Understanding Matter Technology: The Future of Smart Home Interoperability

1. Technical Background and Development

Matter is an IPv6-based application layer protocol that runs on top of TCP/IP. It supports multiple link layer technologies, including Wi-Fi, Thread (based on IEEE 802.15.4), and Ethernet. Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is primarily used for device commissioning. This design allows Matter to fully leverage existing home network infrastructure.

Before Matter emerged, the smart home market was plagued by several core problems:

Fragmentation and ecosystem isolation: The market is plagued by numerous brands, including Apple (HomeKit), Google (Google Assistant/Weave), Amazon (Alexa/Sidewalk), Samsung (SmartThings), and countless small and medium-sized manufacturers (such as Tuya and Aqara). Each operates independently, using different communication protocols (such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, and Z-Wave) and ecosystem standards. This prevents smooth interoperability between devices, forcing users to switch between multiple apps and creating a fragmented experience.

High complexity: Developers need to develop multiple versions of firmware and adapter software for different ecosystems and protocols, which greatly increases development costs and time and hinders innovation.

User confusion and lack of trust: It's difficult for ordinary consumers to determine whether a device is compatible with their existing ecosystem. Labels like "Works with Alexa" and "Works with HomeKit" are confusing. Furthermore, inconsistent security and privacy standards contribute to low user trust in devices.

Installation and configuration are cumbersome: The process of adding new devices (network configuration) often varies by protocol and platform, is not intuitive and unified, and is not friendly to non-technical users.

Core pain point: Lack of a unified, IP-based, open standard that is widely supported by the industry.

The CSA Alliance initiated the formulation of standards for the relevant application layer in order to unify the chaotic smart home protocols on the market, enable better compatibility between devices from different manufacturers, promote the development of smart homes, and present users with a unified user interface.

Matter's technical architecture and features:

IP-based : Matter runs on IPv6 networks, which allows it to run seamlessly on existing home network infrastructure such as Wi-Fi and Thread. IP is the lingua franca of the internet – mature, stable, and ubiquitous.

Supported underlying networks :

Wi-Fi: Suitable for high-bandwidth, continuously powered devices (such as TVs, speakers, and home appliances).

Thread: A low-power, highly reliable, IP-based mesh networking protocol ideal for battery-powered devices (such as door locks, sensors, and lights). Thread devices connect to a Wi-Fi network through a Thread edge router (such as the HomePod Mini, Nest Wifi, or Echo 4th Gen).

Ethernet: For devices that require an extremely stable connection.

Bluetooth LE: Mainly used for the initial network configuration process of the device.

Data Model: Matter defines a standardized data model. For example, a "light" device exposes properties such as "on/off," "brightness," and "color." Any platform that supports Matter knows how to interact with these standard properties.

Device authentication: Each Matter device has a unique identity certificate verified by PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) to prevent counterfeit devices from accessing.

Secure network configuration: Use a QR code or digital code to provide the network configuration password and complete the network configuration through a secure channel.

Secure communication: All communications between devices are encrypted and authenticated.

The Matter network is more like a virtual network that can span different underlying communication protocols, allowing devices with different protocols to communicate with each other.

Fabric: In the Matter protocol, this virtual network is called Fabric. Fabric is a collection of devices that share the same Trusted Root. Each Fabric has its own Fabric ID, which is a 64-bit integer.

Node: Each physical device in Fabric is called a Node. Each Node has its own Node_ID. Each Node_ID is also a 64-bit integer. Within the same Fabric network, the Node_ID is unique.

Endpoint: Each node can be divided into one or more logical entities, each of which is an Endpoint. For example, if a socket has four holes, each hole can be represented by a separate Endpoint. There are three types of Endpoints: Root Endpoint, Composed Endpoint, and Leaf Endpoint.

2. Matter Application on MinewSemi ME54 Series Modules

The ME54 series modules use the Nordic nRF54 series SoCs as the main control. Compared with the Nordic nRF52 and Nordic nRF53 series, the performance and process have been greatly improved, and the price is relatively favorable.

https://www.cnblogs.com/iini/p/14174427.html, this is the detailed process of configuring NCS development, users can configure their own secondary development projects according to this blog

Nordic is one of the initiators of the Matter protocol and has a significant advantage in Matter development. It can support multi-protocol access to Matter, such as WiFi, BLE, Thread, etc., and can better carry out Matter secondary development in the NCS development environment. Matter technology includes three specifications and other requirement documents. You can obtain the Matter technical specifications from the following link: https://csa-iot.org/developer-resource/specifications-download-request/ to obtain the latest protocol standards.

Beside the Core Specification, the Application Cluster Specification provides detailed provisions for the Matter component cluster, and the Device Library Specification provides some constraints and regulations at the device level.

Unlike Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, which can still be used even if you don't pass certification, Matter relies on PKI technology and is an application specification. Therefore, you must pass Matter certification to use Matter technology. CSA provides a variety of resources to help you learn about Matter. You can refer to the following resource websites:

https://groups.csa-iot.org/wg/all-users/home/matter-resource-kit

The following is the matter structure:

Configure Matter Development on vscode: 

Install the corresponding tool chain and the corresponding SDK version here

Select the required matter demo here. According to different devices, choose the demo you want to develop for secondary development, which can greatly shorten the development time and enable rapid development:

git clone https://github.com/project-chip/connectedhomeip.git

After configuration, you can develop your own matter device according to your needs.