The Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) has announced the release of Matter 1.4.2, an update that it says enables "better user experiences through tighter coordination across the ecosystem."
This release follows the release of 1.4.1 back in May, which saw user-facing improvements like a Multi-device setup QR code for products sold in packs, Onboarding with NFC, and a simplified setup flow.
Matter, for those unaware, is the industry"s big push for a universal translator for smart home gadgets. It lets devices from Samsung, Google, Amazon, Apple, and hundreds of other companies talk to each other directly over your local network. This gets rid of the need for a dozen different apps and dependence on a company"s cloud server just to turn on a light.
For version 1.4.2, the CSA is enabling Wi-Fi-only commissioning through a feature called Wi-Fi Unsynchronized Service Discovery. This means that you"ll get more affordable devices, since device manufacturers can now skip putting a Bluetooth LE radio into their products if it is only being used for the initial setup. It also allows some existing Wi-Fi-only products to get Matter support through a simple firmware update.
Next, scenes, the feature that lets you trigger a bunch of actions at once, like for a "movie night" setting, is getting improved. Scene support is now a certifiable feature, and it adds time-based behavior, so you can have your lights fade out over a set period instead of just snapping off.
Matter 1.4.2 will also improve the "Quieter Reporting" data model to reduce the volume of data generated by smart home devices. The standard now extends this optimization to more features and devices. Before this update, the benefits were mostly for intermittently connected gadgets like switches, buttons, and sensors.
As for security, vendors are getting new tools. Controllers can now use Vendor ID Verification to cryptographically confirm that the platforms controlling a device are legitimate. Certificate Revocation Lists also let ecosystems block or flag devices with known security risks before you even add them to your home.
Other changes in 1.4.2 include Consistent Endpoint Unique IDs, which stop devices like smart power strips from showing up as confusing duplicates when you reconfigure your devices.
The standard also sets predictable behaviors for robot vacuums so they respond to commands consistently, and it raises the requirements for network hardware to ensure your home network can handle at least 150 Thread devices without breaking a sweat.
Check out the CSA"s announcement for more details.