The Connectivity Standards Alliance has released the Matter 1.0 specification for open standards for IoT. The Alliance has also launched the Matter certification programme, which allows member companies to bring interoperable products designed to work across brands and platforms to market with greater consumer privacy, security, and simplicity.

Authorized test labs are now open for product certification as part of the Matter 1.0 release, as test harnesses and tools, and the open-source reference design software development kit (SDK). Alliance members who already have devices deployed and intend to update them to support Matter can now do so once their products are certified.

Over 280 member companies, including Amazon, Apple, Comcast, Google, Samsung, Signify, and SmartThings, have teamed up to ensure that Matter meets the needs of users, product makers, and platforms.

These companies collectively led the way through requirements and specification development, reference design, multiple test events, and final specification validation to achieve this industry milestone.

The Matter 1.0 standard will be released with test cases and tools for Alliance members, as well as a global certification programme that will include eight authorized test labs that will test not only Matter but also Matter’s underlying network technologies, Wi-Fi and Thread.

Wi-Fi allows Matter devices to communicate with one another over a high-bandwidth local network and smart home devices to communicate with the cloud.

Thread is a home mesh network that is both energy efficient and highly reliable. The Wi-Fi Alliance and Thread Group collaborated with the Connectivity Standards Alliance to help Matter realize its full vision.

Matter also provides security policies and processes that validate device certification and provenance using distributed ledger technology and Public Key Infrastructure. This will ensure that users connect authentic, certified, and up-to-date devices to their homes and networks.

This initial release of Matter will support a wide range of common smart home products, including lighting and electrical, HVAC controls, window coverings and shades, safety and security sensors, door locks, media devices such as TVs, controllers as both devices and applications, and bridges, and will run over Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and Thread, and will use Bluetooth Low Energy for device commissioning.

“What started as a mission to unravel the complexities of connectivity has resulted in Matter, a single, global IP-based protocol that will fundamentally change the IoT,” said Tobin Richardson, President and CEO of the Connectivity Standards Alliance. “This release is the first step on a journey our community and the industry are taking to make the IoT more simple, secure, and valuable no matter who you are or where you live. With global support from companies large and small, today’s Matter 1.0 release is more than a milestone for our organisation and our members; it is a celebration of what is possible.”

“We would not be where we are today without the strength and dedication of the Alliance members who have provided thousands of engineers, intellectual property, software accelerators, security protocols, and the financial resources to accomplish what no single company could ever do on their own,” said Bruno Vulcano, Chair of the Alliance Board and R&D Manager for Legrand Digital Infrastructure. “With members equally distributed throughout the world, Matter is the realisation of a truly global effort that will benefit manufacturers, customers and consumers alike, not just in a single region or continent.”

“Matter and Thread resolve interoperability and connectivity issues in smart homes so manufacturers can focus on other value-adding innovations,” Thread Group president Vividh Siddha said. “Thread creates a self-healing mesh network which grows more responsive and reliable with each added device, and its ultra-lower power architecture extends battery life. Combined, Thread with Matter is a powerful choice for product companies and a great value for consumers.”

“Matter leverages Wi-Fi’s sophisticated network efficiency, global pervasiveness of more than 18 billion devices in use today, and robust standards-based foundation to help deliver the IoT vision,” said Edgar Figueroa, president and CEO, Wi-Fi Alliance. “Together, Wi-Fi CERTIFIED and Matter bring simple and secure interoperability for a better user experience with a wide range of IoT devices.”