Samsung Does Matter
We are big on CE products that are practical, perform functions efficiently, and are not exorbitantly expensive, all relatively simple goals, although there are many CE products that do not fill even these basic parameters. While we have yet to put our hands on the specific Samsung (005930.KS) device mentioned below, that was announced at CES 2023, we see the device, if it lives up to its promotion, as one that might fill the bill. The device is called the Samsung Smartthings Station and will be released in Korea (and likely the US) next month. This is a relatively simple device that represents the ‘new world’ in smart home devices promised by the new ‘Matter’ connectivity standard, that allows Matter enabled products to interoperate with other devices and controllers, as opposed to forcing the users to use proprietary controlling devices.
In the pre-Matter world, you might have a lighting dimmer system that you controlled with wall dimmers, a handheld controller, or a smartphone app, and at the same time you might have automated curtains that operated with another handheld controller or app. Then there was your smart TV, with its own remote, unless you are using an external Roku (ROKU) device, for which there was another controller, and the list goes on with doorbells, leak sensors, smart refrigerators, and a variety of other devices, all of which needed some sort of controller or app, mostly proprietary. There are many ‘hubs’, which act as central control points for a number of devices, but again most are able to work only with devices made by a specific brand, so smart homes tend to be a mass of proprietary systems that did not talk to each other.
Matter is to change that, with a standard that can be adopted by any device, brand, or smart product, giving it almost universal communication ability with other devices, and allowing the user to decide which controller he or she might want to use once they become ‘Matter’ enabled. So, in theory, users should eventually be able to control all of the smart devices in their homes with a single controller (of their choice), although adoption will take some time and some older legacy existing devices might never become Matter enabled.
Samsung’s device is a simple one, and supports Matter, Thread[1], and Zigbee, and at ~$60 is the least expensive border router currently available that supports Thread and Matter, allowing home devices to be connected in a mesh configuration. This allows for better communication between devices on the network and in most cases a larger reach for the network. Samsung’s iOS is also the only OS that currently supports Matter, other than Apple’s (AAPL) iOS, with Google (GOOG) Home and Amazon (AMZN) Alexa, expected to add Matter support to their OS’s later this year. Samsung is spreading out the Matter coverage across its own product line, with the Samsung Family Fridge line, , Samsung TVs, and Samsung monitors getting the upgrade in March and others to follow later this year.
The device itself is a wireless charger and supports three ‘routines’ with a simple press of the device. The routines are set by the user and can operate a single function, such as turning on the lights, or a sequence of functions, such as turning on lights while opening curtains and turning on a smart speaker. But here’s where it gets better… Scenarios can be programmed into the device that are actuated by placing your phone on the charger, such as one might do before going to bed. This can be set to trigger a routine that could close curtains, turn off lights, and turn down the heat, all of which would be reversed automatically when the phone is picked up from the charger the next morning, and we note that as long as the devices are Matter enabled, it does not matter which brand they are produced by, they would all operate under the Samsung device.
Not to be outdone by Apple, Samsung also includes the ability to find Matter devices within the home network range, so misplaced smartphones can be triggered to ring wherever they might be, and items equipped with smart tags, will contact the system and sends an e-mail or text to the user whenever they leave or enter the network area, so if a dog with a tagged collar gets out, the user will be immediately notified. Of course this means that anyone trying to sneak out of the house or sneaking back in will generate the same notification if they have their smartphone with them, so errant spouses and sneaky teenagers beware…
All in, at least on the surface, Samsung has taken a set of simple but useful functions and put them in what is a relatively low-priced package that has at least some intrinsic value on its own (wireless charger). Our only concern would be how difficult the device is to pair (attach to other devices) and program, which have been stumbling blocks for earlier smart devices, although Matter itself is said to make those functions a bit more intuitive. More philosophically, Samsung, who abandon the smart home hardware business roughly three years ago, seems to have thought this re-entrance through, even stating that the company would rather embed its smart home technology in its products rather than creating branded hardware, a bit of a change for a company known for its CE hardware, although the SmartThings Station is just that, a branded product. That said, with Matter leveling the playing field, consumers will have infinitely more choices about sensors, controllers, and applications, and the first Matter offering from Samsung seems to show that they are working toward making their smart home products practical rather than forcing consumers toward expensive proprietary hardware.
[1] Thread is a Wi-Fi mesh network protocol that extends and enhances IoT devices that can extend wireless networks of varying types including Wi-Fi, Ethernet, LTE, 5G an others, using low power and low latency connections between all devices, essentially a self-healing network.
In the pre-Matter world, you might have a lighting dimmer system that you controlled with wall dimmers, a handheld controller, or a smartphone app, and at the same time you might have automated curtains that operated with another handheld controller or app. Then there was your smart TV, with its own remote, unless you are using an external Roku (ROKU) device, for which there was another controller, and the list goes on with doorbells, leak sensors, smart refrigerators, and a variety of other devices, all of which needed some sort of controller or app, mostly proprietary. There are many ‘hubs’, which act as central control points for a number of devices, but again most are able to work only with devices made by a specific brand, so smart homes tend to be a mass of proprietary systems that did not talk to each other.
Matter is to change that, with a standard that can be adopted by any device, brand, or smart product, giving it almost universal communication ability with other devices, and allowing the user to decide which controller he or she might want to use once they become ‘Matter’ enabled. So, in theory, users should eventually be able to control all of the smart devices in their homes with a single controller (of their choice), although adoption will take some time and some older legacy existing devices might never become Matter enabled.
Samsung’s device is a simple one, and supports Matter, Thread[1], and Zigbee, and at ~$60 is the least expensive border router currently available that supports Thread and Matter, allowing home devices to be connected in a mesh configuration. This allows for better communication between devices on the network and in most cases a larger reach for the network. Samsung’s iOS is also the only OS that currently supports Matter, other than Apple’s (AAPL) iOS, with Google (GOOG) Home and Amazon (AMZN) Alexa, expected to add Matter support to their OS’s later this year. Samsung is spreading out the Matter coverage across its own product line, with the Samsung Family Fridge line, , Samsung TVs, and Samsung monitors getting the upgrade in March and others to follow later this year.
The device itself is a wireless charger and supports three ‘routines’ with a simple press of the device. The routines are set by the user and can operate a single function, such as turning on the lights, or a sequence of functions, such as turning on lights while opening curtains and turning on a smart speaker. But here’s where it gets better… Scenarios can be programmed into the device that are actuated by placing your phone on the charger, such as one might do before going to bed. This can be set to trigger a routine that could close curtains, turn off lights, and turn down the heat, all of which would be reversed automatically when the phone is picked up from the charger the next morning, and we note that as long as the devices are Matter enabled, it does not matter which brand they are produced by, they would all operate under the Samsung device.
Not to be outdone by Apple, Samsung also includes the ability to find Matter devices within the home network range, so misplaced smartphones can be triggered to ring wherever they might be, and items equipped with smart tags, will contact the system and sends an e-mail or text to the user whenever they leave or enter the network area, so if a dog with a tagged collar gets out, the user will be immediately notified. Of course this means that anyone trying to sneak out of the house or sneaking back in will generate the same notification if they have their smartphone with them, so errant spouses and sneaky teenagers beware…
All in, at least on the surface, Samsung has taken a set of simple but useful functions and put them in what is a relatively low-priced package that has at least some intrinsic value on its own (wireless charger). Our only concern would be how difficult the device is to pair (attach to other devices) and program, which have been stumbling blocks for earlier smart devices, although Matter itself is said to make those functions a bit more intuitive. More philosophically, Samsung, who abandon the smart home hardware business roughly three years ago, seems to have thought this re-entrance through, even stating that the company would rather embed its smart home technology in its products rather than creating branded hardware, a bit of a change for a company known for its CE hardware, although the SmartThings Station is just that, a branded product. That said, with Matter leveling the playing field, consumers will have infinitely more choices about sensors, controllers, and applications, and the first Matter offering from Samsung seems to show that they are working toward making their smart home products practical rather than forcing consumers toward expensive proprietary hardware.
[1] Thread is a Wi-Fi mesh network protocol that extends and enhances IoT devices that can extend wireless networks of varying types including Wi-Fi, Ethernet, LTE, 5G an others, using low power and low latency connections between all devices, essentially a self-healing network.
Samsung SmartThings Station - Source: Samsung
More on Matter:
“Will it Matter?” – 07/21/22
“Apple Makes it Easy to Fix an iPhone, Mostly” – 09/20/22
“Will It Matter?” – 10/06/22
“More On Matter” – 10/13/22
“It’s a Complicated Matter” – 11/14/22
“What’s the Matter Now?” – 11/30/22
“Will it Matter?” – 07/21/22
“Apple Makes it Easy to Fix an iPhone, Mostly” – 09/20/22
“Will It Matter?” – 10/06/22
“More On Matter” – 10/13/22
“It’s a Complicated Matter” – 11/14/22
“What’s the Matter Now?” – 11/30/22
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