Smart home products do a lot.
If there’s something you want done around the house – turn the lights down and the music up, open the front door for a delivery, 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
This is about to change 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 will make devices across major
Matter is a set of protocols that guarantees your smart home device will be able 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
“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 smart devices will work alongside all of your other Works with Google Home devices, so you can set up
Matter supported devices connect to each other locally over your home network using Wi-Fi or Thread devices, 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 new networking protocol that makes Matter work better by making it easier and faster to connect smart devices to your home. It works alongside your
Thread is built into many new smart bulbs, locks, sensors, and other smart home devices. It compliments your Wi-Fi network by creating a
This lets 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
Matter and Thread take away much of the confusion and frustration of smart home technology, extending the benefits to new users.
“I bought my ageing 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
Google Home Max is Matter-enabled but does not act as a Matter hub. Many Google devices will be automatically updated to support Matter. Check
g.co/nest/matternow for more information on Matter-enabled devices and functionality.Google Nest Hub Max and Google Nest Hub require a Wi-Fi network, a nearby electrical outlet, and a compatible (Android, iOS) mobile device. Minimum OS requirements are available at
Google Home requirements . iOS is a trademark of Cisco and is used under licence.Some features, including mobile notifications, remote control, video streaming, and video recording, require working internet and Wi-Fi.
Compatible smart devices required.
Many Google devices will be automatically updated to support Matter. Check