“This or that” doesn’t have to be a thing. You can have them both and make life easier for yourself. When it comes to a smart home platform, you don’t have to stay true to one. It doesn’t have to be Amazon or Google.
It doesn’t have to be like most people choosing their phones: Apple or Samsung. Deciding on a smart home platform shouldn’t matter because you can get devices from different manufacturers and have them all work. The easiest way is to rely on ones that are Matter-enabled.
Matter-enabled means universal compatibility
Control your devices in a number of ways
Matter is a universal protocol that allows smart home devices from different manufacturers to communicate with one another. This protocol allows the devices to share a similar language to be able to stay connected to each other, allowing you to choose from a wide variety of devices, none of which needs to be specific to one smart home platform.
For years, there were smart plugs that only worked on, say, Apple HomeKit. But now, you can connect an Apple HomeKit smart plug to an Amazon Alexa smart speaker and have them work seamlessly.
Matter-enabled devices have been around since 2022 and the Connectivity Standards Alliance, which created the protocol, continues to release new iterations of it and manufacturers continue to put new products on it. You can have an entire home made of Matter-enabled devices and you don’t just have to rely on Amazon Alexa or Google Home.
If you’re using a Matter-enabled device, you don’t have to worry about it connecting via the cloud to your other devices. This uses local connections either through your Wi-Fi, Ethernet, or via a Thread mesh network. Thread border routers can connect devices via Thread and Matter-enabled devices can use Thread’s low-powered mesh network to stay with one another, even if the Wi-Fi signal goes out. There are more ways now to have devices talk to one another in your home than ever before.
More benefits of Matter
These include speed and setup
It is so easy to set up Matter devices because they can fit into any smart home platform. Matter-enabled devices take almost no time to be set up, as you have to scan one single QR code that either appears on the box or on the device itself.
It is very important to keep the box that your Matter device comes in. If you have it, you can set something up again with ease. If you don’t, it is harder to set up the device if you need to uninstall and then reinstall it. The only way to set up the Matter device is by scanning that QR code.
Because you’re using the QR code, you don’t have to download multiple apps, sign up for multiple accounts, and do that whole song and dance. You can just scan and start setting up.
Your Matter-enabled devices can talk to one another on your local network, so they keep up their speed regardless of whether you have an internet outage. Things like smart switches, smart locks, and smart lights are all going to continue working even if the internet is out. This is huge because not being able to turn lights on just because your Wi-Fi is down is the exact opposite of what you want when you get smart home devices. Using Matter has made some devices obsolete.
The speed of Matter devices is also impressive because there isn’t that lag that you might get when you’re using Wi-Fi-enabled devices that work with the cloud. If you’ve ever used a device that takes a second to respond to a voice command or even the touch of a control in a phone app, you know how frustrating it can be when you can feel the device thinking. Matter-enabled devices have boosted communication features for a faster response time.
Matter-enabled devices are safer
You’ll get a more secure experience
One of the most stressful parts of having a smart home is the security factor. Because you have many devices that are potentially providing feeds into your home, people can have a better idea where you are if they hack your network.
In this day and age of AI where there are threats everywhere, it’s important to understand the potential flaws that come with your smart home devices. Matter-enabled ones are particularly secure compared to other options on the market.
They provide end-to-end encryption, per the standard of the CSA, and there are secure local onboarding procedures required for any product to earn the designation.
If you have a lot of Matter over Wi-Fi devices, you should consider getting a mesh router system, such as one with 6E or better. This can deliver the best performance and keep all of your devices on the same network. If you have a third-party router, you can split them into different bands to keep your IoT devices on one and other devices on the other. Matter-enabled devices can work in either of those scenarios and remain safe.
Matter doesn’t make you choose one specific smart home platform
If you don’t want to just rely on one manufacturer for all your smart home devices, considering Matter-enabled devices is a smart decision. These work across platforms and don’t require one specific smart home hub to function. It opens up your home to many new devices and keeps it safer and smarter.
- Integrations
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Matter
- Dimensions
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1.57″D x 2.62″W x 1.5″H
The Kasa Matter Smart Plug, also known as KP125M, comes in a pack of two. This can monitor your energy usage and the slim profile lets you fit two in one outlet.