On the latest episode of the HomeKit Insider Podcast, Daniel Moneta, Chair of the Matter Marketing and Product Subgroup at the CSA, joins to talk about the future of Matter and more.
Daniel Moneta, Chair of the Matter Marketing and Product Subgroup at the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), guest hosts the podcast this week on the heels of the spring update to the Matter spec. The CSA is the overseeing organization behind Matter that develops the spec.
A man of many hats, Daniel has a deep understanding of the Matter spec as well as how it works with different ecosystems, including Samsung SmartThings and Apple Home.
At the top of the episode, your host gets into the new 2nd-gen Brilliant wall panels. The new smart switches have four times the resolution, dual-band Wi-Fi, and a much faster processor.
The interim CEO of Sonos, Tom Conrad, also spent time talking with Wired. He touched on the problems at the company and how it continues to try to win back its customers.
Thanks to a suggestion from listener Jared, we spend time discussing the Inovelli wall switches. They have many unique features, including a favorites button, a customizable LED, and smart bulb compatibility.
There are also new Ecovacs robotic vacuums, including the X9 Pro Omni. This model, like the X8 Pro Omni, also supports Matter and Apple Home.
In other news, Govee has a new light strip with a skylight kit, Apple is requiring users to move to its new home architecture, and Signify may be readying a new Hue Bridge to increase the number of supported devices.
Links from the HomeKit Insider podcast
Interview with Daniel Moneta from CSA
Andrew O’Hara: So, okay, let’s get into the Matter stuff. To recap, we saw the update— the spring update to Matter— 1.4.1, not the 1.5 that many people had been expecting.
The CSA has promised two updates a year, so they delivered on their spring update, but I think it was smaller than people anticipated. The biggest changes here are going to be for setup: they’re now supporting NFC for setup, just tap your device and it’ll pair; bulk QR scanning to add a whole set of bulbs at once; terms and conditions support.
So tell us what got you to this point. Fill in any more details, make us feel better that we didn’t get new major features too. Let’s hear your side of the story.
Daniel Moneta: I’ll say this as a marketing person: there are two problems you can have. One is, we hear what you’re selling and we don’t want it. The other is, we want more of it. Matter has that second challenge.
People are excited, they’re anticipating major updates. 1.5 is coming. We’re targeting it for this year. These things take time— especially since most of the work is done by volunteers from member companies.
Sometimes features need to be moved to the next release. Other times, a feature is ready early, so a minor release gets it out faster. This was our first minor release, and we’re learning. There will probably be more like this.
Andrew O’Hara: That makes sense. I talked about it last week with Francie from Bird Buddy— we saw all those garden accessories being added to the repo for 1.5. It would’ve been great to have those announced with the spring update.
But I get it. You guys finalize the spec, and then it takes months for products to come out. I’m hopeful that next spring we’ll have our first soil sensor or something that came out of 1.5.
Daniel Moneta: Yeah, totally. The reality is, the spec needs to be finalized before companies start building. And platforms have to support it, too. If there are devices but no platform support, it doesn’t help anyone.
That’s why, speaking for SmartThings for a second, we committed to supporting new device types within six months of a Matter spec launch. That gives confidence to manufacturers.
Andrew O’Hara: That’s great to hear. But at the store level— like Home Depot— some brands say, “Our customers aren’t asking for Matter.” But customers don’t know to ask for it yet! How do you approach that? Especially from a marketing perspective?
Daniel Moneta: It’s a real challenge. Matter is what marketers call an ingredient brand— part of a product’s value proposition. Enthusiasts like us seek it out, but regular consumers just want a product that works.
Matter makes things more interoperable, easier to set up, and more reliable. For many users, that’s what they expect anyway. We’ve seen that 36% of people fail to set up their smart home device the first time. That’s huge! So Matter can reduce returns, improve satisfaction— even if users don’t know what it is.
Andrew O’Hara: Yeah, and like you said, some users will just shop for what works with their platform— Google, Amazon, Apple. But then you still have to convince the companies. If they think their product already works well, why adopt Matter?
Daniel Moneta: Great question. If a product manager feels their product is already great and sales are strong, fair enough. But for many device makers, Matter solves huge problems. Before, you’d have to build four different integrations for four platforms, maintain clouds, manage different APIs— it’s a mess.
Matter means you can build once and work across all ecosystems. It’s more efficient, and it frees up resources to focus on innovation. Plus, Matter testing now overlaps with ecosystem certification, so that’s easier too.
Andrew O’Hara: I just wish retailers would promote Matter more. Like, I go into Home Depot and ask what supports Matter, and employees don’t know what it is. Even if a product supports Apple Home via Matter, they don’t always know that. Are you working on education?
Daniel Moneta: Absolutely. Enthusiasts like us are mostly covered— we know what to look for. But yes, retail staff need to be trained to recognize the logos and help customers match to their platform.
The CSA and major vendors are working with retailers at the executive level, and eventually that will trickle down to store associates. As Matter devices show up more on shelves, training will follow. And as sales grow and returns drop, retailers will see the value.
Andrew O’Hara: Okay, so let me ask— what’s going on with water heaters? It’s a weird, niche product, but clearly someone wanted them smart. It’s in the Matter spec now, but we haven’t seen products. How does something like that even happen?
Daniel Moneta: It’s all member-driven. If a company wants to make a smart water heater and invests in putting that into the spec, great. But there are milestones and thresholds— you need multiple companies to agree it’s worth building, and a plurality to implement and test it.
So it’s not just theoretical. Usually, engineers working on the spec are the same ones building the product. So if it’s in there, someone’s planning to release it.
Andrew O’Hara: That’s good to hear. I’m fixated on water heaters because mine is too small. If I’m going to replace it, I want it to be Matter-enabled. It’s going to be in my house for 10 years— I don’t want it to be obsolete.
Daniel Moneta: Well, let your favorite manufacturer know! We do read Reddit. We do read reviews. At the last members meeting, we literally had quotes from Reddit posts on the big screen. So yes, please stay loud— positive or cranky— it all helps us know what the market wants.
Andrew O’Hara: That’s perfect. A great spot to end this on. Everyone— go post on Reddit! Daniel, thank you so much for hanging out. Hopefully we’ll get 1.5 this fall, and I’d love to have you back in the spring when the first garden sensors are hitting shelves.
Daniel Moneta: Thanks so much! Would love to join again.
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