Yandex has begun testing the Matter protocol, which should facilitate the interaction of smart devices from different manufacturers

Yandex smart home centers (MOEX: YNDX) began to receive support for the Matter protocol, which should facilitate the interaction of devices from different manufacturers. According to the developers, accessories with Matter should be connected to any centers that support it, but in practice problems arise with this. Market participants clarify that there are still few devices with Matter, but there is a demand for one of the key properties of the standard – the ability to control equipment without being tied to the manufacturer’s servers.

“Kommersant” found in the Yandex smart home help a mention of the ability to connect devices that support the Matter protocol to centers (hubs): lighting fixtures, smart sockets, switches and relays. The protocol allows you to connect smart home components via local wireless communication, without being tied to a specific ecosystem (Apple Home, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, etc.) The company confirmed to Kommersant that it has begun testing the connection: “Those to whom it is available, will see a notification in the “Smart Home with Alice” application.”

The Matter protocol was developed by the CSA Alliance, which unites more than 270 companies: Apple, Google, Huawei, Tuya, etc. The first version of the standard was approved in October 2022. Among the alliance participants are Yandex (through the Swiss Intertech Services) and SberDevices. As of February 19, both companies were still on the list of current alliance members.

TelecomDaily CEO Denis Kuskov believes that Yandex will retain membership in the CSA even after the division of the company’s assets between the Dutch and Russian structures (see Kommersant on February 8): “Associations that exist to promote technical standards are interested in the diversity of their members.” . Kommersant’s interlocutor in the industry draws attention to the fact that, despite numerous Western sanctions, for example, the Chinese Huawei is present in the alliance.

Yandex announced the availability of Matter support even before the standard was finalized, at the end of 2021. Devices with Matter can use Wi-Fi and Thread wireless, depending on the model. The Yandex help only mentions “Matter over Wi-Fi” devices. The company did not answer Kommersant whether they plan to release devices with Thread.

According to the developers, any devices with the Matter logo should connect to any compatible hubs and ecosystems. Device manufacturers are striving to integrate interaction methods, “since no one has the whole range,” says director of the restore network: Rasim Lemberansky. The Matter standard, he said, is designed to solve the problems of market fragmentation. Profile publication Ars Technica writes that many manufacturers perceive Matter as a way to make their devices compatible with the Apple Home ecosystem and not pay Apple for a license.

But in practice, writes The Verge, Matter accessories do not yet live up to the promises of the standard developers. In a review in 2023, the publication notes that direct connection to Matter hubs deprives the device of some functions (for example, lighting effects), simultaneous work with several ecosystems is not implemented, and some devices lose connection.

Yandex is the first smart home platform holder in the Russian Federation to officially roll out support for Matter. Matter hubs from Apple (HomePod speakers, Apple TV set-top boxes) and Google (Google Home and Nest speakers) are supplied to the Russian Federation through parallel imports. “So far there are few mass-produced devices with Matter support, but from the second quarter there will be more – in particular, the Matter hub from Aqara will be presented,” Stanislav Soltitsky, deputy director for strategic development of Marvel Distribution, clarified to Kommersant. SberDevices did not respond to Kommersant; VK declined to comment.

General Director of diHouse PRO Marina Syunkaeva notes that for smart home users, compatibility with a convenient ecosystem is most important: “At the same time, the demand for local connection is quite high. One of the barriers to purchase is precisely the fear of inoperability in the event of an Internet outage or a failure on the manufacturer’s servers.” In the case of the Russian Federation, the position of manufacturers may also have an impact: for example, in July 2022, Philips Hue disabled the ability to add new devices via the cloud.

Supporting local communication on Matter “in theory will expand the audience of the platform, but right now it will not affect it,” Mr. Soltitsky added. He notes that the market prospects of the standard are still unclear and there is a possibility that accessory manufacturers will not implement it on a large scale: “The Zigbee protocol, which is already in Yandex speakers, was also intended to be universal, but has remained niche.”

Yuri Litvinenko