The evolution of all that Matters

2024 promises to be another exciting year in a world of ever-increasing connected devices and smart home automation. As an active member of Connectivity Standard Alliance (CSA), we were lucky enough to have a front seat to witness the evolution of some of the innovative technologies due to launch in the next few months.

Before looking forward, let's take a quick look back.

The State of Matter Matter first made the headlines in late 2022 with early adopters taking advantage of lighting, HVAC controls, locks and sensors. Further developments throughout 2023 included other popular devices, and when Matter 1.2 launched in Autumn 2023 there was a whole raft of exciting new device types. Refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, robot vacuums were some of those added to the list, alongside functions such as latch and bolt door locks, device and endpoint composition and time sync.

In 2024, we're expecting to see two main updates, 1.3 and 1.4. Both are expected to continue expanding the range of supported device types and features, but more importantly we're going to see the introduction of a whole new and exciting domain; Matter Smart Energy .

The market is expected to continue to grow in familiar categories like lighting / electrical, HVAC controls, and sensors, but we're going to see home appliances, controllers and the highly anticipated energy management devices available early to mid-2024.

Updates to the Matter Certification Program For 2024 we anticipate that the CSA will put into effect some of the following changes to the Matter Certification:

Platform Certification: Chip manufacturers will be able to certify their multi-functional Matter implementation as a Matter Certified Platform (MCP). With the Matter core functionality certified, product developers can focus on fine tuning the application clusters and supported features in their Matter product. In addition to a shorter time to market route, product developers will also benefit from a reduced Matter certification scope using the Derived Matter Product (DCP) certification flow a subset of the full matter plan focusing on the application clusters.

Rapid ReCert Program: This was initially introduced at launch back in 2022 as a low-cost certification option, but it isn't commonly used by vendors to certify their devices. The CSA is currently working on improving the Rapid ReCert(ification) program guidelines, description, and qualifications to allow more vendors to benefit from this cost-effective option. This program is only available to qualified vendors.

New Sunset policy: The Matter Certification Sunset Policy is expected to be approved in the coming months by the CSA board of directors. The policy will require vendors to certify their new product against the latest Matter certification release. Going forward, the CSA intends to maintain and support the last three Matter releases. In certain circumstances, a grace period will be determined by the Matter working group to allow vendors with ongoing development to certify against expiring Matter specification. Vendors will still be able to re-certify previously certified products using the release used in original certification.

Interest and excitement about Matter remains high and continues to grow. This was evident at the well-attended Matter development & Matter Smart Energy sessions during the CSA Members Meeting in Geneva in November.

Aliro (Access Control) Aliro, announced back in October 2023, is an open standard communication protocol between access readers and smart devices. Using technologies like Near Field Communication (NFC), Bluetooth Low-Energy (LE), and Ultra-Wideband (UWB), it provides a simple and convenient way to unlock doors and access spaces using your smartphone or wearable smart device in a flexible and secure manner.

With an ambitious schedule, we expect to see Aliro continue to make progress throughout 2024. A number of test events and PlugFests are already planned for the coming months, and the first Aliro Specification Validation Event (SVE) is scheduled for early January 2025. We'll be watching its development closely over the coming year, and we look forward to seeing it launch in Q1 2025.

Product Security

Members of the Product Security Working Group (PSWG) at the CSA had a busy end of year. They completed two test events and are now putting the final touches to the upcoming Specification Validation Event, which is expected to take place at the end of March 2024.

Participants in the SVE are expected to validate the IoT Device Security Specification and supporting questionnaire and guidance.

The Product Security program is expected to launch in April 2024.

In summary, as we embark on 2024, our journey in the world of connected devices and smart homes is going to be marked by significant developments. Matter continues to expand in terms of device types and features, and the coming year promises a focus on Smart Energy. We're seeing ongoing improvements and changes around certification and the fortification of security. Innovation and development is also evidenced in the form of Aliro, a secure means of unlocking doors, due to launch in 2025.

Resillion is a CSA authorised test lab and an active contributor to the evolution of connected devices. Our team consists of experienced engineers who will be more than happy to guide you every step of the way of this transformative journey.

Want to learn how we can help? Get in touch with one of our experts.

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