Shop E Store When the shackles of Project Chip were finally released and Matter launched in late 2022, it came with a lot of big promises.
Seamless smart home integration across ecosystems, simplified device onboarding, and a unified standard that would eliminate the chaos of competing platforms. We consumers were assured that the Matter logo on the box would eradicate confusion about the smart home and that things would “just work.”
However, within a few months it became clear that Matter was struggling.
In fact, I wrote an op-ed in March 2023 titled “Matter is a Disaster,” and while that headline was definitely clickbaity, it wasn’t too wrong a statement. The standard was plagued by slow device support, half-hearted implementations, and a glaring gap between its vision and reality.
That op-ed was just one of hundreds that appeared online in the first few months of Matter’s existence, and it was actually one of the less scathing takes.
However, the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) has continued, with great efforts, to try to create a smart home platform that consumers can count on.
And in 2024, it really started to steady the ship. With Matter 1.3 and 1.4, the standard is beginning to address some of its fundamental problems and adoption by manufacturers is increasing rapidly.
But I hope 2025 is finally the year Matter really starts to deliver on its original promise.
And that’s a hope shared by CSA Chief Technology Officer Chris LaPré, who I met recently in Las Vegas at CES 2025.
“Now we can really start building things,” he told me. “It’s not 100% yet, so we need to get to 100%.
“I think we are in the right place at the right time and we have solved some of the problems. “This is going to be a great year.”
The Advancement of the Improved Multi-Administrator System
Possibly the most important update that arrived with the Matter 1.4 update, in November of last year, was the introduction of Enhanced Multi-Admin.
This feature aims to solve one of Matter’s most frustrating flaws: its inability to fulfill the dream of effortless cross-platform compatibility. Currently, trying to get devices to work seamlessly across ecosystems (think pairing a smart light with Apple Home and then controlling it with Alexa) has been nothing short of a nightmare.
Read my review of the Govee Light Strip M1 from late 2023, as a good example of how badly Matter had been failing on this front.
For a while now, when a device I’ve been reviewing supports Matter, I’ve basically been ignoring the Matter angle as much as possible. I will mention that cross-platform compatibility is theoretically possible, but there’s no way I’d want to waste any more time diving down that rabbit hole… or recommend anyone do so.
The improved Multi-Admin feature, if widely adopted, could change that. By automating device integration across platforms, users would not need to jump between applications or reconfigure devices to work on different systems.
This could finally usher in the frictionless experience that Matter promised all along.
However, as with all things Matter, the real test will be whether major players like Amazon, Apple, Google, and Samsung fully embrace these updates and roll them out quickly.
Unfortunately, those things are outside the scope of the CSA. You can lead the way for Big Tech, but you can’t force them to follow it.
It’s an issue the CSA has faced in recent years as it introduces new types of devices through its bi-annual updates. For example, it took almost a year for major platforms to support devices included in Matter 1.2, such as air purifiers and robot vacuum cleaners, and even then it happened in staggered stages.
So we were left with a scenario where devices were released as Matter-compatible, such as the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra and AiDot’s P200 Pro, but there was no way to add them to a Matter controller.
Address Thread growth issues
Thread, the cornerstone of Matter, has been another source of headaches. Its potential to create a robust and responsive smart home network has been undermined by the chaotic deployment of Thread routers and networks, and also by the cost for brands to join the Thread Group and certify their products.
Matter 1.4 and also Thread 1.4 (the version number is a coincidence) will attempt to fix some of the issues by allowing certified home routers and access points to store and share Thread network credentials.
This could simplify Thread setup and maintenance, making it less daunting for users and reducing the confusion of managing multiple Thread networks.
But again, this depends on router manufacturers and platforms adopting these changes and on Thread Group streamlining the use of the technology for brands. Without their cooperation, Thread risks becoming another smart home feature that’s promising on paper but disappointing in practice.
And Chris LaPré shared that concern with me. “For a startup that hasn’t touched Thread yet… the Thread Group basically says ‘if you’re going to build a Thread device, you must also be a member of us and you must certify your device, at the device level.’, not at the device level.” module, with us too,’ then it’s a whole new set of costs.”
Energy management takes center stage
Beyond connectivity, Matter 1.3 and 1.4 introduced several new device categories aimed at home energy management, including support for solar panels, heat pumps, and battery systems.
These updates reflect a growing demand for smart home technology that not only adds convenience but also helps reduce energy costs and environmental impact.
The CSA’s vision of a fully integrated home energy system, where solar panels, battery walls and electric vehicle chargers work intelligently together, has enormous potential.
Imagine your home automatically charging your electric vehicle during off-peak hours or powering appliances with solar energy during the day.
These features are a glimpse of what smart homes could become, but – again – they depend on manufacturers and platforms adopting these new capabilities.
“The last two upgrades have been the appliances and then the power,” Chris LaPré explained to me. “I think both have to work. Like home appliances, we have seen some advertisements, but we don’t really have ubiquitous home appliances.
“It will probably take a few years. And that’s when energy management can start to skyrocket and we can start saving money.”
Expanding Matter’s skill set
Another issue that needs to be addressed is that even when device types are supported, the controls offered through Matter are often too basic.
For example, while a Matter-compatible thermostat may allow you to set a target temperature, it won’t allow for things like returning to a schedule, setting timers, or more complex automations. Similarly, apps like Govee and Philips Hue offer a ton of smart light customization options in their native apps, but lighting controls through Matter are incredibly simplified.
These gaps make Matter feel less like a unifying standard and don’t allow users to access the full capabilities of their devices, if they choose the Matter route.
For CSA to truly win over users, it needs to accelerate device support and expand the range of controls and features available to manufacturers. The good news is that they know it. Future updates may not include such notable expansions of device types, but rather adjust options and features for device types that are already supported.
The road ahead
The journey of matter has not been easy at all. However, the progress made in 2024 suggests that the standard is finally moving in the right direction. The question is whether 2025 can be the year Matter delivers on its promises and becomes the standard smart home users have been waiting for.
For that to happen, the CSA needs more than just technical improvements. It needs full cooperation from key players, faster adoption of new features, and a commitment to making Matter more than just a checkbox on a spec sheet.
And it’s making great strides in these areas by making it easier – and fundamentally cheaper – for brands to get their devices not only certified by Matter, but also getting the ecosystem compatibility of the major platforms checked at the same time ( except Amazon, which has frequently been the “problem child” since the launch of Matter) at its Interop Lab, in Portland, Oregon.
If all of these pieces come together and the potential of some of the 1.3 and 1.4 updates come to fruition, then Matter could finally transform the smart home landscape.
I really hope so.
