We covered the Matter 1.3 specification in May 2024, but the Connectivity Standards Alliance is wasting no time and the Matter 1.4 specification is already out with features and improvements such as “Enhanced Multi-Admin”, Matter certifiable Home Routers and Access Points, energy management enhancements, and several new device types such as solar power equipment and batteries.
Matter has been deployed in millions of Smart Home products in just a few years and aims to enable interoperability between devices from multiple vendors. Paisit reviewed a few Matter products from SONOFF including the MINIR4M Smart Switch, SONOFF Zigbee Bridge Ultra, and SwitchMan M5 Matter wall switch, and while Matter interoperability is working since devices can be controlled from Matter-compatible apps (e.g. Apple Home), users do lose some features found in the “native” app such as eWelink in the case of SONOFF devices.
Matter 1.4 key improvements and new features:
- Home Routers and Access Points (HRAP) – Home routers and modems, access points, and set-top boxes can now be designed or upgraded to provide better support for Matter-based smart homes by combining a Wi-Fi access point and a Thread Border Router.
- Enhanced Multi-Admin – Multi-Admin allows users to connect Matter devices to multiple smart home systems. So far this had to be done manually for each home system but Matter 1.4 enables existing and new devices to connect to multiple ecosystems automatically with a single user approval.
- Enhancements to Energy Management – Matter 1.3 introduced energy reporting for large appliances and electric vehicle supply equipment. Matter 1.4 expands its energy management capabilities by adding support for new device types like solar panels, batteries, heat pumps, and water heaters (see next item for details). This along with other improvements will make energy savings automation possible.
- New Energy Device Types and Capabilities
- Solar Power – Matter 1.4 adds support for inverters, individual and panel arrays, and hybrid solar/battery systems.
- Batteries – This includes battery walls, storage units, and Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) capable of discharging energy back into the home or grid.
- Heat Pumps – Matter’s energy management capabilities could enable these devices to forecast consumption and adjust usage during peak demand, shifting energy use to off-peak times.
- Water Heaters – Users can set to a preset temperature or percentage, and a boost command enables rapid heating from multiple energy sources for situations where hot water is needed quickly.
- Enhancements to Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) – Matter 1.4 introduces user-defined charging preferences such as charging schedules.
- Enhancements to Thermostats – Support for scheduling and preset modes like vacation and home/away settings have been added. Presets can also be triggered through motion detection.
- Device Energy Management and Mode – Matter 1.4 allows energy-consuming devices to adjust start times based on energy usage forecasts and power management needs. This feature is granular and supports device-specific, local, or grid-wide energy optimization.
- Mounted On/Off and Dimmable Load Control – Matter 1.4 introduces two new device types for fixed in-wall smart home devices that deliver electrical power to wired devices, such as in-wall switches for controlling lights, fans, and other non-smart appliances. Those were previously modeled as lights limiting their flexibility.
- Enhancements to Occupancy Sensing – Sensing features like radar, vision, and ambient sensing technologies have been added to the latest version of Matter. Other changes include customizable sensitivity settings, improved tuning for sensors, and history reporting. This paves the way for Matter’s sensing support for AI features such as person detection and activity classification.
- Enhancements to Battery Powered Devices – New features include the Long Idle Time (LIT) protocol to make devices sleep longer, and the Check-In Protocol to ensure reliable communication for low-power devices that require LIT. Other enhancements include quieter reporting of predictable attribute changes to reduce network traffic. All of those optimize battery life and communication for Intermittently Connected Devices (ICDs) like switches, buttons, and sensors.
Matter 1.4 specification is comprised of four documents:
- Matter 1.4 Core Specification
- Matter 1.4 Application Cluster Specification
- Matter 1.4 Device Library-Specification
- Matter-1.4 Standard Namespace Specification
You can download all those for free on the CSA-IOT website after inputting your full name, company name, and a valid email address to receive the documents. I received them immediately when I tried, so there’s no moderation. The latest Matter SDK can be found on GitHub in the usual “connectedhomeip” repository. Espressif also announced they were working on Matter 1.4 in the ESP-Matter repository. Additional information may be found in the announcement.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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