Samsung Launches Early Access Program to Prove Matter Interoperability Ahead of Ratification

Samsung has announced that it is testing products compatible with the Matter standard, launching an early-access program with "select strategic companies" ahead of the formal ratification of the standard later this year.

"We’re thrilled to welcome Aeotec, Aqara, Eve Systems, Leedarson, Nanoleaf, Netatmo, Sengled, Wemo, WiZ, and Yale into this exclusive program," Samsung's SmartThings team says of the Matter/SmartThings partner early access program. "As a founding member of Matter, we are excited about this development, as well as the opportunity for partners to test their devices and Matter interoperability with Hub-enabled devices and through the SmartThings app."

Unveiled in 2019 as Project Connected Home over IP, Matter is a royalty-free connectivity standard for smart home systems created by Amazon, Apple, Google, Samsung, and what was known at the time as the ZigBee Alliance. While devices promising Matter support have begun to appear, the standard is still officially in draft status pending expected ratification later this year.

"As pioneers in the smart home industry from the very beginning," Samsung's SmartThings team continues, "we strongly believe that Matter will become the de facto standard in every smart home in the world. This is why we have, and will continue to, invest heavily in Matter."

The key selling point of Matter is a reduction in fragmentation, allowing products and services from multiple vendors to communicate seamlessly. Samsung, a founding member of Matter, is using the early-access program to prove that's possible. In addition to supporting Matter-compatible devices in its SmartThings Hub and companion app, the company has promised that devices will be able to on-board through the SmartThings app too.

Samsung has not yet announced a means for other companies in the home automation market to sign up to the program.