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The Matter smart home standard has been updated to support a wider range of devices, including the EV charger in your garage.
The newly published 1.3 specification lets smart home devices remotely control a Matter compatible EV charger. You can start or stop charging, modify the charging rate or even tell the device how many miles of range you need before you leave. This could save money by limiting charging to those moments when energy is cheaper.
The new spec also brings Matter to a host of common smart home appliances, including microwaves, ovens, cooktops, extractor hoods, and laundry dryers. It should be easier to start cooking a meal before you get home, or to find out when your clothes are ready.
The standard also supports energy and water management devices. Casting to media players and TVs has also improved, including notifications from other devices.
It’s much easier to activate multiple devices at once, too. You can now create “scenes” that toggle Matter smart home products across rooms or whole homes. You can dim all the lights for movie night, for instance. Command batching, meanwhile, sends a group of instructions at once so that devices respond quickly and in sync.
Many of these Matter additions, including the extra appliances and scenes, aren’t new concepts in smart home systems. They do help Matter catch up, though, and bring it considerably closer to the goal of a true cross-platform standard that ensures all your devices work together.
