For over a decade, early adopters of smart home devices have decried the lack of networking standards that created fragmentation and frustration when these early owners wanted a more unified experience. Up until recently, interoperability has been more of a concern among those who own north of five devices and seek to create home automation scenes of multiple devices or have one device trigger another. That group still comprises a fraction of all smart home device owners.
We can understand how concerns over interoperability have been far less important to those who own just a few devices – each of which functioning as standalone devices controlled by the manufacturer’s app. In fact, the majority of smart home device owners still enter their smart home purchase journey with a single device and not a system, and the majority of owners are still in the three-or-less devices camp.
However, things are changing. Interpret’s Smart Home MatrixTM tracks expectations for devices working together now, as well as these expectations for future purchases. In Q1 of 2022, consumer expectations for interoperability, like smart home adoption itself, “jumped the chasm” into the majority (56%) of smart home device owners. When considering future purchase priorities, the ability to work with the owner’s smart speaker (32%), their security system (32%), or products they already own (29%) trail only brands owned.
Enter Matter, the new home automation connectivity standard that works at the application layer of the networking software stack. Simple explanation: Matter is a language translator. With unprecedented industry support, Matter promises to deliver seamless setup, reliable connectivity, secure data transfers, simplified development process, and exponentially expanded device-to-device connectivity.
Interpret Vice President Brad Russell delivered a presentation on Matter 101- The Impact of the Matter Rollout on IoT at Silicon Lab’s Works With conference on September 13. “Matter is coming to market at just the right time,” said Russell. “Adoption is far enough along now that a large share of consumers can appreciate the value of a more seamless experience and the possibilities of having multiple devices orchestrated to deliver delightful experiences. This is an exciting time.”
