My hobby which has also become my part-time job is building out and managing my smart home. I’ve become obsessed with automations. Back when I started this journey in 2016 I was primarily focused on Apple HomeKit (now called Apple Home) and while Apple Home has served me well for most of those years, to be honest I kinda outgrew its limitations. But even before I moved over to Home Assistant, when buying a smart home device I had to make sure that it supported Apple Home/HomeKit. This limited my choices.
I have moved 99% of my smart home over to the open source platform Home Assistant where the sky is the limit in terms of integrations and automation capabilities. While Home Assistant does have a steeper learning curve, once you get the hang of it, it’s a blast to use.
Although Home Assistant allows you to integrate just about any smart device with either native integrations or ones built by the community, there are times where you’ll bring a device in via the new standard, Matter.
What is Matter (the short definition)?
Matter is an open-source, IP-based connectivity standard developed by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA). It is designed to act as a universal “common language” for smart home hardware, allowing devices from different manufacturers to communicate locally over existing Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and Thread networks. Its core promise is to eliminate proprietary hubs and ensure that any Matter-certified device works seamlessly across major smart home platforms like Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, Homey, and Home Assistant.
The promise of Matter was that instead you going to buy a smart home peripheral like a light bulb, thermostat, smart lock, etc and having to worry if it’s compatible with your smart home ecosystem of choice, Alexa, Google, Apple Home, SmartThings, etc., if it was Matter compatible it would work!
This also meant that the makers of these devices would have less hoops to jump through to bring their products to market. Instead of having to get each company to certify their products, they would just need it to be Matter certified and then they’d be good to go!
A Brief History: From Hype to Hesitation
• The Genesis (2019): Matter began its life in December 2019 under the project name CHIP (Connected Home over IP). It was backed by an unprecedented alliance of tech rivals—Apple, Google, Amazon, and Samsung—alongside Zigbee Alliance members, aiming to solve the fragmented “walled garden” smart home crisis.
• The Launch & Delays (2022): After multiple delays, the Zigbee Alliance rebranded as the CSA, and Matter 1.0 officially launched in October 2022. The initial release was heavily criticized for being rushed, buggy, and limited to a tiny handful of basic device types (like smart plugs and light bulbs).
• The Iteration Years (2023–2025): The CSA moved to a bi-annual release schedule to patch holes. Matter 1.2 added robot vacuums and refrigerators; Matter 1.3/1.4 focused heavily on energy management (solar, EV chargers, heat pumps); and Matter 1.5 finally introduced security camera infrastructure.
• Where It Stands Today (2026): While the standard is technically mature on paper (flirting with version 1.6), the real-world consumer experience remains incredibly fragmented.
