Setting up a smart home has always involved a bit of ritual—scanning a QR code, opening an app, and waiting for Bluetooth to kick in.To remove this friction, the Connectivity Standards Alliance is releasing the Matter 1.6 update today.While the update is incremental, it’s worth paying attention to as it aims to make setups feel a lot less clunky.
Beyond this, the version also introduces Joint Fabric and Thermostat Suggestion features.Making smart home setups less annoying Add devices before installation The headline addition on Matter 1.6 is NFC-based commissioning.This means that instead of the old method of setting up a smart device, the new version now lets you use full NFC exchange for the setup process.
You can hold your smartphone to a Matter-certified device without relying on Bluetooth-based flow—even before it’s fully powered on.Multiple devices can also be configured in advance and activated at their final locations.This could be especially handy for devices that end up in a hard-to-reach spot.
A light bulb that needs to go into a ceiling fixture or a wall switch before the mains power is connected.It removes the need to install first and then scan a tiny code from an awkward angle.Beyond the NFC pairing, CSA is also introducing Joint Fabric if your home is split between different platforms.
It features a new way for multiple smart home platforms to share access to devices on a single unified network.Add a bulb once and every platform on the network can see it.Another new addition is Thermostat Suggestions.
It lets smart home platforms send recommendations rather than direct commands that must always be followed.The thermostat then decides whether to follow it based on the user’s preferences, recent manual changes, or current conditions.This is because automations from different apps sometimes clash with each other.
For example, if you manually adjust the temperature and a service tries to change it seconds later, the thermostat can recognize the conflict and hold off.The new version also brings smaller improvements, such as security sensors sharing events, standardized device communication across ecosystems, and enabling smoke and CO alarms to flag when they’ve been removed from the wall.Related Matter support arrives in Homebridge 2.0, opening Apple Home to more devices Homebridge is evolving.
Posts By Moulik Mathur Matter 1.6 is still an incremental update and not a massive overhaul.But the NFC setup gives it an everyday consumer benefit.Source: CSA
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