Setup will be even easier via NFC thanks to Matter 1.6

With the 1.6 release, the Matter smart home standard is becoming more capable with streamlined setup, improved multi-ecosystem support, and expanded user preferences.

Starting the week of June 15th, the Connectivity Standard Alliance has been hosting its first ever Unify conference in Austin, Texas. It’s there the CSA made the announcement around Matter 1.6.

As a precursor, Matter is a fairly new smart home standard that is intended to unify the various platform ecosystems. Matter devices can largely work seamlessly between Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, Apple Home, and more.

Matter 1.6

With this update, NFC-based commissioning is improving compared to the initial 1.4.1 implementation. Previously, after tapping a NFC tag, the commissioning was then carried out over Bluetooth.

Now, Matter 1.6 can complete the entire commissioning process via bi-directional NFC communication. That removes the need for BLE at all and it even works before the accessory is fully powered on.

In use, we expect to see devices like light bulbs or in-wall switches that can set up before ever being plugged into a socket or wired into a wall.

For multi-ecosystem homes, the CSA is releasing Joint Fabric. Instead of each ecosystem having its own network of devices, 1.6 creates a standardized Matter network that different ecosystems can tap into.

Devices can be added to a Joint Fabric once, and automatically appear in each of the ecosystems. This removes the need for fresh setup in each ecosystem.

The final major update with this release is for thermostats. Instead of sending a contextually blind command directly to a thermostat, Thermostat Suggestions standardizes the communication of commands by adding context.

For example, if a user manually adjusted the thermostat but moments later, a new command arrives from a previously-set schedule. The thermostat is able to ignore that command, recognizing it’s likely not what the user intended to happen just after making a manual adjustment.

If a Thermostat Suggestion is ignored, the thermostat can send back a response with a reason for the action.

Other changes include event history for security sensors, unmounted states for smoke and CO alarms, and standardized capability communication.

Product Security 1.1 update

Also developed by the CSA, we got version 1.1 of the Product Security certification program.

Version 1.1 has a more wholistic view of the smart home, offering security certifications for the whole ecosystem, from the app to the accessories.

“With this announcement, the Product Security Certification Program advances our goal to make compliance with external product security standards and regulations practical for the global IoT industry,” said Steve Hanna of Infineon, the Chair of the Product Security Working Group Steering Committee. “Version 1.1 expands the scope of the program and introduces higher-confidence pathways for certification, reflecting emerging trends in global regulations.”

The new version of Matter is available to developers and accessory makers now. We now have to wait for Apple Home and other ecosystems to adopt it.