Matter lands on Amazon Echo as support continues to grow
True to its promise, Amazon is now rolling out support for Matter smart home as standard up to 17 Echo devices, with more on the way.
To name just a few supported devices, you have Fourth generation Echo, Echo Dot (5th generation) with clock, Echo Studio, Echo Show 10 display and Show 15. This update will turn all of the listed items into a central hub for controlling other Matter-enabled smart gadgets via Android; similar to what Google has recently done. However, unlike Google, Echo devices will only be able to communicate over Wi-Fi and not Thread, according to the announcement (opens in a new tab). Amazon says it’s rolling out support for the most commonly used devices like smart bulbs, plugs, and switches first as a way to test things out before moving on to other types of devices. The company goes on to say that it wants to provide “customers with a hassle-free and high-quality experience…” during this time.
Ongoing support
At the time of writing, the Matter is just over two months old, so there aren’t many devices that can be controlled with the standard. You have Festavia string lightsfor example from Philips Hue i Door and window contact sensor Eve smart home brand. Users can still control more than 30,000 devices through Works with Alexa, although they won’t have Matter support.
To speed things up, Amazon has also released several development kits for use by other companies to facilitate further adoption of the standard, e.g. Frustration-free setup (opens in a new tab). This kit aims to make setting up devices “as easy for customers as opening the box and turning on the device”. Speaking of setup, Amazon does too works with Samsung (opens in a new tab) incorporating SmartThings into your own devices so you can control both smart home systems. However, it is not known when SmartThing will be launched.
Currently, the situation is quite modest, but Amazon has big plans for the future. According to a company representative, the goal is to eventually support “100 million devices across 30 Echo and eero devices.” Support for iOS will arrive in early 2023, allowing you to control Matter-enabled devices from your iPhone. Support for Wireless standard thread will also start in the same time frame.
We won’t have to wait too long to learn more about these devices as the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) kicks off on January 5. Amazon says it will have “Experience area (opens in a new tab)”, where he will present the latest Matter and smart home devices.
