With the rapid development of the Internet of Things, smart homes are becoming more and more common in our lives. We only need a mobile phone to control all our smart devices, which brings great convenience and comfort to our life. But at present, there are multiple protocols in smart home, such as ZigBee, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc.; The operation has brought great inconvenience.
In this case, the Matter protocol emerged. It is an open and commonly applicable standard protocol that provides a unified interoperability framework for smart home devices, enabling devices of different brands to easily communicate with each other.
The compatibility and interoperability of smart home is a challenge for its development. Devices of different brands and manufacturers cannot communicate and work together effectively. The emergence of the Matter protocol aims to solve this problem. As an open standard, the Matter protocol provides a unified communication and connection specification, enabling devices to seamlessly connect and interact in the same network. This allows users to freely choose devices of different brands, and to control and manage them through a unified interface. However, the improvement of smart home also needs to pay attention to security, privacy protection, energy efficiency and user experience. Through the promotion and technological advancement of the Matter protocol, we can achieve a smarter, more convenient, safer and more comfortable smart home environment.
Development of the Matter Protocol
Before the Matter protocol, in order to unify the protocols of all devices, ZigBee proposed the ZigBee 3.0 protocol, and all ZigBee 3.0 devices need to use standard protocols and authentication. But it still continues to allow the existence of brand barriers, and different manufacturers still cannot communicate with each other.
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After ZigBee 3.0, the Thread protocol led by Google began to emerge. This protocol is based on the IEEE 802.15.4 wireless communication standard and supports IPV6 on the transport layer, breaking the limitation that devices cannot be interconnected. However, because Thread does not define a top-level protocol, it cannot completely replace it. ZigBee.
In 2019, the ZigBee Alliance and companies such as Apple, Google and Amazon announced that they intend to jointly develop an open smart home standard to solve the interconnection and compatibility problems between smart homes, and name it CHIP (Connected Home over IP, IP-based connected home). It is based on the IPV6 protocol, above the transport layer of the OSI seven-layer protocol, and is compatible with a variety of physical layer and link layer communication protocols, including Thread, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth.
The CHIP protocol was officially renamed as the Matter protocol at the end of 2021. The renaming of the Matter protocol also marks that the protocol has entered a more mature stage, demonstrating its importance and potential in the field of smart homes. In October 2022, Matter 1.0 was released; in May 2023, Matter 1.1 was officially released. As a unified standard, the Matter protocol is expected to promote the interconnection of smart home devices, simplify user experience, and accelerate the development of the smart home market.
Core Features of the Matter Protocol
1. Openness and interoperability
The Matter protocol is based on open standards and encourages major manufacturers and developers to adopt a unified communication protocol to achieve interoperability between devices. This means that smart devices of different brands can connect and communicate with each other. Through the Matter protocol, all Apps and hardware devices that support Matter can be easily and seamlessly interconnected. Users can choose devices more flexibly and are no longer limited to specific brands or ecosystems. system.
2. Extensive device support
First look at the protocol framework diagram below. The Matter protocol covers a variety of underlying protocols, such as Wi-Fi, Thread, and Ethernet (Ethernet), and can connect almost all smart devices in our daily life, including switches, doors, etc. Various types of devices such as locks, sockets, sensors and lamps.
3. Security and privacy protection
Matter Protocol is dedicated to ensuring the security and privacy protection of smart home devices. By employing advanced encryption and authentication mechanisms, the Matter protocol secures communication between devices and ensures that users' personal data is protected. Users can use smart devices with confidence without worrying about the risk of data leakage or cyber-attack.
4. Simplified user experience
The Matter protocol simplifies the use and configuration of smart homes through a unified user experience and operation interface. Users can control and manage multiple devices using a single app or voice assistant, eliminating the need to install a separate app or learn a different method of operation for each device. This brings users a more convenient, consistent and seamless smart home experience.
5. Expanded Ecosystem
The industry is very optimistic about the development prospects of Matter. The emergence of the open-source Matter standard enables manufacturers to reduce the development of products that support multi-protocols and their corresponding Apps, thereby reducing R&D costs and promoting the expansion and innovation of the smart home ecosystem. Major manufacturers and developers can develop new smart devices and solutions based on the Matter protocol, enriching the product line and functions of smart homes. This will bring more choices and competition, and promote the further development and maturity of smart home technology. According to ABI research, within five years, more than half of the world's key smart home devices will support Matter.
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Matter protocol solution
As a general smart home protocol, the Matter protocol provides a wide range of solutions to connect various devices and networks. It supports connecting Wi-Fi terminal devices, Thread terminal devices, Thread border routers and Matter gateways.
First, the Matter protocol connects via Wi-Fi, making it easy for smart home devices to access your home's wireless network. In this way, users can control and manage various smart devices through the Wi-Fi network, realizing the automation and integration of smart homes.
Second, the Matter protocol supports Thread networking, a low-power, self-organizing wireless network technology. By connecting Thread terminal devices and Thread border routers, the Matter protocol enables reliable communication between devices and interoperability across devices. This provides a more stable and scalable network environment for smart homes.
In addition, the Matter protocol also introduces the concept of a Matter gateway. The Matter gateway acts as a bridge connecting different protocols and technologies, enabling various smart devices to work together in the Matter ecosystem. By connecting to the Matter gateway, users can seamlessly integrate existing smart home devices under the unified management of the Matter protocol.
In short, the solution of Matter protocol allows users to realize the interconnection and intercommunication of various smart home devices through Wi-Fi connection, Thread network and Matter gateway. This provides users with more choices and flexibility, simplifies device management and control, and creates a smarter, convenient and integrated smart home experience.
