Matter Protocol

 

Why Matter?

Matter aims to make it easy for developers to create a secure and reliable solution. If you want your products to be interoperable with the major smart home ecosystems, Matter is the way to go.

Supporters

Matter, which began as Project CHIP (Connected Home over IP) started in December 2019. The starting companies were Amazon, Apple, Google, and others including Nordic Semiconductor. The goal is to agree on a unified application layer standard for connected things at home. Matter aims to make it easy for manufacturers to create secure and reliable solutions. These solutions will be interoperable with the major smart home ecosystems like Apple's Siri, Google's Assistant, and Amazon's Alexa.

Communication

Matter is using Thread, Wi-Fi, and Ethernet for transport and Bluetooth LE for commissioning. All Matter devices based on Thread are required to feature Bluetooth LE concurrently to enable adding new devices to a network. Wi-Fi can be used for high bandwidth applications. It can be used for devices in range of the local Wi-Fi. Thread is an IPv6-based mesh protocol that targets low bandwidth applications. It is the go-to option for battery-powered devices that require the best energy efficiency and for simple actuators like smart plugs or light bulbs. Most mains-connected Thread devices work as a Thread router and will expand the network's range. Thread is a self-healing low-power mesh that can adapt to new devices or to devices being removed from the network.

Nordic's involvement

Nordic is actively involved and one of the main contributors the development of Matter. We are the first company to receive a Thread 1.3 certification badge. This badge can be inherited by our customers for their Thread products and is a prerequisite for Matter over Thread. We are also a main contributor to the OpenThread stack and . This combined with our knowledge and experience in Bluetooth Low Energy makes us the ideal partner to start developing your applications.

Matter releases a new update twice a year. In the latest release, the Fall 2023 update 9 new device types were introduced:

• Air Purifiers: Utilize air quality sensors, includes functionality from other device types (fan and optional Thermostat), and filter status notifications.
• Air Quality Sensors: Capture and reporting of various air quality data, including PM1, PM 2.5, PM 10, CO2, NO2, VOC, CO, Ozone, Radon, and Formaldehyde.
• Dishwashers: Basic functionality including remote start, progress notifications, and dishwasher alarms for operational errors.
• Fans: Support for separate device type with features like movement modes, airflow direction control, and speed adjustments.
• Laundry Washers: Support for progress notifications. (does not include dryers in this update)
• Refrigerators: Support for temperature control, monitoring, and related devices like deep freezers and specialty fridges.
• Robotic Vacuums: Remote start, progress notifications, cleaning modes, and additional status details.
• Room Air Conditioners: Standalone room air conditioners with temperature and fan mode control.
• Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarms: Notifications, audio and visual alarm signaling, battery status alerts, end-of-life notifications, and self-testing.

 

Also in this update

• Latch & Bolt Door Locks enhancements for European markets (combined latch and bolt lock in one unit)
• Added support for device appearance description (your device now knows its color)
• Generic improvements to make the addition of future device types easier
• Enhancements for the Matter test Harness. The test harness ensures specification and features are properly implemented.

The spec can be found and downloaded here CSA specification download Requests.

Smart home market

The smart home market is relatively new and has an enormous potential. It has been growing slower than expected for the last years. A plethora of proprietary solutions using different protocols and application layers exist. This led to frustration with developers and consumers.

 

Internet Protocol

Matter steps in and provides a shared foundation on which to build an application. The goal is to have interoperability between devices and ecosystems. As the former project name suggests, it is based on the Internet Protocol (IP). The IP is the most common network layer used in homes and offices. This makes it ideal for delivering on interoperability and security to devices and services.

 

 

Protocols

Matter provides a standard application layer that is used with a set of wireless technologies. The focus is on Bluetooth LE, Thread ,Wi-Fi and Ethernet. This will be followed by other IP-supporting protocols such as cellular.

 

Development hardware

To get started developing your matter product right, you can use our nRF52840 DK, nRF5340 DK or nRF7002 DK. When using these kits, all the SoCs functions can be used and tested. All analog and digital interfaces, and GPIOs are available via headers and edge connectors. An onboard SEGGER J-Link enables programming, debugging, and even RTOS awareness during debugging. Both kits are Arduino Uno Rev3 hardware compatible, so they can interface with device shields. Our Power Profiler Kit II (PPK2) is a standalone Kit used to supply and measure currents from sub µA up to 1A. The dedicated current measurement pins on our DKs can be used to connect DKs to a PPK2. The PPK2 can even use digital inputs and work as a low-end logic analyzer, enabling code-synchronized measurements.

 

Topology monitor

To test with additional Thread devices in your network, you can use nRF52840 Dongles. Our nRF Thread Topology monitor is well suited to visualize the Network.

If you get stuck at any point and need help, contact our team of Nordic engineers and active community in DevZone.

A good place to start looking is our Thread page. There you can find additional information and all the relevant software and firmware.

Thread

Up to date Matter integration

Our nRF Connect SDK has Matter support fully integrated, and our solution is ready for prototyping. We will continue to implement the newest updates with every release. To learn more, have a look at our user guide about Matter.

Matter Samples

We have sample programs for weather stations, light bulbs, light switches, and door locks included in our nRF Connect SDK. We provide a comprehensive user guide about configuring a Matter development environment. The guide explains how to run a Matter accessory on a Nordic Development Kit. It shows what types of Matter controllers to use and how to set them up together with a Thread Border router.

These examples show the usage of Matter with our nRF connect SDK. The weather station example lets you remotely gather different kinds of data. It collects temperature, air pressure, and relative humidity, using the device sensors. The resulting device works as a Matter accessory device. It can pair and be remotely controlled over a Matter network built on top of a low-power, 802.15.4 Thread network. Use these samples as references to create your own devices

Developing Matter products webinar