Popular smart home device maker Aqara has unveiled three new Matter and Thread accessories at CES today. The incoming devices include the new U300 smart handset lock, the Border Router Plug, and the Hub M3.
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Just as HomeKit led to the development of the broader smart home standard Matter, so Apple’s Home Key is spurring the adoption of a new industry standard for smart locks and digital keys: Aliro.
The new standard is being championed by Apple, Google, and Samsung – along with a number of smart lock companies …
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Matter support for home appliances is on the way, through the latest version of the smart home connectivity standard backed by Apple and more than 600 other companies.
Previous versions of Matter have been limited to smaller smart home devices, like lights, door locks, blinds, and security sensors – while Matter 1.2 will add support for household appliances, robot cleaners, and more …
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Philips Hue Matter support was first promised by March of this year, before quietly admitting to a delay just a few days ahead of the deadline.
Whatever caused that delay has now been addressed, and Matter integration is now available within the Hue app …
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Ever wish you could AirPlay audio from your iPhone to your amp or powered speakers? Smart home solutions firm Eve is launching a new audio streaming interface that lets you hook up Hi-Fi components to Apple’s Home app and AirPlay 2.
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The Matter and Thread standards are supposed to ensure that a huge range of smart home devices can work seamlessly together, mirroring the benefits offered by HomeKit compatibility. But this isn’t the case, say multiple manufacturers.
The main benefit of Thread is that smart home devices can not only talk to each other, but one can pass on commands to another, boosting reliability. There is, however, a problem …
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Leviton is out with a free firmware update that brings Matter to four of its smart home devices which will be welcome for both existing and new users. Included are the Decora Smart Switch, Dimmer, Mini Plug-In Dimmer, and Mini Plug-In Switch. Here are all the details.
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Back at CES in January, Nanoleaf announced a range of new smart light devices. Today one of those has arrived with the 4D Screen Mirror Camera and Lightstrip Kit. Aiming to make your entertainment experience more immersive than ever, read on for all the details on Nanoleaf’s latest smart light product.
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Smart home company Eve Systems – one of the leaders in HomeKit-compatible and now Matter-compatible devices – has been bought by the automation and electrification giant ABB.
Eve will, with immediate effect, become part of the Building and Home Automation Solutions division of ABB. The two parties naturally hope the partnership will be good news, but some will be watching events with some degree of nervousness …
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Matter officially arrived last fall to improve the smart home device experience across platforms. Now the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) – which includes Apple – has launched the first Matter update. The release comes with changes and improvements to make it easier for developers to get started with Matter and complete certification while end-users should have a better experience with battery-powered devices.
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Matter has the promise of finally uniting the smart home under one standard, and slowly, that promise is coming to reality. Currently, Google is rolling out an update to its Nest Thermostat that adds support for Matter and allows the thermostat to be linked with Apple HomeKit. Here’s how it works.
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Amazon is joining in on the latest smart home protocol with support for Thread coming to its fourth-gen Echo smart speaker, bringing it in-line with Apple’s HomePod mini and more. The latest update also debuts iOS setup compatibility and Matter support for older Echo devices. And in more smart home news, the previously HomeKit-focused company Eve has made a big deal with Amazon.
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Late last year, Philips Hue Matter support was said to be coming “by March 2023.” With just a few days left before that deadline, the company has now said that the release date has been put back to an unspecified time.
It’s the latest delay to hit the industry-wide Matter standard, which was itself pushed back from a planned 2020 launch to late 2022 …
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Eve has been at the forefront of the Matter upgrades for its products, and today, it has announced the release of its latest line of out-of-the-box Matter-enabled devices. Customers can now purchase the Eve Energy smart plug for North America, Europe, and the United Kingdom, while the Eve Motion and Eve Door & Window sensors will be available on April 17. Existing users of the latest HomeKit and Thread-enabled models of Eve Energy, Eve Motion, and Eve Door & Window can also upgrade their devices to Matter for free via the Eve app for iPhone and iPad starting April 17.
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Last fall Nanoleaf announced that it would be bringing Matter to its Essentials smart lighting lineup along with launching some new bulb types. Now the latest products have arrived with Thread/Matter for the smart A19 and Lightstrip with the GU10, BR30 bulbs, and Recessed Downlight in the wings.
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IKEA has unveiled its latest smart home device today, an indoor air quality monitor. Named VINDSTYRKA, the new product comes with a large display and works with the company’s Matter-ready DIRIGERA smart hub that will bring connectivity with HomeKit and other popular smart home platforms.
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Keeping a unified smart home – where any smart phone or home assistant can be used to control any smart home device you have – can be a bit of challenge. Previously, many iPhone users have used Homebridge to connect otherwise unsupported devices to Apple’s Home app. But the Matter standard could make that unnecessary, as Matter compatible devices will be compatible with Amazon, Google, and Apple’s smart home ecosystems. That begs the question: Will Matter make Homebridge obsolete?
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Following the launch of Matter last year, Samsung SmartThings is now expanding support for the smart home standard over to its iOS app.
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HomePass is an app that lets users easily store and manage all the setup codes for their HomeKit accessories. Since its introduction in 2018, the app has been updated multiple times with new features. Now with its latest update, HomePass for HomeKit also lets users store Matter accessory setup codes.
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Nanoleaf has announced five new Matter-compatible smart lighting products at CES that will launch this year. The new lineup features the Nanoleaf 4D TV Screen Mirror Camera and Lightstrips Kit, new Sense+ Controls, Skylight, smart bulbs for recessed lighting, and more.
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With the official launch of the new Matter standard for smart home accessories in November, Amazon has announced its plans to add Matter support to its Echo devices. The company confirmed on Monday that the phase-one rollout of Matter support is now complete, while phase two is expected to begin next year with support for iOS.
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Eve, the popular HomeKit product manufacturer, has announced that it will be releasing an optional firmware update for its Eve Energy, Eve Door & Window, and Eve Motion products, making them the first Thread products available on the market for the new Matter standard. This update will allow customers to connect their Eve products to the Samsung SmartThings ecosystem and, coming soon, Google Home and Amazon Alexa.
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The new Matter smart home standard launched to device makers back in October, and more details were shared with consumers two weeks ago. Now, the popular smart home accessory maker Meross has unveiled one of the first Matter devices that you actually order, a new Wi-Fi smart plug that works with Matter out of the box…
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Nanoleaf is out with the news that it’s bringing Matter support to some of its popular smart lights along with two brand-new bulbs. Arriving soon, the lineup will feature GU10 and BR30 options in addition to its popular smart Lightstrip and A19 bulb.
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