New Standards For Smart Home Tech

Home related gadgets can be very handy. Lights that turn on automatically, doors that lock and unlock from your phone, the list goes on and on. But making sure all these different tools work together can often be an uphill battle. This may change soon. As Consumer Reports shows, our modern connected lives are about to get a lot easier.

Basically, you have to choose whether you want to work with Alexa, Google, Apple, or something else entirely. But thanks to a new national standard called the Article, all that is changing.

The new standard was created by several tech giants such as Amazon, Apple, Google, Samsung and others so that consumers can choose based on features and price rather than compatibility with a particular system.

The goal of the new standard is interoperability. This means devices work together and are easier to use, easier to set up and more secure so you don't have to worry about hacking.

Another big advantage for users is the increased competition. Consumers will see many other product options on the market, which should lower the price and make these products more affordable.

Matter currently supports quite a few smart home products, such as locks, light bulbs, thermostats, and TVs. But you can expect more, including smart devices, security cameras and speakers.

So how do you know which smart home devices support the command? For new devices, it will be very easy to figure out. You should see the Matter logo on the packaging or in the user manual. For products you already own, some have been updated with software to support Matter, and for others you'll receive an email or app notification on the device.

Matter allows you to control multiple smart home devices at the same time. This means you can turn the lights on from your Samsung smartphone, dim them by asking Alexa on your Amazon Echo speaker, and then turn them off from your iPad.

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