FAQs

What are the membership levels with Matter?

As of January 2023, Matter has the following four levels of membership.

Member type	Annual membership fee (USD)	Description
Promoter	$105,000	Lead the alliance with final approval on all standards, have a board seat, and participate in board committees
Participant	$20,000	Contribute to standards and access draft specifications to go to market faster
Adopter	$7,000	Use approved specifications to build and certify products
Associate	$0*	Label a certified product through the certification transfer program

 

*For associate members who white label or rebrand a product, it costs an initial fee of $2,500 (USD) per product and an ongoing fee of $500 per product per year.

The membership level you choose depends on your interest in certifying a product (adopter) or defining the product type within the standard (participant). For more information about the membership levels, see Impact the Future of the IoT on the CSA website.

How do smart-home consumers benefit from Matter?

Consumers benefit from Matter in the following ways:

• Simplified onboarding of a Matter device at home

• Unified management of all smart-home devices through a single app

• Device control from one or more voice assistants of different ecosystems

For more information, see Benefits of Matter certification for smart-home consumers in this guide.

How do device makers benefit from Matter?

Device makers benefit from Matter in the following ways:

• A single certification for a device instead of multiple certifications with each ecosystem, such as Amazon Alexa, or Google Home.

• Development of the app is no longer necessary

• Reduced costs of materials due to not having to ship the infrastructure elements (such as a Thread Border Router)

• Reduced costs for supporting customers who have infrastructure and connectivity issues

For more information, see Benefits of Matter certification for device makers in this guide.

Does Matter replace Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or Thread?

No, Matter is an application-level protocol that runs on IP networks. Devices that use Wi-Fi, Ethernet, or Thread for connectivity can become Matter certified. The following table summarizes how Matter contrasts with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Thread.

Feature	Matter	Wi-Fi	Bluetooth	Thread
Purpose	Smart-home communication	Internet access and data transfer	Short-range wireless communication	Low-power wireless mesh networking
Range	Varies depending on the underlying protocol	Up to 300 feet	Up to 30 feet	Up to 300 feet
Bandwidth	Varies depending on the underlying protocol	Up to 10 gigabits per second	Up to 2 megabits per second	Up to 250 kilobits per second
Power consumption	Varies depending on the underlying protocol	Relatively high	Relatively low	Very low
Security	Varies depending on the underlying protocol	WPA2, WPA3	AES, BLE Secure Connections	AES
Cost	Varies depending on the device	Relatively inexpensive	Relatively inexpensive	Relatively expensive

What is a vendor ID and product ID?

CSA members can apply for a vendor ID that identifies them as a supplier. Products from the company are henceforth assigned to this ID and can be traced back to their origin. In addition, they receive a unique product ID. The 16-digit numerical code accompanies products like a passport number and renders them as unmistakable as the vendor.

Which devices need to be Matter certified?

Any devices that need to authenticate and be part of the Matter fabric need to be Matter certified. However, those devices that are designed to interact only with the vendor-specified hub over a non-standard (proprietary) protocol would not benefit from the Matter certification process. For example, a smart home security system hub must be certified as Matter complaint, but a door or window sensor that communicates with the hub doesn't need to be certified as Matter compliant. The choice to getting a product certified for Matter is primarily driven by this consideration.

My product type is not currently defined in Matter. What additional tasks should I budget time for to get the products Matter certified?

Matter specifications do not support all types of devices. If your device type is not supported, the first step is to join the CSA as a participant. This requires your financial and time investment in the CSA. As a participant member, you lead the definition of the device types and have access to draft specifications that enable a faster go-to-market strategy. For more information about the membership levels, see Impact the Future of the IoT on the CSA website.

Some of my devices connect directly to the home Wi-Fi network. Do these devices need to be Matter certified?

Matter certification can benefit devices that connect directly to the smart-home network because they can connect to the Matter fabric. This enables consumers to control the devices through their virtual assistants on the same Matter fabric. However, consumers must use a device-specific app for any operations that are vendor-specific and not defined in the Matter specification.