Matter 1.4 Brings Support for Solar Power, Battery Storage, Heating Systems, and More
The second Matter update of 2024 brings a focus on energy management, from harvesting it to storing it — and, of course, using it.
The Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) has announced its second revision to Matter this year, bringing the smart home connectivity standard to version 1.4 — adding a more robust router and access point infrastructure, better multi-admin support, and expanded energy management features, along with support for solar power devices, battery energy storage systems, heat pumps, and more.
"This update takes a significant step forward in the Matter ecosystem," the CSA claims "Matter 1.4 introduces enhancements that allow device vendors and platforms to improve the multi-ecosystem user experience with Enhanced Multi-Admin, create more reliable and interoperable home networks with the introduction of Matter certifiable Home Routers and Access Points, help users save energy with expanded energy management enhancements, and build new and better experiences with several new device types and core enhancements."
Matter 1.4, the organization's second major release of 2024, includes a newly standardized definition for home routers and access points (HRAPs) — infrastructure devices that combine Wi-Fi access point and Thread Border Router capabilities, and which will now be required to feature a secure directory for Thread network credentials in order to be Matter certified. A roadmap for HRAP enhancements has also been announced, including plans to include support for improvements made in the coincidentally-numbered Thread 1.4 release.
New features in Matter's multi-admin capabilities will, the Alliance claims, make it easier for existing and new devices to operate aacross different vendor ecosystems with a single user consent. A bigger change comes in new energy management features, building on Matter 1.3's introduction of energy reporting to include coverage of devices like solar panels, battery energy sotrage systems, heat pumps, water heaters, and support for "Device Energy Management Mode" — giving energy-hungry devices the ability to adjust their start times based on energy usage forecasts and power management requirements.
Other improvements in Matter 1.4 include tweaks to improve the runtime of battery-powered "Intermittently Connected Devices" like switches and sensors, better occupancy sensing with support for radar, vision, and ambient sensing technologies, and two new device types for in-wall on/off and dimmable load-control switches — the latter now broken out from being crammed into the lighting category.
The latest Matter 1.4 Core Specification, along with its expansion documents, can be downloaded from the CSA website now; no timeline has been given for when the first consumer devices supporting Matter 1.4 will appear, either as new launches or as firmware upgrades for existing hardware.