Matter: A Unified Standard for Smart Home Products

Matter is a smart home technology specification launched by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA). After its first version was launched in 2022 and became available for certification, many industries announced that their products would soon support the Matter Protocol. Matter is capable of crossing different communication protocols, allowing various smart home products and bridges, controlled mobile devices, and cloud services in different ecosystems to be connected to each other. Matter appears to be a more convenient standard for smart homes, providing improved interoperability, but there is reason to believe otherwise.

Matter Topology Mapping

Matter topology diagram (Source: Connectivity Standards Alliance)

Matter products and consumer reviews are all publicly accessible!

Matter products have only recently entered circulation, with products available for pre-purchase already in use. According to feedback from consumers, there are many negative reviews, including misunderstanding what type of technology Matter is as well how it is meant to be used.

Allion found three major issues, based on consumer feedback.

1.  Matter products cannot be used alone

To use Matter products, you need Thread’s Border Router that supports Matter. Consumers only see the advertisements displayed on Allion’s website and Matter’s packaging, which tells them the product is capable of making their lives smarter and more convenient. However, the application scenarios revealed on the packaging and product website withhold important information regarding Matter’s compatibility with other devices. This misleads consumers into believing that it is capable of functioning separately. As a result, consumers buy new product and take it home only to find that it requires pairing with other equipment before use.

Messages notifying the users that Matter cannot function separately
Messages notifying the users that Matter cannot function separately

2. Matter pairing failure

Consumers globally have reported that errors often occur while pairing Matter during the set-up process, requiring them to either reset or restart the device before attempting to pair again. Consumers are left unaware of why they failed to connect Matter to their network.

Pairing failure messages during user setup of the product.
Pairing failure messages during user setup of the product.

3. Connectivity problems

When purchasing Matter products, consumers expect their lives to become more convenient. It should provide them with the ability to easily control devices remotely anytime and anywhere. However, the connection is occasionally disconnected. These unexpected disconnections or abnormal product resets may cause a negative perception for consumers.

Loss of connectivity while using Matter products
Loss of connectivity while using Matter products

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Why choose Allion for your Matter certification

In response to consumer feedback, Allion, Matter’s first globally authorized certification laboratory, provides standard certification for Wi-FI, Bluetooth, and Thread. With extensive experience in Matter product testing, as well as in-depth testing of various Protocol Analyzers, instruments for wireless equipment, shielding rooms, etc., our team of experts is confident we will provide the best certification for your product and provide professional consulting services.

Faster

As an officially authorized laboratory of the CSA, Allion provides customers around the world with Matter certification, testing, technical consulting, compatibility testing, and other customized consulting services so that your Matter products may be facilitated through the development and certification process.

Easier

Allion provides one-stop certification consulting services. In addition to its certification standards, it also provides user scenario simulation certification, which is crucial for supporting Matter products. It conducts quality certification by simulating real usage scenarios.

Better

To ensure our customers’ products may successfully connect and operate across brands and systems during the Matter certification process, Allion has the latest Matter-related devices on the market (including the latest iOS and Android Systems); wireless APs, wireless routers, and mobile phone devices.

In the future, we will continue to purchase commercially available devices that support Matter to meet your certification needs. Our expert team contains rich experience in user scenario testing and is committed to providing customers with a complete quality service.

Allion_Faster, Easier, Better

If you would like to know more about Matter certification, or other wireless technology certification services, please feel free to contact Allion for a consultation.