an industry standard for smart home device communication. Devices supporting it are able to communicate with one another regardless of manufacturer, platform, or brand. Manufacturers can continue to develop their own protocols for use between their respective devices, but supporting Manner allows them to build devices that communicate with those from other manufacturers.
Designing with Matter essentially eliminates compatibility issues between brands. Think of it as being similar to the introduction of the USB port. The USB port standardized peripheral connections so that device manufactures could build hardware that worked on both PCs and Macs.
What Thread Does
Thread is a networking protocol designed around smart homes. It offers reliable, secure, and low-power mesh networking that’s ideal for supporting a houseful of smart home sensors and switches. One of its biggest advantages is not being a huge draw on batteries.
A case in point is a brand new smart lock recently reviewed by The Verge. The U-tec lock is built with Matter-over-Thread. Matter makes it compatible with a variety of smart home systems while Thread supports extra-long battery life. Typical battery problems associated with other locks are solved by Thread while connectivity issues are solved by Matter.
This Should Be the Future
I am not sure if Matter-over-Thread is the future of smart home development, but it should be – at least until something better comes along. It is no secret that smart homes techs’ biggest challenge is connectivity between brands. The currently fractured market shows no signs of becoming any less fractured as brands jockey for position. While they jockey, we consumers need some sort of standardized connectivity protocol.
As for low-power mesh networking, there really isn’t anything else that compares. Wi-Fi is ideal for connecting laptops and cell phones to local networks for getting onto the internet. Bluetooth works fine for headsets, microphones, and other electronic devices that only require short range connectivity. But both are energy hogs. Thread has been designed to provide robust mesh networking that does not use so much power.
The Smart Home Has Arrived
Matter-over-Thread seems to have arrived just in time. With interest in smart home technology growing, Matter-over-Thread is in a unique position to influence the market for the foreseeable future. I look forward to seeing how much of an impact it actually has.
From my point of view, the smart home has arrived. I look at companies like Vivint Smart Home and their propensity to put solid technology in consumers’ hands. I see them constantly pushing the envelope with new devices and better services. And all around me, I see consumers installing devices that are making their lives better.
Matter-over-Thread could ultimately turn out to be as underwhelming as Matter alone. But I highly suspect that this will not be the case. I see Matter-over-Thread as being similar toa composite material. It combines the best aspects of two separate technologies into a package that seems perfectly suited for the smart home.