Matter 1.1: Enhancements for Developers and Devices

Today’s Matter 1.1 release by the Connectivity Standards Alliance represents the first set of updates to the Matter protocol after its release in Fall 2022. The Matter Work Group (WG) plans to keep Matter on a regular biannual release to drive improvements to the developer and user experiences.

Matter 1.1 enhances support for many smart home products under the category of Intermittently Connected Devices (ICDs). Sometimes called “sleepy devices,” ICDs are typically battery-powered devices like sensors, door locks, and switches that are connected via wireless networks and need to conserve power for optimal operation and lifespan. ICDs aren’t always connected. They’re designed to “wake up” and connect periodically, which draws power.

With Matter 1.1, devices can sleep for longer periods of time before checking in with a parent device without having to reconnect to the network. Fewer check-ins over longer intervals conserves power and increases battery life, with device sleep cycles more comparable to Zigbee and Bluetooth.

Zigbee, Bluetooth, and Matter over Thread rely on the same chipset but there are application layer differences that impact how long a device can sleep, and by extension, how long its battery will last. In addition to battery improvements, Matter 1.1 reduces the likelihood of a device being disconnected and causing a poor user experience when a person or platform wants to interact with it. 

Security is a core principle behind the Matter protocol, so the WG seeks to balance high standards for security with consumer product expectations, including battery life expectations, which are impacted by wake cycles. Silicon Labs is presenting a deep dive on Matter Security and our enhanced Secure Vault offering during our Tech Talks series; we invite you to register for the Matter Security session on June 1. You can also check out all of our Tech Talks on demand. For details and updates, Matter 1.1 is live on Silicon Labs' GitHub page. 

Silicon Labs is a leading contributor to Matter specification updates and our broad wireless expertise spans building automation, smart home, industrial IoT, and other application areas to connect a wide range of networks and devices—regardless of the underlying network protocol.