> WHAT’S THE MATTER?

A new application layer standard, once known as Project Connected Home over IP (CHIP) and now nattily renamed Matter, will be one of the key drivers for Thread over the next few years. Developed by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) — a who’s who of smart device companies that includes Apple, Amazon, Hue parent Signify, and Google — Matter is essentially digital Esperanto, aiming to unite future smart home and IoT devices under a single unified language.

Sounds like a familiar refrain, but with so many big names both on board and seemingly committed to making their hardware inter-connectable, this one might actually stick.

Given what we know about Thread, it’s no coincidence that the CSA has chosen its network layer as the delivery method for Matter’s initial spec. Google has developed its own open–source implementation of Thread, meaning its package of networking smarts is ready to drop right in. And if others decide to develop yet another standard, the secure and simple approach of Thread may suit them, too.

If a router supports Thread, there’s a good chance it’s Matter–ready, too. Eero has already pledged support in its latest generation mesh routers, like the Pro 6.