Breaking down the language barrier to create smart devices that talk to each other

Soon language will be standardised between your home devices.

In this Article:

• Creating a way for multiple devices to talk to one another will allow for communication across devices of different brands
• Some of the world’s biggest grands have signed up
• In the future, if your product is Matter compliant, you won’t be locked in to one brand

Have you heard of Matter?

If not, you will – very, very soon. Because Matter is standardising the language uses between devices from a number of brands and manufacturers, built on the shared belief that smart home devices should talk to each other and also be secure, reliable and easy to use.

Matter says it ‘will enable communication across smart home devices, mobile app and cloud services, and define a specific set of IP-based networking technologies for device certification’.

Some of the world’s biggest brands have signed up for the initiative led by the Connectivity Alliance: Amazon, Apple, Google, Huawei and IKEA are just a few of the names that are part of Matter, as well as Gemcell suppliers Legrand, Signify and Schneider Electric.

“We are working with other key companies on ‘delivering the global vision’ but with a local deployment focus,” says Brett Coppins, Light & Room Control Offer Manager at Schneider Electric.

“In Australia, we currently have at least three or four different protocols, but in the future, when residential products are designed as Matter compliant, everything will talk to each other – from lighting controls to HVAC.

“So, whatever you’re using in future, if your product is Matter compliant, you won’t be locked into one brand.”

While residential products in future will move to a more open communications platform, Schneider Electric is focused on creating smart, reliable and cost-effective products for its key market – electrical contractors.

“It’s highly competitive in the residential space, and we’ve seen players come into the market with various plug-in type smart automation products that don’t always require an electrician for installation,” says Brett.

“For us, our product focus is still with the electrical contractor and bringing out new innovative products that support those installers while ensuring our products also provide the sought-after features and functionality that their end-user customers now expect.

“Smart residential products like Clipsal Wiser with smart GPOs still require an electrician to install them.”