Aqara pledges support for Matter, updates coming

AppleInsider · September 8, 2021 2:38PM

Smart home accessory maker Aqara has announced its intentions to support Matter with free firmware updates to its two primary hubs starting in 2022.

Aqara pledges to support Matter

Matter, the new smart home standard intended to unify the world of smart homes, is set to roll out sometime in 2022. Thursday's news follows a delay from a late 2021 launch.

Both the Aqara M1S and M2 hubs will receive free OTA updates to ensure compatibility with Matter soon after the standard officially launches.

Aqara is part of the Matter Working Group which includes more than 200 companies including Apple, Philips Hue maker Signify, Amazon, and Google.

Matter is an IP-based smart home connectivity standard that will initially run over Wi-Fi and Thread. Devices that are Matter-certified will work on multiple platforms including Apple HomeKit as well as Amazon Alexa and Google Home. Aqara's M1S and M2 hubs currently support HomeKit.

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vesalius · September 8, 2021 7:47PM

Like hue, seems they will leave the Aqara devices to Aqara hub network unchanged with Zigbee and just add Matter as a communication protocol from the Aqara hub out to your smart home hub.

Then Matter will use standard TCP/IP to communicate with your home hub of choice “The first specification release of the Matter protocol will run on existing networking technologies such as Ethernet (802.3), Wi-Fi (802.11), and Thread (802.15.4) and for ease of commissioning, Bluetooth Low Energy.”

So in the end this means little to nothing practically as Aqara neither gains any function/integration ability it does not already have with alexa/google home/HomeKit (Aqara hubs currently supports them all today) nor will it lose the separate hub requirement. Losing the Aqara hub would require them to switch to thread from Zigbee for each device.

netling · September 8, 2021 10:48PM

vesalius said:

Like hue, seems they will leave the Aqara devices to Aqara hub network unchanged with Zigbee and just add Matter as a communication protocol from the Aqara hub out to your smart home hub.

Then Matter will use standard TCP/IP to communicate with your home hub of choice “The first specification release of the Matter protocol will run on existing networking technologies such as Ethernet (802.3), Wi-Fi (802.11), and Thread (802.15.4) and for ease of commissioning, Bluetooth Low Energy.”

So in the end this means little to nothing practically as Aqara neither gains any function/integration ability it does not already have with alexa/google home/HomeKit (Aqara hubs currently supports them all today) nor will it lose the separate hub requirement. Losing the Aqara hub would require them to switch to thread from Zigbee for each device.

So what your saying is to use z-wave+/LR and avoid protocols that could expose your entire “smart” home to hackers? ;-)

payeco · September 8, 2021 11:00PM

I love the Aqara hubs. Easiest way to get dirt cheap HomeKit accessories.

Aqara pledges support for Matter, updates coming

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