Setting up a smart home just got easier. It was only a matter of time—pun intended. Google announced that Matter is now available on Google Nest and Android devices. Matter is a new standard for smart home platforms. It was created by the Connectivity Standards Alliance, a group of 300 companies. It simplifies the set up of smart home devices such as smart lighting, thermostats, security cameras, and more. Let’s look at why this Matter news from Google matters to all of us.
How does Matter affect your existing Google devices?
Your current Google Nest and Android devices will be automatically updated to make them Matter-enabled. Then they will be ready to connect to Matter devices from other brands. However, Matter requires a hub to control your smart devices. For control with Google Home, you’ll need a Google Home or Nest device to double as a hub for Matter. For example, the Google Nest Hub smart display will now act as a hub for all your smart home devices.
What Google devices will support Matter?
Virtually all Google devices will now support Matter. This includes the original Google Home speakers, Google Home Mini, Nest Mini, Nest Audio, Nest Hub, Nest Hub Max, and the new Nest Wifi Pro. Matter-enabled devices use a Thread mesh network to relay information with very little power. This ensures battery-powered devices such as smart locks stay charged longer. Google also uses Thread and Wi-Fi to download software updates like Matter.
With this Matter update, Google added Matter support for Fast Pair on Android. Fast Pair will make it easier to connect Matter-enabled devices to your home network. This is where I think people will notice the benefit of Matter. Smart home devices will be as easy to set up as a pair of wireless headphones. Best of all, you will be able to connect products from different brands together with Matter.
Where can you find Matter devices?
Best Buy will have the largest selection of Matter-supported devices. Selection will grow throughout 2023. Some products that support Matter will display a Matter badge on their packaging. If you see a badge then you know it will work right out of the box with Google Home. You should also look for the Works with Goole Home badge. This tells you that the product has been tested to work with Goole devices.
Additionally, Best Buy is adding information to the specifications section of smart home devices to make it easier for you to identify Matter compatible devices. Under “Connectivity” on smart home devices we’ll add a line so you know which devices have incorporated Matter compatibility. Throughout the year, adoption of Matter will increase with tech manufacturers. Identifying Matter compatible devices on the product page will make it easy for Best Buy customers to add these devices to their Matter enabled smart homes.
Why does Matter matter?
With this update, you’ll be able to buy a Matter-enabled device from Best Buy and know it will work with all your other smart devices. In a nutshell, the setup process is going to get much easier. Gone are the days of using different apps for each smart home brand. Everything will connect together with your Google devices. For anyone who watched the growth of the smart home category, this is a long time coming. It’s exactly what we needed for smart homes to go mainstream. Now’s the perfect time to build a smart home with Google.
Check out this smart home buying guide for more ideas on how to get started.
