Matter
Last updated: January 2, 2026
Matter is an open, royalty-free smart home connectivity standard that enables interoperability between devices from different manufacturers. It lets products from Apple, Google, Amazon, and Samsung work together without compatibility headaches - no proprietary hub required.
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Remember when every smart home device needed its own app, its own hub, and preferably a degree in computer science to set up? Matter is the industry's collective "we can do better" moment. Launched in late 2022 by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (the folks behind Zigbee), Matter is an open-source, royalty-free standard that promises a simple truth: if it has the Matter logo, it works with your system. Period.
Here's the genuinely exciting part: Matter runs over your existing home network using Thread, Wi-Fi, or Ethernet - no proprietary hub required. It works locally, so your lights don't throw a tantrum when your internet hiccups. The big players (Apple HomeKit, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings) have all committed to supporting it - and so has Home Assistant, which became the first open-source project to receive official Matter certification in early 2025. That's significant: it means you're not locked into big tech ecosystems to enjoy Matter's benefits.
The standard keeps evolving too. Matter 1.5 (November 2025) finally added the long-awaited camera support - including video doorbells, floodlight cameras, and intercoms - plus garage doors, window coverings, soil sensors, and smarter energy management. With Samsung SmartThings already supporting Matter cameras and manufacturers like Aqara bringing Matter-compatible cameras in early 2026, the ecosystem is maturing fast. Is it perfect yet? No. But for the first time, buying a smart home device doesn't require checking seventeen compatibility charts.
Related Terms
Amazon Alexa
Amazon Alexa is Amazon's voice assistant and smart home platform with the largest device ecosystem and market share. Compatible with practically everything, it's the path of least resistance - affordable Echo hardware, thousands of skills, and the voice assistant your less-techy relatives probably already have.
Apple HomeKit
Apple HomeKit is Apple's smart home platform with end-to-end encryption and privacy-first design. It integrates with iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch, using Siri for voice control. You'll need Apple hardware (HomePod or Apple TV as hub), but everything "just works" with that signature Apple polish.
Google Home
Google Home is Google's smart home platform built around the Google Assistant, offering deep integration with Google services like Calendar, Gmail, and YouTube. The voice assistant is genuinely the smartest of the big three - it understands context and handles follow-ups. The trade-off? Your data fuels the machine.
Home Assistant
Home Assistant is an open-source home automation platform that runs locally on your own hardware, giving you complete control over your smart home without relying on cloud services. With 2 million active installations and 21,000+ contributors, it's become the de facto standard for local-first automation.
Thread
Thread is a low-power, IPv6-based mesh networking protocol designed specifically for smart home devices. It creates a self-healing network where each device strengthens the mesh - if one goes down, the others pick up the slack. It's the primary transport layer for Matter wireless devices.
Zigbee
Zigbee is a low-power wireless mesh networking protocol that connects smart home devices like sensors, bulbs, and switches. It's been quietly running smart homes for over a decade, offering excellent battery life and a self-healing mesh - unlike Wi-Fi gadgets, your Zigbee motion sensor won't need new batteries every month.