Electronic Enthusiast Network reported (Text/Wu Zipeng) Because the Matter protocol is supported by technology giants such as Amazon and Apple, it has made great progress since the advent of the Matter 1.0 standard. As of October 2023, there are more than 1,800 certified Matter products, applications, and software platforms, according to data mentioned by the CSA Connectivity Standards Alliance when it released the Matter 1.2 standard.
As more and more smart home devices support the Matter protocol, the focus of industrial development has changed from market cultivation and protocol integration to how to better empower smart home devices with solutions that support the Matter protocol, and gradually enter the deep water area of industrial development, and the market competition is intensifying. In order to help developers make better use of the Matter protocol, Quectel Communications, the world's leading IoT total solution provider, released two new FLM263D FLM163D products that support the Matter protocol during the 2024 Mobile World Congress Shanghai (MWC Shanghai).
Practical challenges in Matter device development
At present, consumers are becoming more and more receptive to smart homes. According to statistics from Tech Insights, global consumers will spend $131 billion on smart home hardware and software in 2023; It is expected to reach $191 billion by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate of about 8% over five years.
Source: Tech Insights, e-Enthusiast Network Graphics
As the design requirements of smart home devices have changed from simple networking and voice command support to obeying the management and scheduling of a unified system, more efficient and high-quality connection technologies are required, which provides sufficient conditions for accelerating the penetration of the Matter protocol. ABI Research, a global technology intelligence company, pointed out in the report that more than 5.5 billion Matter-compliant smart home devices are expected to be shipped worldwide by 2030.
The Matter smart home also faces design challenges. As shown in the figure below, the Matter protocol can support a wide range of devices, including not only large and small appliances, but also miniaturized devices such as sockets, light bulbs, and smoke alarms. Therefore, the solution miniaturization is very necessary for the Matter protocol to be embedded in smaller devices.
The Matter protocol continues to expand the types of devices, source: Quectel Communications
After selecting the hardware solution, developers began to care about how to quickly build their own Matter applications to seize market opportunities. However, the long development cycle is one of the main reasons why many smart home projects fail. The standard development process is generally as follows: function integration, App interface development, device debugging, and mass production. Without good development resources, many times developers are stuck in process 1 and process 2 throughout the predetermined development cycle.
With the complete set of equipment, the challenge starts to shift from the development side to the deployment side. Matter currently supports two connection methods: "Matter over Wi-Fi" and "Matter over Thread". Since Wi-Fi is ubiquitous, it is theoretically possible to quickly build a smart home system based on "Matter over Wi-Fi". However, some additional configurations are required to connect to the network, such as API calls and definitions, and debugging of devices after network configuration. In other words, many devices with the Matter protocol built in today don't work "out of the box".
In its Matter at One Year report, market research firm Omdia said, "The Matter protocol was developed with the ambitious goal of making it easier for people to connect products such as smart light bulbs, door locks, cameras, and air conditioners to home networks and similar devices." ”
In order to achieve this goal, truly achieve agile development and rapid deployment, the main participants of the Matter protocol are also actively improving their own control nodes and control programs, the most representative of which is the Alexa Connect Kit (ACK) from Amazon. With the built-in ACK module, developers or deployers can achieve non-inductive Wi-Fi connectivity without having to write Alexa skills, manage cloud services, and develop complex network and security firmware.
支持ACK的移远通信Wi-Fi 6模组
Based on the above, at the recent MWC Shanghai exhibition, Quectel Communications, together with Amazon and Broadcom Shanghai, announced the launch of MCU Wi-Fi 6 module FLM163D and FLM263D that support Amazon's Alexa Connect Kit (ACK) SDK for Matter solution. These two modules are mainly aimed at the fields of smart lighting and smart sockets/switches, which can help developers seize market opportunities, address design challenges, and "stay one step ahead" in the development of devices with built-in Matter protocol.
Quectel FLM163D &FLM263D Wi-Fi 6 modules support the ACK SDK for Matter solution. In terms of module configuration, both modules are based on Shanghai Broadcom integrated BK7235 chip, which is a highly integrated single-chip Wi-Fi 6 (802.11b/g/n/ax) and Bluetooth 5.2 combination solution, which is one of the mainstream choices for building ACK modules in the current market.
FLM163D & FLM263D Wi-Fi 6模组的demo演示，图源：移远通信
The BK7235 chip is clocked at up to 320MHz and has a memory configuration of 512KB SRAM and 4MB flash memory, providing sufficient performance guarantee for FLM163D &FLM263D Wi-Fi 6 modules. Both modules are representative of miniaturized modules, of which FLM163D is in an in-line package with a size of 17.9mm x 15.0mm x 2.8mm, which is suitable for the field of smart sockets; The FLM263D comes in a chip package measuring 17.3mm x 15.0mm x 2.8mm, making it suitable for lighting devices such as smart light bulbs. In order to facilitate developers to create differentiated and innovative functions, both Wi-Fi 6 modules provide a wide range of interface options, including FLM163D 8 GPIOs, which can be reused as serial, PWM, I2C, and ADC interfaces, supporting an operating temperature of -40°C to +85°C and an operating voltage of 3.0~3.6V, and FLM263D provides 5 GPIOs, and supports multiplexing to serial, PWM, I2C, and ADC interfaces, supporting -40°C to +105°C wide temperature design and 3.0~3.6V working voltage.
Miniaturized FLM163D &FLM263D module, source: Quectel Communications
"The FLM163D & FLM263D Wi-Fi 6 module is designed in a compact package, which not only meets the development trend of miniaturization of smart homes, but also is an ideal choice to drive the intelligence of lighting and electrical equipment. For B-end lighting electrician customers, Quectel's next-generation Matter solution based on the above modules not only provides Matter program development and Wi-Fi 6 module production and delivery, but also supports a complete set of testing and certification value-added services, including Matter to Matter certification, Amazon security certification, WWA certification, MSS certification, and RF certification. Through one-stop solutions and higher product standards, we can improve the product competitiveness of B-end users and ensure efficient and fast product development and marketing. ”
"For global C-end users, these two Matter solutions integrate the basic capabilities of Amazon ACK and the differentiated capabilities of Quectel solutions to provide a zero-contact distribution mode of 'power-on and distribution' and OTA upgrade services for devices during the product life cycle, so as to create a differentiated, convenient, more pleasant, and more intelligent user experience." Sun Yanming further said.
It should be pointed out that the FLM163D & FLM263D Wi-Fi 6 module not only supports the Amazon Alexa platform, based on the Matter specification, the two modules are also compatible with Google, Samsung, Apple and other major smart home platforms. For example, in Quectel demo, users can easily find the device's sharing code on the Amazon Alexa platform, and then enter the sharing code on other platforms such as Apple HomeKit, and then directly use voice commands such as Siri to control the relevant device.
Demonstration of controlling lights via Apple HomeKit, source: Quectel Communications
Including FLM163D &FLM263D Wi-Fi 6 modules, Quectel currently has more than 10 different types of mainstream packaging modules in the Matter field, which can be applied to a wide range of Matter protocol devices. At the same time, Quectel provides one-stop development resources for these modules that support the Matter protocol, focusing on different links such as product and device development, mobile application development, device operation services, operation support services, and value-added services, so that developers can truly achieve zero code and development-free, significantly shortening the time-to-market of products. After the deployment of devices with built-in Matter protocol, Quectel also provides comprehensive security assurance - relying on Amazon Web Services (AWS) services, using multi-layer security measures such as identity authentication, network isolation, and data encryption to ensure the security and privacy of user data.
Quectel's capabilities in the Matter field have been tested and recognized by the market. Just like the customer case cited by Sun Yanming, Quectel cooperated with a well-known Tier-1 lighting and electrical manufacturer in the industry to help it achieve mass production and shipment in a short period of time, which was well received by customers.
epilogue
Sun Yanming pointed out that 2023 is the first year of the development of Matter smart home that is the consensus of the industry, and 2024 is expected to be a year of rapid increase in the number of devices with built-in Matter protocol.
At present, the types of devices that support the Matter protocol are very diverse, which also poses more tangible challenges to the implementation of the Matter protocol, including solution miniaturization, efficient development, and convenient networking. With the release of Quectel's FLM163D &FLM263D Wi-Fi 6 module, combined with Amazon's ACK components and Quectel's own development resources, developers can calmly address these three challenges and be one step ahead of the market in the development of devices with built-in Matter protocol.