Andrew Heinzman
After an endless barrage of delays, Matter is finally coming together. The new standard promises to unify smart home products, allowing devices to work together regardless of their branding or smart assistant compatibility. And now, smart home companies can test Matter using Samsung’s SmartThings platform.
Samsung SmartThings is the first testing ground for Matter, thanks to a Partner Early Access program. The gist is that smart home brands, such as Nanoleaf, can test Matter compatibility on their products using SmartThings hubs, hardware, and the SmartThings app. (Samsung previously announced that it will go all-in on Matter, offering support in nearly all of its smart products.)
This Partner Early Access program is not a replacement for the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) certification program, but it provides a real-world testing environment for smart home brands.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Aeotec, Aqara, Eve Systems, Leedarson, Nanoleaf, Netatmo, Sengled, Wemo, WiZ and Yale into this exclusive program. As a founding member of Matter, we are excited about this development, as well as the opportunity for partners to test their devices and Matter interoperability with Hub-enabled devices and through the SmartThings app.”
The CSA recently stated that, upon launch, Matter will work with at least 130 devices. But it didn’t specify which devices or brands will support Matter out the gate. Now, things are a bit more clear. Samsung confirms that Eve, Nanoleaf, Sengled, Wemo, Yale, and a few other brands are preparing for Matter’s launch through the Partner Early Access Program.
Larger companies like Google, Amazon, and Apple will also offer day-one Matter compatibility on some products. These companies committed to Matter a long time ago and offer Matter compatibility tools for smaller brands.
According to the CSA, Matter will launch in “fall of 2022.” We doubt that the standard will see another delay, though of course, anything is possible.
