Does It Really Matter?
While the digital key standard Aliro aims to unify access across homes, cars and other points, another technology makes it easier for smart home tech from various manufacturers to connect and communicate. As door and window dealers look to offer products that integrate with existing smart home systems, Matter, an emerging smart home connectivity standard, promises to make things easier.
In 2025, the release of Matter 1.5 marked an important milestone. Developed by the Connectivity Standards Alliance, Matter is an open, IP-based protocol designed to allow devices from different manufacturers to work together seamlessly across major ecosystems, such as Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple Home and Samsung SmartThings. The update expanded support for new device categories, including improved controls for door and window coverings and native support for security cameras and video doorbells. Those changes extend Matter’s relevance beyond basic connected lighting and plugs. As a result, some lock manufacturers are now promoting Matter compatibility as a baseline feature, where it used to be a premium upgrade.
Kwikset (an Assa Abloy brand) introduced the Aura Reach Smart Lock, highlighting Matter integration. Similarly, Yale (also an Assa Abloy brand) announced a new Matter-enabled smart lock.
For door and window dealers, products offering Matter compatibility reduce the chance that their customers will get locked into a single smart home platform by their doors (pun intended). At the same time, the technology makes it simple to provide connected features to those already using Amazon’s Alexa, Google Home or Apple Home technologies. That flexibility could make connected locks an easier sell as part of a door upgrade, rather than an add-on that customers purchase and install as DIY projects. The technology also makes it easier for dealers to setup Matter-enabled smart locks and sensors via multi-device QR codes and NFC-based pairing.
That said, Matter isn’t a slam dunk. Existing protocols, such as Zigbee, Z-Wave and proprietary Wi-Fi systems remain in use, often requiring bridges or hubs to integrate older devices (an issue that held back the first smart windows). The good news is, as Matter marches on, for manufacturers developing smart doors, windows and hardware, compatibility is moving from option to expectation, all but ensuring an easier future for sale and setup.
