Project CHIP (Connected Home Over IP) has received a new look with a complete rebrand, now known as “Matter”. An interesting move as the alliance inches its way toward releasing the new standard into the world with new supported products popping up as early as the end of this year.
Matter promises to unite IoT with a unified connection standard that will help to allow multiple brands and platforms to be able to work with each other properly. Similar to the idea of Z-Wave or Zigbee, minus the proprietary frequencies since Matter would use standard IP connectivity (Wi-Fi).
The Connectivity Standards Alliance (formerly known as the Zigbee Alliance,) consists of some of the largest companies in tech (Apple, Google, Amazon, and many others), which leads to high hopes for this actually becoming a thing. We discussed their most recent announcements last month where the timeline is touched on, showing where they (hopefully) plan to be by the end of the year. If all goes well, it could potentially help unite so many devices and ecosystems together, making it much easier to build your smart home out with what you absolutely want (vs being tied down to any given brand for every device).
“I’m very excited to unveil Matter as a foundational element in delivering a truly connected world.” — Tobin Richardson, President and CEO of the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA)
Some companies are already jumping on board by announcing that they will fully support the new standard when it rolls out. One of these is Philips with its Philips Hue lineup. The company said it will be adding support for Matter to its hub in a future software update (come time).
From Alexa to Google, SmartThings to Smart Assistant, you may find that everything may openly support everything in the coming future. Given the individuals behind it all, it almost feels like things began as the next generation of Zigbee that (wonderfully) spun out of control and into a much brighter direction–leading to Project CHIP, which is now, Matter.
Updated: 05/12/2021
1 Comment
I just hope it is what they promise. I’m sick of putting all my money into a bunch of products just for the idea to lose interest or support a few years later. Sick of these d*** companies.