The Open Home Foundation’s ESPHome platform has gained its first official hardware offering: a snap-apart modular starter kit built by Apollo Automation that packs an ESP32-C6 chip for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Thread support.
Govee’s new Strip Light 2 combines RGBWWIC 5-in-1 LEDs, LuminBlend+ color management, and Matter compatibility across four customizable lengths starting at $49.99.
Owl Home’s multi-sensor Owl Wired smoke and CO alarm has secured Matter 1.5 certification, paving the way for a free firmware update that will bring comprehensive environmental and occupancy data to major smart home platforms.
While Matter has become a mandatory checklist item for smart plugs, lighting, locks, and thermostats, there are still a few tech categories where skipping the protocol makes sense.
Your Thread network just gets better with the new Nest firmware.
The SwitchBot RGBICWW Ceiling Light is an affordable Matter-over-Wi-Fi smart light with solid reliability and adequate brightness — but cheap build quality, awkward installation, limited effects, and buggy out-of-box Matter support hold it back.
Espressif’s new open-source ESP RainMaker Neo platform gives smaller smart home device makers a complete, AWS-backed cloud, app, and fleet management foundation.
New filings could bring deeper fixes to IKEA’s battery-powered Matter lineup.
SwitchBot’s budget-friendly presence sensor brings reliable mmWave detection and Matter compatibility to every room, making whole-home automation attainable without breaking the bank.
Espressif brings Aliro digital keys to its Matter-over-Thread lock platform.
A true smart home shouldn't require an app for every routine task; it should simply anticipate your needs, starting with mmWave presence sensors that automate everything from fans and exhaust systems to closet lights.
Aqara is expanding its installer network in China with the flagship FP400 spatial sensor and a custom dual-motor honeycomb blind, bringing Matter support and advanced mmWave radar to professional projects.
The Busy Bar combines a Pomodoro timer, programmable pixel display, smart-home trigger, and desktop status indicator into one delightfully over-engineered gadget, and Matter support makes it far more interesting than the average productivity toy.
Home Assistant 2026.8 beta brings native support for Matter doorbell press events and updates its Matter Server, while introducing cleaner web addresses and flexible entity naming options for new installations.
Samsung is quietly rolling out its 62.x hub firmware beta, updating SmartThings to Matter 1.6 and introducing major improvements to Thread network management.
Ubiquiti is bringing open Thread connectivity to its professional IoT gear, packing a built-in border router and dual-radio hardware into the new SuperLink Gateway HA.
Homey is among the first major platforms to adopt Matter 1.5, trading routine smart accessories for heavy-hitting energy management tools like EV chargers and heat pumps.
Nanoleaf is pushing a major firmware update to upgrade its Thread lights to Matter 1.4.2. After years of connection drops and endless resets, could this finally be the stability fix users desperately need?
Buying affordable Matter-compatible gear should be easy, but navigating IKEA's messy smart home aisles is a frustrating ordeal.
Managing five air purifiers across a large home is a chore. Trading manual checks for smart automations completely changed how we breathe.