Matter 1.2 Adds Support for Nine New Device Types

The Connectivity Standards Alliance has announced the availability of Matter 1.2, bringing support for nine new device types, revisions, additions to existing categories, core improvements to the specification, and more.

The Matter 1.2 certification program is now open and members expect to bring these enhancements and new device types to market later this year and into 2024.

Nine New Device Types

We are adding support for nine new device types in Matter 1.2, bringing new layers of interoperability, simplicity, reliability, and security while unlocking new use cases and features for the future.

The new device types supported in Matter 1.2 include:
● Refrigerators – Beyond basic temperature control and monitoring, this device type is also applicable to other related devices like deep freezers and even wine and kimchi fridges.
● Room Air Conditioners – While HVAC and thermostats were already part of Matter 1.0, stand alone Room Air Conditioners with temperature and fan mode control are now supported.
● Dishwashers – Basic functionality is included, like remote start and progress notifications. Dishwasher alarms are also supported, covering operational errors such as water supply and drain, temperature, and door lock errors.
● Laundry Washers – Progress notifications, such as cycle completion, can be sent via Matter. Dryers will be supported in a future Matter release.
● Robotic Vacuums – Beyond the basic features like remote start and progress notifications, there is support for key features like cleaning modes (dry vacuum vs wet mopping) and additional status details (brush status, error reporting, charging status).
● Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarms – These alarms will support notifications and audio and visual alarm signaling. Additionally, there is support for alerts about battery status and end-of-life notifications. These alarms also support self-testing. Carbon monoxide alarms support concentration sensing, as an additional data point.
● Air Quality Sensors – Supported sensors can capture and report on: PM1, PM 2.5, PM 10, CO2, NO2, VOC, CO, Ozone, Radon, and Formaldehyde. Furthermore, the addition of the Air Quality Cluster enables Matter devices to provide AQI information based on the device's location.
● Air Purifiers – Purifiers utilize the Air Quality Sensor device type to provide sensing information and also include functionality from other device types like Fans (required) and Thermostats (optional). Air purifiers also include consumable resource monitoring, enabling notifications on filter status (both HEPA and activated carbon filters are supported in 1.2).
● Fans –Matter 1.2 includes support for fans as a separate, certifiable device type. Fans now support movements like rock/oscillation and new modes like natural wind and sleep wind. Additional enhancements include the ability to change the airflow direction (forward and reverse) and step commands to change the speed of airflow.

The appliance support added in Matter 1.2 gave the Matter Working Group a starting point to build out a set of foundational features — such as temperature setting and monitoring, and status notifications — which will be applicable to nearly all appliances supported in future releases.

Other New Features & Improvements

The Matter specification along with the SDK, testing tools, and certification program are continuing to evolve with active participation from hundreds of leading smart home engineers and product experts.


Core improvements to the Matter 1.2 specification include:
● Latch & Bolt Door Locks – Enhancements for European markets that capture the common configuration of a combined latch and bolt lock unit.
● Device Appearance – Added description of device appearance, so that devices can describe their color and finish. This will enable helpful representations of devices across clients.
● Device & Endpoint Composition – Devices can now be hierarchically composed from complex endpoints allowing for accurate modeling of appliances, multi-unit switches, and multi-light fixtures.
● Semantic Tags – Provide an interoperable way to describe the location and semantic functions of generic Matter clusters and endpoints to enable consistent rendering and application across the different clients. For example, semantic tags can be used to represent the location and function of each button on a multi-button remote control.
● Generic Descriptions of Device Operational States – Expressing the different operational modes of a device in a generic way will make it easier to generate new device types in future revisions of Matter and ensure their basic support across various clients.

Under-the-Hood Enhancements: Matter SDK & Test Harness

Matter 1.2 brings important enhancements in the testing and certification program which helps companies bring products – hardware, software, chipsets and apps – to market faster. These improvements will benefit the wider developer community and ecosystem around Matter.

● New Platform Support in SDK – Matter 1.2 SDK is now available for new platforms providing more ways for developers to build new products for Matter.
● Enhancements to the Matter Test Harness – The Test Harness is a critical piece for ensuring the specification and its features are being implemented correctly. The Test Harness is now available via open source, making it easier for Matter developers to contribute to the tools (to make them better), and to ensure they are working with the latest version (with all features and bug fixes.

The CSA expects to see new Matter products come to market this fall, as well as, new software updates that make existing products Matter enabled. It also expects to release two Matter updates next year as part of the bi-annual release cadence and add support for even more device types.

Check out some of the currently available Matter smart home products here and please download the iClarified app or follow iClarified on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and RSS for more smart home updates.