Q&A DOCUMENT
Answers to Your Questions about Matter
Matter (formerly Project CHIP or Connected Home over IP) is generating buzz in the world of IoT, particularly in the smart home realm. What is Matter and why should you consider investing in it? How secure is Matter? We took your most common questions from our on demand panel: "Project CHIP is Matter: Now What?" and answered them in this Q&A article.
Unifying IoT Connectivity
Whether you’re ready to get started with Matter, or your company is still determining its strategy with this technology, Silicon Labs is well-positioned to help you understand what you need to know about Matter and how to start prototyping today.
Silicon Labs has strong and in-depth expertise in underlying Matter IoT wireless protocols, such as Bluetooth, Thread and Wi-Fi, and is driving Matter development. In fact, Silicon Labs has been one of the largest code contributors alongside major ecosystem providers, such as Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit and Google.
Matter leverages existing IP technologies including Wi-Fi and Thread to build its connectivity ecosystem. IP-based networking simplifies development for manufacturers and increases compatibility for consumers. Silicon Labs offers a range of Matter compatible silicon, as well as the development tools and expertise you need to bring high-performance Matter end products to market quickly.
Hardware
Thread SoCs
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| Thread Certified | Frequency Bands (MHz) | Flash (kB) | RAM (kB) | Output Power Range (dBm) | MCU Core | TX Current (mA) 0 dBm | RX Current (mA) | RX Sensitivity (dBm) | Security | GPIO | |
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EFR32MG21 Series 2 SoCs
Zigbee and Thread EFR32MG21 SoCs (Series 2)
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2.4 GHz | 512, 768, 1024 | 64, 96 | -20 10,10.5,20 | ARM Cortex-M33 | 10.4 | 9.4 | -104 (250 kbps O-QPSK DSSS) | AES-128 AES-256 ECC SHA-1 SHA-2 | 20 | |
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EFR32MG21 Series 2 Modules
Zigbee and Thread EFR32MG21 Based Modules (Series 2)
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2.4 GHz | 1024 | 96 | -20 10,12.5,20 | ARM Cortex-M33 | — | — | — | — | 20 | |
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EFR32MG12 Series 1 SoCs
Zigbee and Thread EFR32MG12 SoCs (Series 1)
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2.4 GHz Sub-GHz | 1024 | 128, 256 | -30 10,19 | ARM Cortex-M4 | 8.5, 9.5 | 8.4, 10.8 | -102.7 (250 kbps O-QPSK DSSS), -120.6 dBm (2.4 kbps 2 GFSK 868 MHz) | AES-128 AES-256 ECC SHA-1 SHA-2 | 31, 46, 65 | |
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EFR32MG12 Series 1 Modules
Zigbee and Thread EFR32MG12 Based Modules (Series 1)
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2.4 GHz Sub-GHz | 1024 | 256 | -30 10,17 | ARM Cortex-M4 | — | — | — | — | — |
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Wi-Fi SoCs
Select Columns
| Frequency Bands | Application MCU | Onboard IP Support | Key Peripherals | |
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WF200 Series 2 Wi-Fi Transceiver SoCs
Wi-Fi Transceiver SoCs (Series 2)
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Single Band (2.4) | SDIO, SPI | ||
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WF200 Series 2 Wi-Fi Transceiver Modules
WFM200 Wi-Fi Transceiver Modules (Series 2)
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Single Band (2.4) | SDIO/SPI |
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Find the right Matter SoC or Module for your Use Case
Resources
Kits and Boards
Matter Development Kits
Silicon Labs offers a number of development kits for Matter ranging from compact, feature-packed low-cost prototyping platforms to multi-node advanced multiprotocol kits for robust, secure mesh networks.
Thread Series 1 Development
Modular kits for software development and feature evaluation of IoT devices
Thread Series 2 Development
IoT security is key to protecting company brands, end user privacy and commercial viability of products. Vulnerabilities can be exploited through both remote Internet attacks and physical hands-on-attacks. Developers using the Silicon Labs EFR32xG21 family have access to the highest level of IoT security provided by Secure Vault.
Wi-Fi Development
Full-featured application development kits.
Get Started
IoT interoperability is now a reality
Developers can start prototyping with Matter today. Silicon Labs offers a number of examples using Matter, such as smart locks, smart lights, and window coverings. Matter simplifies the developer experience by maximizing the interoperability of IoT devices across different vendors, so developers can focus on innovating.
Step 1: Choose your IP-based networking technology such as Wi-Fi, Thread or both.
To develop products using Thread you will need:
- A Thread certified device or radio board for end nodes — if you want to enable Bluetooth Low Energy commissioning, make sure your end device of choice is also Bluetooth capable. Refer to the Devices tab on this page for a full list of Matter supported devices.
- A border router board — such as Raspberry-Pi or BeagleBoard. This will run the backbone of Matter processing and networking.
- A radio co-processor (RCP) compatible device — the RCP takes care of the wireless communications operated by the border router. Refer to the Devices tab on this page for a full list of Matter supported devices.
To develop products using Wi-Fi you will need:
- A Wi-Fi certified device for end nodes. Refer to the Devices tab on this page for a full list of Matter supported devices.
- All the remaining Wi-Fi functions could be programmed and operated from your terminal/PC.
- Commissioning:
- You can commission new devices via your terminal/pc if it supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
- If the end device of choice is also Bluetooth capable, then it can take care of Bluetooth commissioning.
- You can commission new devices via your terminal/pc if it supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Step 2: Set up your software environment for Matter development
To do this, you will need:
- A desktop or laptop with a Linux development environment.
- An Android phone (iOS app is underway) for end-node Bluetooth commissioning via Bluetooth.
- Set up your Android commissioning app.
- Set up your chip environment (Python, GN and Ninja Linux Libraries.) You can find more detailed steps here.
- Clone the Matter repo from GitHub, and be sure to update and sync all the submodules.
Step 3: Run your first code example.
Final step:
- Now that you have all of the software environment and all of the hardware you need, it is time to run code examples. Available examples include:
- The full list of examples can be found here. GitHub repository also includes tools for testing your Matter project.
Code examples provide a step-by-step guide to get you to the point of successfully running code on your Matter network. Some examples provide a simple script that will execute everything for you.
Congratulations! You are ready to get to work on your first Matter prototype.
Development Tutorial Series
Curriculum
This training on the Connected Home over IP project is to simplify development for manufacturers and increase compatibility for consumers.
video-modules
1 of 2 in CHIP 180 - Connected Home over IP
video-modules
2 of 2 in CHIP 180 - Connected Home over IP
Learn About Matter
overview
Matter is the Foundation
Motivated by the belief that connected experiences should become more reliable, secure, and work effectively together, the Connectivity Standards Alliance has launched Matter (formerly known as Connected Home over IP project). Matter comes in as a unified application layer, a uniting language for devices operating under different IP protocols to communicate over and across different platforms and harmonize IoT development paths.
Matter makes it easier for device manufacturers to build devices that are compatible with smart home and voice services such as Amazon’s Alexa, Apple® Siri®, Google Assistant™, and others. The first specification release of the Matter protocol will run on Wi-Fi and Thread network layers and will use Bluetooth Low Energy for commissioning.
Benefits
A Global Connectivity Standard
Matter protocol is built upon IP, so its traffic flows seamlessly across various kinds of networks. Matter uses a common application layer and data model that delivers interoperability between devices allowing them to communicate with each other. Consequently, IP proves to be an ideal way to securely deliver end-to-end communication between a device and another device, app, or service.
Matter builds in defenses against a wide variety of threats. Matter’s security architecture is based on best practices such as “security by design” and “zero trust”. As part of this, Matter builds in security measures so that every message protected.
On top of supporting IP networks within Matter, developers can leverage Silicon Labs broad IoT wireless expertise that spans building automation, smart home, industrial IoT and smart markets to connect a wide range of networks and devices—regardless of the underlying network protocol.
Consumer Benefits:
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Matter products should be easy to purchase, set up and use
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Devices from multiple brands work natively together
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Consumers are in control of the privacy and authorization for interaction with the devices
Developer Benefits:
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Simplifies development, lowers development & operational costs
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Community collaboration improved quality, expedites process and captures broader use-cases
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Faster time to market, as developers can leverage existing implementations
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Opensource and trusted standard cryptographic algorithms with well protected keys
Applications
Featured Matter Solutions
Training Resources
Curriculum
This training on the Connected Home over IP project is to simplify development for manufacturers and increase compatibility for consumers.
video-modules
1 of 2 in CHIP 180 - Connected Home over IP
video-modules
2 of 2 in CHIP 180 - Connected Home over IP