Matter integrates third-party devices into Apple Home

The Philips Hue Bridge has already received its certification for Matter. However, the update will not be distributed until the first quarter of next year. Apple’s iOS 16.1 operating system is already Matter-ready. For Hue users on the go with Apple devices, Matter brings another benefit.

With the Hue Bridge you can also teach and control ZigBee lights from Osram, Ikea and Co., which are often much cheaper. These are also passed to Alexa and Google Home, but not Apple Home. With the external Homebridge software, this can already be avoided with a little tinkering, but there will be an official remedy in the future.

This shows the effect of matter. The smart home superstandard got the official green light last week. Lights from Osram, Ikea and Co will then be transmitted to Apple Home on a Matter basis. Logical, because with Matter the certification of the bridge should be sufficient, a separate certification of the individual devices interacting with the bridge does not have to take place.

With all devices, including Hue’s own buttons and sensors, it doesn’t work well – yet – and devices are sometimes split and names are missing. As far as I know, Matter does not currently offer the ability to transfer room names, even under the multi-admin feature.

If you’re interested, you can explore the Matter update on your own through the Developer Program. However, Alexa will not support connection via Matter from December, although Matter is also starting there at Amazon – the “Bridge” type device is not planned there initially. Here, however, the connection can still be established via the current path.

At the moment, such a change for productive use in the smart home is probably not recommended anyway, as Matter will only really pick up speed from the first quarter of 2023, when several manufacturers will start with updates. day and components. Mixed operation with current connections is also possible.

If you still dare, once the Matter update for the Hue Bridge is complete, the bridge can be taught as part of the developer program using the Matter code in the Home app. However, the bridge must first be removed. Similar to previous HomeKit components, adding via code is made possible in the setup process. The prerequisite here is of course iOS 16.1 or newer. Next, you need to name your Matter devices and assign them to the appropriate rooms.

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