Matter is the new home automation system promise. It is here to unify all your smart devices into just one operation center. The complexity of this feature resides in a same standard to setting your smart devices. If you want to know everything about Matter home automation and how to set it in Apple Home, Google Home or SmartThings, keep reading.
Until now, if you select a Samsung Smart device you needed to mount all your Smart Home through SmartThings. If the products are not compatible with Amazon you can use Alexa, and there’s also Apple and Homekit with Google Home. The wide arrange of ecosystem made it very bothersome to switch between them. Now you can say goodbye to this difficulty as Matter home automation system is compatible with all of them at the same time.
Wht is Matter home automation system and how does it help you in daily activities?
Matter is a new standard designed to communicate with different brands of Smart devices without problems. You won’t have to worry about the Smart bulb being compatible with Alexa or Apple Home. If it includes the Matter seal you can use it with any compatible platform.
Besides, Matter is compatible with different types of connection life WiFi, Bluetooth and Thread. The last option is the most popular one for low consumption devices because it creates mesh nets to expand range. It’s a new wireless protocol that replaces ZigBee and Z-Wave.
The best feature of the Matter standard is that all communication is local. You won’t need to use the cloud at all to make it work. You just send orders locally and you get the maximum privacy possible. If you use a home automation system like Home Assistant, don’t worry. It’s already compatible with Matter.
You will be able to use a wide variety of devices in order to make your house Smart and control it remotely. Depending on the device you’re using, you can set up different connections for additional features.
What do you need to start using Matter home automation system?
Before connecting any Matter device, you have to install the Matter drivers for the platform you use. Fortunately, most of the newest devices like HomePod mini, Amazon Echo or Nest Hub already have Matter compatibility integrated.
- Apple Home Matter drivers: HomePOd, HomePod mini, Apple TV 4K (2022).
- Amazon Alexa Matter Drivers: Echo Pop, Echo (3rd generation onwards), Echo Show, Echo Studio.
- Google Home Matter Drivers: Nest Audio, Nest Mini, Nest Hub.
- Samsung SmartThings Matter Drivers: SmartThings Hub v2/v3, Samsung Family Hub.
Some other developers like Switchbot, launched a device called Switchbot Hub Mini with Matter compatibility. It’s a hub that incorporates WiFi to connect directly to a wireless router or AP at home. It also has Bluetooth to connect with other devices from the same brand. By adding Matter and working as a Hub, you can have the control centralized through a home automation system like Home Assistant. You will also be able to control them using the Switchbot app.
Connect your Matter device for the first time
If you want to connect your Matter device for the first time, it’s important to know how to do it in each platform. It’s a simple process but it includes slight differences. As the protocol is very new, it still has room for improvements.
Connect to Apple Home
- Open Apple Home from your iPhone.
- Press the + button and choose Add a device.
- Scan the QR code from the Matter device.
Connect to Amazon Alexa
- Open Alexa App.
- Press the + button and select Device.
- Scan the QR from the Matter device.
Connect to Google Home
- Open the Google Home app.
- Press Add a new device and then select Matter compatible device.
- Scan the QR code.
Connect to Samsung SmartThings
- Open SmartThings ap.
- Select Add a device and choose Matter.
- Scan the QR code.
All the Matter devices include a QR code to make installation easy. However, the QR is only an authentication method for the device. The connection is local and you need it to be available for the local network in order to wrk.
Add a device to various platforms
If you want to connect your Matter device to several platforms at the same time, you won’t be able to use the original QR code. You need to generate a new one from the platform you synched it first. Then you use the new code with other devices.
This can be done from the app on the original platform. Select the device and create a new link code. Then you can repeat the synch process from the new platform. It’s very important to do it because you won’t be able to read a QR code in more than one platform.
With Matter you can connect and control your Smart devices in a simpler and more flexible way. It doesn’t matter if you use Alexa, Google Home, Apple Home or SmartThings. All of them can communicate and be controlled through Matter home automation system.
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