Taking Matter(s) into your own hands

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A Device Attestation (DA), as outlined by the CSA, refers to the process of verifying that a product is genuine, has passed Matter compliance tests, and been certified by the CSA. Without the DA, a smart home device cannot be commissioned onto a Matter network. The DAC (Device Attestation Certificate) provides documentation that the device is authentic and has been certified. This is especially important for security reasons. “If you want to connect a Matter device to the network, the other devices need to know that this is a device that can be safely connected to,” Boetius summarised. Boetius pointed out that there can be a big cost attached with developing devices, beginning with the initial idea and running all the way along to certification. “For small companies, this can be a big chunk of money.” “The certification can be seen by a developer or an OEM as a burden,” said Radenac, “something which is necessary but can take time with lots of back- and-forth, because certification might not happen correctly the first time … It’s always a matter of [the] time to market and minimising the development risks.” As a result, SEALSQ’s IoT development board came pre-certified. “Having a board that is pre-certified is clearly the solution to streamline the development,” said Radenac. WHAT’S EXCITING ABOUT MATTER? Depending on who I asked, what they had to say about what excited them about Matter or their key takeaways varied.

“The availability of Matter has been phenomenal,” said Maupin, “well beyond anything we saw before. If you look at the number of device types today, there are over 40 device types that are defined.” “The more devices we can get enabled with the same connectivity technology, the more we can gain from that,” outlined Alexander. “The barrier for the longest time has been that in order to develop an IoT device, you had to develop the hardware device, software that runs on it, a mobile app to commission the device, and that had to be for iOS and Android. There’s a big developer cost there.” Alexander added his hope for Matter was for the identities of players to be separated, “so we can have mobile app developers and that’s all they do.” “I’m personally excited to be at this stage where it’s reaching everyday consumers, and I can see how this technology is showing up in my own life and in my family’s life,” said Tekippe. “Not just a novelty of turning the lights on and off and controlling devices but helping people care for their families, care for their pets, provide peace of mind and safety, saving energy, and helping with sustainability. We’re just at the beginning of this chapter.” “The final closing message would be that the service needs to be democratised so that it is accessible to the lower volume segment of the same manufacturers, ODMs, and OEMs. Because the people who have already achieved scale aren’t going to innovate and the smart home is in desperate need of innovation all [of] the time,” noted Joshi.