The Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) has released Matter 1.6.1, promoting Groupcast out of provisional status to eliminate "popcorn effect" delays in multi-device commands and introducing optional volume and mute controls for doorbell chimes.
Google Home and Sonos bring AI to the smart home via Model Context Protocol (MCP), letting authorized agents discover ecosystem tools, query device history, and handle multi-room audio.
Thread Group has officially approved development to extend Thread into the Sub-GHz spectrum, paving the way for longer-range Matter devices across large residential, commercial, and industrial properties.
You might already own a Thread Border Router without knowing it. These five devices have Thread connectivity hiding in plain sight.
In an exclusive interview with Matter Alpha, Third Reality Product Manager Yi Zhang explains why the company is aggressively expanding its Thread roadmap despite zero current financial return, preferring separate SKUs and local chip suppliers to keep smart home devices simple.
The SwitchBot Bot has always been one of the most useful gadgets in a smart home, letting you press nearly any physical button remotely. The obscure CR2 batteries were annoying — but now, it's rechargeable.
Aqara brings its high-end mmWave radar tracking global with the FP400, adding Matter over Thread, multi-person tracking, and hub-less configuration.
Silicon Labs is giving Arduino builders a broader Matter and Zigbee toolbox.
In an exclusive Matter Alpha interview, IKEA product leaders detail how the retail giant is expanding its affordable smart home lineup with new hubs, air purifiers, and heating controls.
Superbly smooth lighting that folds neatly around corners, with strong brightness, excellent whites, and DreamView support for immersive gaming setups.
Getting a feature into the Matter specification requires surviving a strict "rule of three," but as Silicon Labs' Rob Alexander explains, certification tells you nothing about whether major smart home apps will actually support it.
Apple’s N1 chip is quietly making Thread a standard feature across the entire ecosystem, from the latest iPhone 18 Pro to M-series Macs. Here is every Apple device that packs Thread hardware.
IFA 2026 wrapped up its Berlin run with a diverse showcase of smart home hardware, highlighted by Third Reality’s Thread soil sensors, Tuya’s modular Matter cameras, and high-capacity hubs from UGREEN and Anker combining local storage with AI automation.
Heiman showcased a new generation of smart home sensors and gateways at IFA 2026, highlighted by what appears to be the first hardware demonstration of Matter 1.6’s zero-power NFC commissioning feature.
A much broader Aqara lighting portfolio is heading global.Aqara has expanded its smart lighting portfolio at IFA 2026 with a global lineup spanning indoor lamps, architectural downlights, and outdoor fixtures, all featuring dual-protocol support for Thread and Zigbee.
Sensereo has opened preorders at IFA 2026 for Airo, a modular indoor environmental monitoring system that separates temperature, humidity, CO2, TVOC, and particulate sensors into wireless pods communicating through a central Matter-over-Thread dock.
Roborock has expanded its automated cleaning lineup at IFA 2026 with the high-clearance Saros 20 Flow Complete and slimline Saros 20 Neo robotic vacuums, alongside new outdoor robotic pool cleaners and LiDAR lawn mowers.
Govee lights up IFA 2026 with three new products: dual-zone permanent outdoor lights, a fake skylight, and ultra-smooth COB strips — all with Matter support.
Homey has introduced Portal, a new room-specific touchscreen controller featuring a stainless steel rotary ring that brings localized smart home device management, lighting control, and custom Flows off mobile apps and onto the wall or desk.
An early Matter 1.7 draft reveals provisional support for proximity ranging, predictive occupancy sensing, electrical infrastructure panels, and post-quantum device attestation.