Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Z-Wave, even Bluetooth – they’ve all been used to connect your devices in the past, with varying levels of success. But despite the best efforts of Bit Tech – particularly Google and Apple – there hasn’t really been a smart home standard.
Not until Matter came along, that is.
But who is behind this standard? Who controls Matter, and what does this mean for the future of smart homes?
The Connectivity Standards Alliance
It all starts with the CSA, formerly known as the Zigbee Alliance (formed 2002). As the name (“alliance”) indicates, it is a consortium of electronics companies – including many household names – who are working to develop and promote the Matter standard.
Matter is an open standard, which means that any electronics manufacturer can configure their hardware to adhere to the standard. However, they will need to have some form of membership with the Connectivity Standards Alliance for this.
(Because Matter is open source, you can view its files and even contribute to the project. Visit the Project Chip GitHub to learn more.)
At the time of writing, the CSA has over 700 members, a figure that has doubled in the past 3 years.
Who are the CSA’s members?
In 2019, the CSA announced the formation of the Project CHIP (Connected Home over IP) working group. The original members along with the erstwhile Zigbee Alliance were:
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Apple
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Google
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Samsung SmartThings
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Amazon
More recent additions to the CSA include:
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IKEA
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OPPO
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Siemens
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Bosch
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Espressif
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Huawei
Of these, only Amazon, Apple, Google, IKEA, and Samsung SmartThings offer Matter controllers and apps, although some other top members (see below) offer Matter bridges -- hubs that bridge (perhaps older) devices with a Matter controller.
Key personnel
Several names regularly accompany press releases concerning Matter, Zigbee, and other smart home news from the CSA. These are the executives, the individual guiding Matter.
Tobin Richardson (President and CEO): Essentially the face of the CSA. Tobin was the driving force behind the transition from the "Zigbee Alliance" to the "Connectivity Standards Alliance" and has been instrumental in getting the tech giants to work together.
Jon Harros (Head of Testing and Certification): Matter testing and certification is vital to the standard’s success. Harros’ team is responsible for ensuring that a device actually does what it says on the box before it gets that precious Matter logo.
Krista Ingram (Head of Marketing): She’s behind the "Product Security Verified" logos and the sudden prominence around the Aliro standard, along with pretty much every piece of Matter smart home news.
Of course, these key names are supported by experts and dedicated colleagues, all working towards getting the best from the big companies partnered in the CSA.
How do these organizations collaborate on Matter?
Almost like a code-based peace treaty, these commercial rivals work together with other CSA members across various groups, with one aim: the development of the Matter standard. Whether in code, marketing, or security, the collaboration is transparent, although there is a hierarchy.
The type of CSA membership a company has determines its place within the structure, which matches its level of commitment. So, you have the Board of Directors, consisting of representatives from the companies listed above – the “Promoters.”
Below this are the “Participants,” a group of 280 companies including 70mai, Electrolux, and AiDot. Finally, we have the “Adopters,” the largest couple totaling 314 members. Here, you’ll find pretty much every electronics company not already listed, such as Arduino, DJI, ZTE Corporation, and many more.
The working groups collaborate to publish the standard online, with the Matter standard being coded at the same time as the specification documents are being written. At the end of each iteration cycle (such as the significant release of Matter 1.3, or the camera-centric Matter 1.5), these are simultaneously released.
What else does the CSA do?
Other activities of the CSA focus around evangelism, marketing, and communications. This primarily focuses on Matter, as the primary smart home standard, but it has some other projects in development that are related to smart homes.
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Zigbee: While the CSA may no longer call itself the Zigbee Alliance, the networking standard remains in development.
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Aliro digital key standard: Designed to handle the credentials of entering a Matter home secured with a smart lock, using an Android or iPhone with NFC, Bluetooth, and Ultra-Wideband (UWB).
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Certification: The CSA also oversees Matter and Zigbee certification, ensuring devices are compliant with the corresponding standards. This is designed to prevent third parties from issuing hardware with a Matter logo, and degrading it with substandard devices.
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IoT Certification: Further, the development of the Product Security Verified Mark is expected to bring a similar level of trust to more general Internet of Things hardware.
In addition, the Connectivity Standards Alliance is also:
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Drafting specifications on data privacy around smart devices. This is intended to define limits and transparency.
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Working on ways to ensure heart rate monitors can effectively communicate with health care providers.
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Hosting events (such as Unity 2026) to bring chip makers and big box retailers together to ensure a more consistent approach to smart home tech.
Competing brands, collaborative outcomes
Since the first public version of Matter went live in 2022, things have moved relatively slowly, with only its Spring 2024 release, 1.3, showing the standard’s potential. But as more partners and members have joined the CSA, so the Matter smart home standard has built momentum.
However, there remains a lot of work to do for a single app – Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, whatever – to replace the app that accompanies a new piece of smart home kit.
Matter continues to develop thanks to the efforts of the CSA – in reality, a group of big names who we usually consider to be competitors. But in the case of smart homes, they’re collaborating to make life easier, comfortable, and trouble-free… eventually.
