Matter is the new universal standard for smart home devices. Many smart home devices today aren’t compatible with each other because they use different standards and protocols. Matter was specifically designed to ensure that devices from different manufacturers can talk to each other. The result is a more interoperable smart home; more choice and better experiences for you, the consumer. What’s most unique about Matter is that it’s a secure, open source technology developed by the Connectivity Standards Alliance, which means it’s not tied to any specific brand or company. Smart Home industry leaders like Google, and hundreds of smart home device manufacturers alike have committed to supporting Matter, which will help ensure that Matter is the industry standard moving forward.

Google Matter-enabled devices, like the Nest Hub (2nd gen) or Nest Mini, act as a hub for your Matter devices so they can communicate with each other. Matter is designed to work locally over your existing home wired Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and Thread networks. When you add a Matter device to your Google Home, it joins the same network as your Google device that works as a hub for Matter, which lets you control it whether you’re home or away⁵. For more information on Google devices with Matter, including the full list of enabled devices, click here.

Matter means you’ll have more flexibility and choice when it comes to growing your smart home, but it doesn’t mean you have to completely start over. Some device manufacturers will send over-the-air updates to existing devices so that they support Matter. Regardless, your Works with Google Home devices are still fully supported, and you’ll get the same great Google Home features either way. A good shorthand is to look for either the Works with Google Home or Matter badges when looking at devices.

Right now, Matter supports smart lighting and plugs, door locks, thermostats and HVAC controllers, blinds and shades, home security sensors, TVs and streaming video players, and bridges and wireless access points. As the Matter standard expands, more smart home device types will become supported.