Thank you to everyone who provided their feedback in the recent Matter Survey! We appreciate all the feedback given and figured we would allow everyone to see how some of our other community members responded and how your responses stack up. Based on these results, our team thinks that you can expect to see new devices, features, and opportunities that will appeal to everyone.

 

What Matter Devices Do You Use in Your Home?

While Smart Homes has grown in popularity over the last few years, we were surprised to see how many of you have already adopted Matter into all aspects of your home.

Smart Plugs (28%) and Smart Lighting (22%) were the most popular, followed by sensors, door locks, and wall switches, which is impressive given that they have only recently been released.

What Platforms Do You Use Your Matter Devices With?

Overall, most platforms are evenly used, with a surprising number of responses indicating that users use multiple platforms in their homes and an even more surprising number of Home Assistant users.

 

After reviewing your responses, our teams found a few interesting trends. Apple Home saw the most responses of the homes using multiple matter platforms, followed by Home Assistant.

 

Interestingly, Amazon Alexa users showed the least tendency to use multiple platforms [Even though there was a comical number of responses about the quality of the Voice Assistant:)

 

 

What is Your Preferred Voice Assistant?

Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa were the leading voice assistants, with Siri close behind.

 

Many users provided additional context about their Voice Assistant, and our teams are curious to know:

Where Has Your Voice Assistant Gone Wrong?

 

 

Would You Purchase a Matter-Compatible 3-Way Switch or Dimmer?

The question that started it all.

Thank you to all who shared feedback on a potential 3-Way Switch or Dimmer. Your feedback has already been shared with our teams and we'll keep you updated on any progress we hear of.

 

 

 

Your Questions on Matter:

Can Current or Existing Devices Be Updated to Support Matter?

Not as a rule of thumb. Devices must be built with the Matter Protocol in mind. The Protocol places additional requirements on devices and how they communicate with your network.

Unless compatibility was considered during the device's development, devices such as plugs, switches, and lights would not be updated to have direct Matter Support.

Some existing devices, such as our Sub-GHz sensors, have added support; however, this is only a result of the Hub being designed to operate as a Matter Bridge.

 

Are there any technological issues that are causing a delay in the release of devices?

The Matter Protocol is a cross-industry standard that requires the active involvement of all CSA participants. However, the protocol’s development has also experienced significant delays, with the initial launch and subsequent updates being delayed.

Beyond delays to the protocol, the device's release depends on companies developing and testing devices for certification, along with waiting for the device type to be supported in other Matter platforms.

 

Why is there a significant gap in the number of devices supporting Matter compared to those that do not?

The Matter protocol releases new features, controls, and device types with each update. While this supports Matter, it does not improve a platform’s support of the device or feature. For example, controls for some devices (looking at you, KS240/S200D) are missing from most of the common Voice Assistant apps, making it difficult to justify the addition of Matter without third parties supporting the type, especially since our teams cannot verify and test how the devices would behave on these platforms before certification.

 

Additional Resources for Matter are Coming Soon; however, you can learn more about the protocol goals and some of our supported devices in our Community Story:

 

Matter and TP-Link: A Step Forward in Smart Homes

 

What is the Matter Protocol Standard? What are the Requirements Placed on Devices?

In brief, the Matter Protocol is a communication protocol developed to encourage cross-platform smart home control and provide a unified command structure, allowing devices to communicate directly with each other without the need for an active internet connection.

 

The protocol includes instructions for device manufacturers on security principles, command and status structures, authentication, and necessary hardware for compatible devices.

 

How is Device and Network Security Maintained While Using the Matter Protocol?

With any open platform, there will be concerns about network and device security. Fortunately, security is and has been at the forefront of the protocol’s development, providing many opportunities for developers to provide additional protections and updates to maintain the highest level of security.

We recommend reading the official CSA documentation on the Security Principles and Goals of the Matter Protocol.

CSA Homepage for Matter

1-Page PDF Overview from CSA: Overview of Matter Security
CSA Whitepaper: Matter Security and Privacy Fundamentals

 

Does TP-Link have plans for Thread-Enabled Devices?

Our teams have seen your requests. While we cannot provide any details (nor do we have any to provide), know that thread compatibility is being looked at by our teams. We will provide an update if our team learns more about any potential plans.

If you would like to see Thread Support added, we welcome you to leave a comment below with your reasoning, use case, and any existing experiences.

 

What Platforms Do TP-Link Matter-Compatible Devices Work With?

The Matter Protocol is a Cross-Industry Standard designed to work with any platform supporting the Protocol (Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple Home, Samsung SmartThings, Home Assistant, etc.). That said, compatibility for a device is also dependent on the matter controller’s platform and whether the platform supports that device type.

 

Have Any Other Questions or Feedback? Leave a Comment Below!