If there’s something you want done around the house – to turn the lights down and the music up, open the garage door, or get alerted if a stranger is prowling around your porch – there’s probably a gadget available to do it.

But sometimes, these smart devices aren’t as good at working together as they should be. They can be challenging to set up, or they may require you to add additional gear to your Wi-Fi network. 

This changed in a big way, thanks to two industry-wide standards, Matter and Thread, developed by Google and more than a hundred other leading technology companies. Matter makes devices across major smart home systems work together, and Thread improves the connections between them.

Matter is a set of protocols that enables your smart home device to communicate with many other smart devices, even if they aren’t made by the same company. As long as your new smart lock or thermostat carries the Matter logo, you’ll be able to connect it to Matter-compatible platforms, apps, and assistants. And you’ll be able to add most devices to your home network, Google Home, and your favorite apps, with just a few taps on your phone.¹ Many Nest devices – like Nest Wifi Pro and Nest Hub Max – can act as a hub for connecting all your Matter devices, so you don’t need any other special equipment.²

“You can think of it as a kind of universal translator,” says Jonathan Hui, vice president of technology for Thread Group and principal software engineer at Google. “With Matter, many of your smart home devices are now speaking the same language.” 

Matter devices will work alongside your other Works with Google Home devices, so you can set up Google Home or Assistant routines to combine the devices in helpful ways.³ This means less time choosing and setting up devices, and more time exploring features and enjoying your smart home.^3,4

Matter devices connect to each other locally over your home network using Wi-Fi or Thread, making your devices more responsive, reliable, and secure. (While older products may not be compatible with Matter, they’ll continue to work as they always have.)

Thread is a networking protocol that makes Matter work better by making it easier and faster to connect smart devices to your home. It works alongside your home Wi-Fi network, while also extending your network’s reach and making it more reliable.  

Thread is built into many new smart bulbs, locks, sensors, and other smart home devices. It complements your Wi-Fi network by creating a mesh network in which each new smart device you add connects to the nearest one, giving you more coverage and making the entire network more robust. If one device fails, another can step in to maintain the signal, allowing the network to heal itself. 

This lets smart devices respond more quickly to commands such as “Turn on the lights.” It also means they require less power to operate – making it ideal for battery-powered devices like smoke detectors, door locks, and motion sensors that can run for years without needing a new battery.⁴

Thread devices join your home network and connect to the internet through a Thread border router. Just as a Wi-Fi router can join Wi-Fi and Ethernet devices into a single network, a Thread border router allows Thread devices to become part of your network. Thread border routers are already built into Nest Wifi Pro, the second-gen Nest Hub, and Nest Hub Max.

Getting started is easier than you may think, because Google Home automatically detects new devices and can connect them from the app on your phone, tablet, or computer.¹ Many of your favorite Google devices – like Nest Hub (2nd gen) and Nest Mini – act as a hub for Matter, connecting and controlling your favorite Google and Matter devices so your smart home is more responsive and reliable.² When you add a Matter device to Google Home, it joins the same network as your Google device that works as a hub for Matter, so you can control it whether you’re home or away.⁵ Once your devices are set up, explore all the things they can do in the Google Home app. Create automations directly from the app to help streamline your life at home.

So what can you do with Matter and Thread in your own home? The possibilities are endless. Thousands of Matter-enabled devices are already available – including lights, plugs, blinds, and sensors – and more products are rolling out all the time. Purchase any device with the Matter logo and add it to the ones you already own.

Matter and Thread take away much of the confusion and frustration of smart home technology, extending the benefits to new users. 

“I bought my aging parents a smart speaker last year but they rarely use it,” says Sujata Neidig, vice president of marketing for Thread Group and marketing director at NXP Semiconductors. “They need a more intuitive home so they can continue to live independently, but without the frustration, cost, and confusion of setting up a smart home. They need things to just work. That’s what Matter and Thread do.”