New Aqara Smart Home Products with Matter Announced at IFA 2024
Smart home tech producer Aqara has made a collection of product reveals at IFA 2024, with a heavy element of Matter compatibility. These new products include new wall dimmers, bulbs, and a garage door controller. In addition, Aqara’s Thread support is extending, which should help to solidify its commitment to Matter as the smart home platform evolves.
Tado X Range Launches in UK, But What About the USA?
Back in May 2024, German smart home company Tado announced a new range of smart home energy devices, Tado X – and the news from IFA 2024 is that they’re being released in the UK in time for winter. But how exactly will connecting a Matter-enabled smart home energy management system save money? And when will Tado X be available to US smart home owners?
Tapo TL135E Smart Wi-Fi Light Bulb Review: Cheap, Colorful, and Consistent
The lack of color and ambiance in my household has always been on my mind so I recently branched out a bit by deploying a pair of Tapo Tl135E Smart Wi-Fi Light Bulbs in a few bedside lamps. At just under $15 each and with full multicolor capabilities, the price was simply too hard to pass up. After spending a few weeks with Tapo's bulb, am I regretting my decision?
IKEA DIRIGERA Hub Update Brings Matter to Smart Plugs, Blinds and More
After rolling out a limited beta for lighting earlier this year, IKEA has finally expanded its Workshop program to include Matter support for even more device types. Starting today, users can download a new firmware update (version 2.615.8) for the DIRIGERA smart hub that brings Matter support to seven devices.
The LG ThinQ ON AI Brings “Affectionate Intelligence” into Matter Home Hubs
The unveiling of the LG ThinQ ON AI home hub has been teased by the South Korean electronics manufacturer ahead of the IFA 2024 tech show in Berlin, Germany. LG’s exposure to Matter has been limited to date, with just a handful of webOS-loaded smart TVs capable of acting as hubs via the ThinQ mobile app. However, the ThinQ ON AI home hub might change this.
How to Use Apple Home Adaptive Lighting With Your Matter Lights
While the transition to Matter for Apple HomeKit users was pretty seamless, the omission of one major feature—Adaptive Lighting—left some smart home fans in the dark. Thankfully, that changes with the release of iOS 18. Apple is finally bringing Adaptive Lighting to Matter devices with its latest operating system, so users both new and old can put their home's lighting on auto-pilot.
What is Samsung SmartThings?
A collection of big name companies are members of the Connectivity Standards Alliance, the group that publishes the Matter smart home standard. Among them are Google, Apple, Amazon, IKEA… and Samsung SmartThings. You’ve heard of Samsung, but what on earth is SmartThings? And how can it help to encourage the use of Matter as a smart home technology?
10 Useful Things You Can Do With a Matter Smart Plug
While it may seem that Matter smart plugs are just like any other, they are not. With a Matter smart switch, the possibilities of remotely controlling and scheduling the activity of devices is enhanced. These 10 examples of useful ways to use a Matter smart plug illustrate this.
How to Set up a Matter Smart Plug
One of the best ways to get started with smart home tech is to employ a smart plug. These internet-connected devices have a simple task – to switch on and off, thereby powering up or powering off any connected device. And just as smart plugs have been the ideal intro to smart home tech in the past, they’re also perfect to help you get to grips with Matter.
Aqara FP1E Presence Sensor Review: No Escape from The Watchful Eye of mmWave!
The Aqara FP1E is a slimmed-down version of the FP2, but you lose the ability to detect in different zones—and you'll need a Zigbee hub to bridge this into Matter. But if you just a basic but reliable presence sensor, it's great.
The Best Matter-Compatible Ceiling Lights
Whether you need to replace an old non-working fixture, or looking to modernize your home, there's a Matter-compatible ceiling light that can meet almost any need. With a Matter ceiling light, your home will not only benefit from an updated look, but it will also gain convenient smart controls and maybe even a few extras like colorful scenes.
How to Use Matter Multi-Admin to Share Your Devices Across Ecosystems
While Matter brings enhanced security, reliability, and a streamlined pairing process to the smart home world, the real star of the show is interoperability through its Multi-Admin feature. But how exactly do you use Multi-Admin with your devices? We'll walk you step-by-step through the process.
What are the major differences between Matter 1.3 and 1.2?
Matter aims to bring improved interoperability and security into the smart home space. One way this is achieved is through a rigid release schedule. The Matter 1.3 specification was released in Spring 2024. It introduced a number of significant improvements, but what are the key differences between Matter 1.2 and 1.3?
