Project Connected Home over IP (Project CHIP) is now referred to as matter. The Connectivity Standards Alliance, an organization made up of more than a hundred device manufacturers, including giants such as Apple, Amazon, Google and Samsung, announced the rebranding on Tuesday. These companies came together in 2019 to work on CHIP, hoping to develop an open smart home standard that would connect all of their different devices together.
At its simplest, Matter promises that you can buy a device and use it with the voice assistant of your choice and simply connect it to your existing home network. At launch, Matter will support Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, as well as Ethernet, WiFi, Thread and Bluetooth LE.
“The Matter mark serves as a seal of approval that takes the guesswork out of the buying process and enables companies and consumers to choose from a wider range of brands in order to create safe and connected homes and buildings,” says the CSA of the rebranding.
Whether Matter delivers on its promise depends on whether companies update their existing products to support the standard. With most smart home devices, it is easy to sense that you are replacing a flawless lightbulb or other common household item with something more expensive that the manufacturer will only endorse after a few years.
Some of the first Matter branded devices will go on sale in late 2021. They will come from companies large and small. More notable early adopters include Amazon, Google, and Nanoleaf. When Apple announced last month that there was new Apple TV 4K news, it said it would support both Thread and Project CHIP. You can also expect everything from smart lightbulbs to thermostats and safety devices to bear the Matter logo.
All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editors independently of our parent company. Some of our stories contain affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may receive an affiliate commission.