Signify illuminates when Philips Hue will finally support Matter

Philips Hue maker Signify announced during the IFA tech show that compatibility with the Matter smart home standard will rollout this month.

The significance of this update cannot be overstated. Smart home owners have long grappled with the compatibility issues that arise when their devices cannot communicate effectively with each other.

Matter, introduced in the autumn of 2022, was designed to address this challenge by offering seamless compatibility across major smart...

1 September 2023 | Applications

Z-Wave Alliance celebrates Trident IoT’s launch

The Z-Wave Alliance is celebrating the launch of Trident IoT, a technology and engineering company with a key focus on streamlining RF development and reducing time-to-market for manufacturers of connected devices.

Trident IoT will directly cater to Z-Wave Alliance members by offering Z-Wave silicon chips and modules, and bespoke product design and development services. Most notably, the company will also serve as a US-based Z-Wave device certification laboratory.

This...

17 August 2023 | Connectivity

Amazon’s latest Matter update unlocks Thread support

Amazon has announced a number of significant updates to its support for smart home standard Matter.

The company says it has now switched on Matter in over 100 million Echo smart speakers, the Alexa iOS app now works with the standard, and, most notably, Thread support has arrived.

Matter is a new smart home standard that was developed by a consortium of companies, including Amazon, Apple, Google, and Samsung. It is designed to make it easier for smart home devices from...

3 May 2023 | Connectivity

Amazon opens Sidewalk IoT network to third-party devices

Amazon's low-bandwidth, long-range IoT network, Sidewalk, has grown rapidly and is now available for third-party device makers to integrate.

Sidewalk currently links many of Amazon’s devices, including Echo smart speakers and Ring doorbells, to create a network that now covers nine out of 10 Americans.

Amazon has announced that it’s opening applications for hardware development test kits that will enable third-party companies to validate the Sidewalk network and...

29 March 2023 | Applications

Apple’s new HomeKit architecture returns in iOS 16.4

Apple is re-releasing its new HomeKit architecture in iOS 16.4 after it was pulled in an earlier version.

The architecture initially debuted in iOS 16.2 but users quickly ran into problems with devices getting stuck “updating” or becoming entirely unresponsive.

Apple decided to pull the update while it investigated the issues. iOS 16.3 and iOS 16.3.1 arrived without any sign of the new HomeKit’s return.

Anyone eager to get started with the new HomeKit...

17 February 2023 | IoT

Apple finally activates HomePod Mini’s climate sensor

Apple has finally activated the humidity and temperature sensor in the HomePod Mini.

Earlier this month, Apple announced the second generation of its full-size HomePod. One of the new features was a sensor for detecting a room’s current temperature and humidity.

Back in 2021, the teardown specialists at iFixit disassembled the HomePod Mini. iFixit discovered a Texas Instruments HDC2010 humidity and temperature sensor that Apple failed to mention.

“The...

25 January 2023 | Applications

SwitchBot jumps on the Matter train with Hub 2

SwitchBot has added support for the Matter smart home standard with its new Hub 2.

Announced at this year’s CES, the Hub 2 is a WiFi-based bridge that enables SwitchBot’s popular Bluetooth devices to work with other ecosystems.

The new hub now features a simple display that shows information such as temperature and humidity in the air. However, those features are secondary to its main function.

With the Hub 2, users of SwitchBot’s devices can use the...

4 January 2023 | Applications

Arlo criticised for new end-of-life policy

Netgear spinoff Arlo has been criticised for pulling support for several of its connected security cameras over a relatively short period.

In a new EOL policy, Arlo announced that it may end support for any camera that hasn’t been manufactured for four years old.

Arlo manufactures popular security cameras. Purchasers typically buy a security camera, set it up, and forget about it until it breaks. Every tech product reaches end-of-life (EOL) eventually but you expect...

3 January 2023 | Applications

Z-Wave Source Code project is ‘complete’

The Z-Wave Alliance has announced that its Source Code project is “complete” and now available to members.

By opening development, the alliance says it will enable members to contribute code that will shape the future of the IoT protocol.

Smart home standard Matter has stolen the spotlight over the past year due to its backing from major ecosystem players, including Apple, Google, Samsung, IKEA, Signify, and more. The standard has boosted hopes that the smart...

15 December 2022 | Connectivity

Smart home IoT standard Matter officially launches

Matter has officially launched with the arrival of the 1.0 release of the smart home IoT standard.

The Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) is responsible for creating, evolving, and managing the Matter standard. Today, the CSA and its members released the Matter 1.0 standard and certification program.

“What started as a mission to unravel the complexities of connectivity has resulted in Matter, a single, global IP-based protocol that will fundamentally change the...

5 October 2022 | Connectivity