Enlarge / Mui Labs' Mui Board 2nd Gen embodies the loftiest promise of Matter: a wooden board, from a company you've likely never heard of, controlling devices made by many different companies, even if they're already connected to other apps. (credit: Mui)

First came the specification , then the release , and then CES 2023—it has been a busy few months for Matter, the smart home connectivity standard. You can't quite fill your home just yet with Matter-ready devices, but there are some intriguing options in development. Here's a look at some of the most practical, quirky, and viable gear coming soon (or soon-ish).

Some parts of Matter are already here

If you wanted to start your smart home off fresh this year with a focus on Matter-powered universal compatibility, you already have a couple pieces of the puzzle ready for you. Let's go bit by bit, starting with your phone.

Your phone, whether iOS or Android , can, right now, scan the QR code or read the Bluetooth signal of a Matter-certified device. Most platforms support adding devices to a controller through an Android app, but only Apple's HomeKit and Samsung's SmartThings have support for iOS device enrollment . Amazon has said it plans to add iOS enrollment for Thread-based devices this spring but already supports devices over Wi-Fi.

Home Assistant is an open source self-hosted home automation tool that puts local (not external cloud) control and privacy first. My system is running in a Docker container on a machine at home.

Home Assistant is more than just the monitoring and managing of smart home switches and lights. It has powerful automation that can be triggered by all sorts of events or device states to notify you, or manage even solar systems, garage doors, and much more. For example, I have an automation that announces it has started to rain so we can get the washing off the line before it gets too wet.

In this video I show what my HA dashboards look like, and how I managed to read lots of information via the universal Modbus TCP protocol from my Victron solar energy system, and to also write data back to the Victron system to change the battery minimum state of charge values from HA (or other registers).

I have shared my config files on a Github page so that it is easier for others to replicate some of the same functionality (without spending 4+ hours like I did on a single value statement line).

See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlvlhou70VA

#technology #homeassistant #smarthome #opensource #selfhosting

Enlarge (credit: Wemo )

When the smart home compatibility standard Matter finally arrives , it promises to simplify and improve the connections and compatibility between different device brands, using Thread as its secure, low-energy backbone.

Until then, let devices like Wemo's new Smart Dimmer with Thread serve as a warning: Matter runs on Thread, but not all Thread devices will give you a Matter experience. Belkin's new dimmer is a prime example of a device "with Thread" that is far from universally accessible—and likely confusing to buyers.

Wemo's new dimmer doesn't require the onerous Wi-Fi setup you might remember from switches of old, instead connecting to your smartphone by Bluetooth or an NFC tap. To use it outside of Bluetooth range, you'll need a Thread network in your home. But here's where it gets tricky: This smart dimmer is controlled exclusively through HomeKit, so you'll specifically need a HomePod Mini or second-generation Apple TV 4K within a reasonable range of the switch. Those more robust devices can act as "border routers" in a Thread network, allowing more single-purpose devices like a dimmer to connect to a Thread mesh and access the Internet.

The smart home company Insteon has vanished. The entire company seems to have abruptly shut down just before the weekend, breaking users' cloud-dependent smart-home setups without warning. Users say the service has been down for three days now, despite the company status page saying, "All Services Online." The company forums are down, and no one is replying to users on social media.

Insteon is (or, more likely, "was") a smart home company that produced a variety of Internet-connected lights, thermostats, plugs, sensors, and of course, the Insteon Hub. At the core of the company was Insteon's propriety networking protocol, which was a competitor to more popular and licensable alternatives like Z-Wave and Zigbee.

A proprietary protocol can often mean your device is a useless paperweight if the company which owns it goes bust. Open standards like MQTT however mean other support exists to continue using your devices, for example, on Home Assistant and other open smart home services. More and more we are seeing companies close down, leaving consumers stranded, so it is imperative to instead choose to buy products which support open standards.

See https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/04/shameful-insteon-looks-dead-just-like-its-users-smart-homes/

#technology #openstandards #smarthome #MQTT #IoT

It can keep tabs on the status of the connected controller, pool pump and chlorinator. This provides not only a more convenient solution than physically interacting with the pool equipment, but the ability to create automations that runs the pump for a duration depending on the temperature.

Features:

• Visualizes the status of the thermostats, pump, chlorinator, circuits, and schedules.
• Allows you adjust the thermostats and toggle circuits
• No physical connection to your LAN
• Supports over-the-air updates
• Easily one-time provisioning from an Android phone
• Integrates with MQTT and Home Assistant
• Accessible as a webapp
• Protected with IP68 waterproof case and connectors
• Does not require a power adapter
• Open source!

This device was tested with the Pentair SunTouch controller with firmware 2.080, connected to an IntelliFlo pump and IntelliChlor salt water chlorinator.

See https://github.com/cvonk/OPNpool

#technology #opensource #swimmingpool #smarthome #homeassistant

The proliferation of connected objects continues to change the way we live, work and play. From homes to offices, factories to hospitals, connected objects enable us to experience our environments in cohesive, interactive ways. Yet, for too long, disconnected platforms and disparate development paths have caused confusion for consumers and complicated processes for developers and innovators. Smart objects should be reliable, secure, and work together – this is the shared vision behind Project Connected Home over IP (CHIP), now known as the new standard, Matter.

Amazon, Apple, Comcast, Google, SmartThings, and the Connectivity Standards Alliance came together in 2019 to develop and promote this new standard, joined by fellow Alliance board member companies IKEA, Legrand, NXP Semiconductors, Resideo, Schneider Electric, Signify, Silicon Labs, Somfy and Wulian. Now, there are more than 180 Member organizations of all sizes, across a range of business categories, and over 1,700 Member individuals participating in bringing the Matter specification, reference implementations, testing tools and certification programs to life.

Consumers get increased choice, compatibility, and more control of their experience. Developers get lower development and operational cost via a single SKU and more time for innovation. Retailers get reduced complexity in-store to create a more simplified purchasing experience, leading to fewer returns for compatibility issues.

It seems though that the actual implementation is going to be slightly delayed though.

See https://zigbeealliance.org/news_and_articles/chip-is-now-matter/

#technology #openstandards #smarthome