Matter is a new standard that aims to fix the smart home’s biggest problems: interoperability, reliability, security, and being easy to use. With Matter, your smart lights, smart lock, smart thermostat, and other smart devices will all work with together, easily. All the major smart home platforms are on board — Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings — and so are almost all the big device brands, from Philips Hue and Lutron Caseta to August, Ikea, and TP-Link. If you see the Matter logo on a product, you know it will work with any other Matter-compatible gadget in your home.
Thread Group and the Broadband Forum are teaming up to help IoT devices and home internet work better together. The Broadband Forum — the organization that develops the standards ISPs use to manage gateways and routers — is adding support for connecting to Thread networks, giving ISPs visibility into both networks.
The group behind Matter has released the next version of its Product Security Certification Program, a cybersecurity standard designed to provide a single security label for consumer IoT devices.
The update extends certification beyond devices to include apps, gateways, and remote processes, allowing companies to certify entire ecosystems. It also adds independent validation through physical test labs and is now integrated into the Matter spec, with companies seeking Matter certification encouraged to complete the security certification as well.
CEO Gimmy Chu says the commoditization of smart lighting is behind Nanoleaf’s pivot.
This was one of my favorite gadgets from CES, and Lifx says the $199.99 Matter-enabled LED lighted mirror will ship later this month. I have one to test and will be posting a review soon.
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The Thread Group has released a new Thread Network Diagnostic app that lets you “explore, monitor, and visualize your Thread network.” It displays network topology, connection status, and device roles to help troubleshoot issues. It’s Android only for now, but an iOS version is in the works.
Thread connectivity problems have been one of Matter’s biggest pain points — most recently with Ikea’s Matter-over-Thread rollout. There are some apps that let you see your network, but a dedicated tool like this could be very useful. I’ll report back after testing it out.
[Google Play Store]
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The new Varmblixt adds color-changing, dimming, and Matter-over-Thread support, and brings a touch of inexpensive style to my smart home.
Aqara announced its Thermostat Hub W200 at CES 2026 with support for Apple’s Adaptive Temperature and Clean Energy Guidance features in iOS 26 and Matter controller functionality. The W200 is now available through Aqara’s online store, Amazon, and other retailers for $159.99, while an optional C-wire power adapter is $29.99.
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First announced at CES 2026, the Ikea Varmblixt donut lamp is now available from the company’s online store and retail locations across the US. It’s still priced at $99.99 and comes with one of Ikea’s Bilresa remotes for cycling through 12 preset colors. To connect it to your smart home and unlock new colors you’ll need a Matter hub.
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The company’s new line of affordable gadgets was supposed to prove Matter’s promise. Instead, it exposed just how far interoperability still has to go.
Aqara’s G350 brings Matter 1.5 camera support, promising easier smart home integration — but it only works with Samsung SmartThings.
The French smart home brand has announced the Thermostat Original (€149.99) and the Radiator Thermostat Original (coming soon). Both will work with Matter through an included Thermo Hub.
The Thermostat is Netatmo’s first product to work with Matter. Designed for European homes, it supports boilers, air-water heat pumps, and wood/pellet stoves.
As first spotted by Matter Alpha, the Chinese drone manufacturer has joined the Connectivity Standards Alliance, the organization behind Matter.
This means it could potentially add Matter support to its new Romo robot vacuum line, allowing the robot to work with Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, or any other Matter ecosystem.
As the cost of some electronics continues to skyrocket, Ikea has dropped the price of several of its new smart home accessories. The Myggspray motion and Klippbok water sensors are now down to $7.99 from $9.99, and while the three-pack of the colorful two-button Bilresa remotes launched in the US for $19.99, they’re now $14.99.
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Samsung is rolling out the update this month, and it’s working with Aqara, Eve and Ulticam on Matter cameras. Jennifer Pattison Tuohy called it:
SmartThings will probably jump on adoption. Samsung abandoned its first-party camera hardware years ago, and Matter could provide the platform with the opportunity for broader camera support it desperately needs.
Following the release of several of Ikea’s new Matter-compatible smart home sensors earlier this week, the two-button version of the company’s Bilresa Matter remote is now available through Ikea’s US website and several of its stores across the country. It’s listed at $7.99 but is currently discounted to $5.99.
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From my colleague Jennifer Pattison Tuohy’s story about Matter 1.5:
The Matter 1.5 spec, announced today, adds support for all types of video cameras — from video doorbells, indoor and outdoor, wired and battery-powered cameras, to baby monitors and pet cams. And, perhaps most importantly, Matter support can be added to existing cameras with an OTA update. The new spec also adds garage door controllers, bi-directional charging for EVs, soil sensors, and more advanced integration with utilities for energy management.
Read her whole piece for more, including an interview with the Connectivity Standards Alliance.
The 1.5 spec fills a huge gap in the standards’ promise of universal smart home compatibility.
Following Aqara and Meross, SwitchBot has announced a new presence sensor with light, PIR, and 60 GHz mmWave radar sensors to detect when people are in a room. It runs on two AAA batteries that are easy to replace and is compatible with various smart home platforms when paired with the SwitchBot Matter Hub.
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The new Matter-over-Thread lineup delivers affordable, platform-agnostic lighting, sensors, and remotes for every smart home.
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The hardware finally feels ready, but Alexa Plus is still a work in progress.
