One of the innovations of the WWDC 2022 summer presentation has become an updated application House in iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura. Together with the redesign of the program, the Cupertians announced their support for the promising standard Matter in your ecosystem HomeKit.
Smart home lovers who follow the topic will remember messages from the last WWDC 2021 conference and news about standard support A thread in some Apple gadgets.
Now let’s dot all the “i”, we will understand the situation and answer frequently asked questions related to setting up new communication and control settings in HomeKit.
What is Theme
A thread is a network protocol for transferring data between smart operations. The Thread network is low power and mesh based based on IPv6protocol for connecting to the Internet.
The indisputable advantages of the protocol include fast signal transmission time, good coverage and low power consumption. The specifications were originally developed for use in the smart home niche, from which they received so many useful options.
The main feature A thread is work in mesh mode, in which all gadgets can communicate with each other without personal participation. This is necessary to add gadgets to new networks or make changes to networks.
The theme is similar Zigbybut with the assignment of IP addresses to gadgets and control over the Internet with a secure AES encryption.
The theme protocol can be put on a par with WiFi and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). Wherein WiFi can consume more power and loads household trash. In its turn Bluetooth Low Energy much more economical in terms of power consumption, but very poor in terms of coverage and signal transmission speed.
The theme is something from a long time ago between the technologies we have known for a long time and has incorporated the best features of each. At the same time Thread self-healing networkwhich, in the event of the occurrence of one of the devices, can be rebuilt and continued without the participation of the user or the hub.
How the thread of the network is arranged
All devices in the network topic can be conditionally divided into routers (routers) and extreme points (Endpoints). Moreover, each gadget can be either one or an external entity in the network. The devices independently determine the video for each other and easily “raise” the point to the point or vice versa “lower” the router to the point if necessary.
The standard allows you to build a network with the number of node routers up to 32 piecesto which each can be connected up to 511 points.
These processes run on the network invisibly to the user and can be flexible and quickly self-healing if necessary.
Even in Thread-net, the so-called border router. This is a gadget that can connect to Thread and your online meeting. Such an edge signal is a return signal from any user gadget on the network and vice versa.
Border Router is not required for the function A threadbut without it, you will not be able to manage and read their indicators.
At the moment, one of two Apple gadgets can act as such a border router: HomePod mini or Apple TV 4K 2021. This barely noticeable innovation became the main feature of the updated set-top box, and not the new metal control panel.
You can already be connected to your smart home if you have one of the hubs registered above. In this case, it is necessary that the connected gadget supports HomeKit from the box.
All this puts Theme on a par with the more common standards at the moment. Zigbee and Z-wave. The gadgets themselves, which communicate using the return technology, receive feedback A thread using the update software. In most cases, this requires the exclusive desire and will of the developer.
FROM A thread understood, let’s move on to Matter.
What is Matter
Matter is the standard for controlling smart gadgets in the home with support for quick response. It was announced at the end of 2019 and was previously called Connected Home over IP Project (CHIP).
The main goal of creating Matter was undo control between gadgets from different manufacturers for simpler and faster measurement in a single smart home system. Fundamentals of the Association Assessment Standard Zigby Alliancebut their wishes, wishes and adjustments to the representation Apple, Google, Amazon and other major IT giants.
The standard uses the Internet Protocol (IP) to support communication between smart gadgets, mobile applications and cloud services. One of the most prestigious open source with access to GitHub For everyone.
In fact, Matter is one step above the previously described recipes. Stream, ZigBee, Z-Wave, Wi-Fi, BLE and is a universal layer between them and smart home control users like HomeKit or Google Home.
The development of Matter was captured by almost all the major players in the smart device market. Interested in the development of the standard Samsung, Huawei, IKEA, thuja and Legrand.
With the help of the standard, you can combine gadgets of different brands with each other. The presence of a hub, if necessary, to control gadgets and receive communication or to communicate between devices, development on different communication protocols, for example, WiFi and A thread.
Why Matter still doesn’t work in HomeKit
Fortunately for us, manufacturers, their own and large companies have realized that a mono-brand smart home is a utopia and no user can cover all needs with the help of gadgets from one manufacturer. Even in the assortment of such a large and developed company xiaomi multiple devices on the same communication protocol cannot be found and assembled.
Thus, the idea of creating a single layer arose. Matter to further transfer control over the gadgets of the selected control system.
Frame from the WWDC 2021 presentation
If in theory everything is fine, then in practice the project, which involves so many different companies, is moving very slowly. Directly, none of the participants will benefit from the early acquisition and promotion Matter.
Convenience in this case is exceptional smart home designer and end users. As it turned out, for us, large companies are not in a hurry.
It is very difficult to achieve coordinated solutions in extremely rare cases and to participate in the market of smart gadgets in companies. This delays the entire process of final formalization and description of the standard.
Frame from the WWDC 2022 presentation
Cupertino has been claiming support for Matter in its ecosystem for years, but gadget manufacturers still cannot get the exact specifications to start producing new gadgets or the release required for existing devices.
At the moment, the opportunity is again postponed until better times.
The situation, although it looks promising, has not yet been found to be an important event of a bright, cloudless future in the construction of smart homes.
Now you will clearly understand what the Cupertino people are talking about at their presentations, and why so far we have not received the declared chips from the last WWDC.
Source: Iphones RU
