Matter: Does It?

The smart home industry has long craved a universal language for its devices. Matter, backed by tech giants, was positioned as the savior. It promised to eliminate the compatibility chaos and simplify smart home setups. Yet, despite industry support and lofty goals, Matter seems to be struggling to gain significant traction.

Matter is a relatively new protocol that acts as a bridge, enabling diverse devices using different lower-level protocols (like BLE, Zigbee, or Z-wave) to communicate and understand each other in a standardized way. While Matter can be implemented in IoT gateways, it’s not exclusively reliant on them; many devices can operate independently with Matter capabilities.

Why Matter has Potential

Big Names Backing It: Tech giants like Amazon, Apple, Google, and Samsung are all on board, which gives it major industry support.
Simplified Integration: Matter aims to eliminate compatibility headaches, allowing devices from different brands to work together seamlessly. Matter should make setting up and using smart home devices from different brands much easier. No more struggling with multiple apps and ecosystems.
Security Focus: Security is built into the standard, addressing a major concern in the smart home space.

However, despite appealing promises, the Matter protocol is still finding its footing commercially.

Reasons for Slower Adoption

There are a few obvious reasons that are often cited:

New Standard, New Challenges: Integrating Matter requires additional development work for manufacturers. Not all of them are willing to upgrade their existing big runners, and the extra development activities slow down new product releases.
Limited Device Availability: Matter-compatible devices are still rolling out, so there aren’t a ton of options for consumers yet. This is expected to improve over time, if the market traction justifies the extra effort. The ramp-up may be slow.
Potential Vendor Issues: Some technical hurdles exist around managing Matter networks with devices from different brands.

But there’s something else:

While Matter promises to streamline smart home ecosystems, several factors are hindering its widespread adoption. Beyond the challenges of device compatibility and certification, Matter may not deliver significant tangible benefits to the average consumer.

The notorious pairing process often associated with IoT devices is primarily due to inherent limitations in user interaction, rather than a technological shortcoming. Matter does little to address this fundamental issue. While it simplifies integration in complex, multi-protocol environments, such scenarios are relatively uncommon for most consumers.

Additionally, the emphasis on enhanced security through Matter might be a hard sell. Many existing IoT protocols already incorporate robust security measures. Adding another layer of security, especially if it comes at a potential cost increase, may not justify the perceived benefit for the average user.

The Billion Devices Question: Who Benefits From Matter?

While Matter is often presented as a consumer-centric initiative, a closer examination suggests that the primary beneficiaries might be cloud and IoT infrastructure providers.

Cloud Operators: By standardizing communication protocols, Matter could potentially reduce the complexity of managing IoT devices on their platforms. This could lead to cost reductions and increased efficiency. Additionally, as more devices become Matter-compliant, the potential for data collection and monetization increases.
IoT Infrastructure Providers: Similar to cloud operators, IoT infrastructure companies can benefit from simplified device management and integration. A standardized protocol can streamline their operations and potentially open up new business opportunities.

While consumers stand to gain from a more seamless smart home experience, the tangible benefits might be overshadowed by the complexities and costs associated with the transition to Matter. The question remains: Is Matter primarily a solution in search of a problem for consumers, or is it a strategic move to consolidate control in the hands of a few tech giants?

So, Is It a Flop?

Not necessarily.

Matter isn’t brand new, but it is still quite young in the grand scheme of things. Here’s a clearer picture:

The concept behind Matter originated in late 2019.
The official specification, Matter 1.0, was released in October 2022.

While not exactly cutting-edge technology, it’s important to remember that widespread adoption in the tech industry, especially for something that requires hardware and software changes, can take a while. The first Matter-certified devices only started appearing in late 2022 and early 2023.

So, Matter is new enough that it’s still in the early stages of establishment, which contributes to the slower adoption rate we’re seeing currently.

However, in its current form, Matter does indeed lack a compelling value proposition for consumers. It’s primarily a technical standard addressing industry challenges rather than directly solving consumer pain points.

Revitalizing Matter: A Call to Action

To truly accelerate adoption, Matter must evolve into something more. It needs to:

Deliver tangible benefits: Go beyond interoperability and offer differentiated features that enhance user experience.
Simplify the user experience: Focus on intuitive setup, easy device discovery, and seamless control.
Drive innovation: Encourage the development of new and exciting smart home applications that leverage Matter’s capabilities.

OEMs also have a critical role to play. They should:

Prioritize user experience: Design Matter-enabled devices with a strong focus on consumer needs and desires.
Showcase Matter’s potential: Not just “support” Matter, but rather develop creative applications and marketing campaigns to demonstrate the value proposition to consumers.
Collaborate with other manufacturers: Work together to create interoperable and complementary product ecosystems.

Ultimately, Matter’s success hinges on its ability to deliver real value to consumers. By shifting the focus from technical specifications to user experience, the standard can become a catalyst for smart home growth.