Matter’s Year of Momentum: What Versions 1.3 & 1.4 Added to the Smart-Home Standard

TL;DR: In the past 12 months, Matter has leapt from “nice idea” to a spec that can measure your home’s energy use, schedule your EV charging, and even turn your Wi-Fi router into a Thread hub. Below is a plain-English tour of the two key updates—Matter 1.3 (May 2024) and Matter 1.4 (Nov 2024)—and why they set the stage for smarter, greener homes in 2025.

A 30-Second Refresher: What Is The Matter Smart Home Standard?

Matter is an open standard (backed by Apple, Google, Amazon, Samsung, and 600-plus companies) that lets smart-home gadgets talk locally over Wi-Fi, Ethernet, or Thread—no cloud hand-offs, no single-brand lock-in. Think of it as one common language, so a plug from Brand A, a bulb from Brand B, and a thermostat from Brand C all work in the same app or voice assistant.

Timeline of the Last 12 Months

(Matter 1.2 from Oct 2023 opened the door to robot vacuums, fridges, and smoke alarms, but we’ll keep the focus on what’s changed since spring 2024.)

Matter 1.3 (May 2024): Energy Meets Automation

1. Real-Time Energy Data

Any Matter device can now expose instant power draw, voltage, current, and cumulative kWh, giving you a single dashboard instead of nine proprietary apps.

2. EV Charger (EVSE) Control

Smart chargers can start, stop or throttle charging based on cheap-rate windows or departure time—no brand-specific API required.

3. New Appliance Classes

Microwaves, ovens, electric cooktops, extractor hoods, and electric dryers join the party, rounding out the kitchen/laundry lineup that began in 1.2.

4. Water & Leak Management

Leak sensors, valves and freeze detectors are now native Matter devices, enabling automations like “shut the main valve if a leak is detected.”

5. Scenes & Command Batching

Devices can store preset “scenes” and accept a single multicast packet that triggers them in sync—goodbye, popcorn-effect lighting.

Matter 1.4 (Nov 2024): Infrastructure & Deeper Energy Smarts

1. HRAP Routers

Home Routers & Access Points (HRAP) combine Wi-Fi AP + Thread Border Router in one box and share Thread credentials automatically, so you no longer need a separate “smart-home hub.”

2. Enhanced Multi-Admin

Adding a Matter device to Apple Home can now auto-authorize it for Alexa or Google Home. No more rescanning QR codes platform-by-platform.

3. Expanded Energy-Management Devices

Matter’s “EMS” cluster now recognizes solar panels/inverters, stationary batteries, heat pumps and water heaters, enabling whole-home load shifting and storage orchestration.

4. Thread 1.4 & Long Idle Time

Better credential-sharing makes multi-border-router meshes reliable, and Long Idle Time lets sensors sleep longer for multi-year coin-cell life.

5. Quality-of-Life Tweaks

New embedded modules for flush-mount dimmers/fan controls, radar-based presence detection options, and refined thermostat schedules round out the update.

What Does This Mean for You in 2025?

• Unified Energy Dashboard – Expect smart plugs, appliances, and even your rooftop solar to feed into one graph inside Samsung SmartThings or Home Assistant.

• Cheaper EV Miles – Set “charge when power is <$0.07/kWh” in any Matter app; the charger handles the rest.

• Simpler Setup – Buy a Matter-certified router (or a Nest Wifi 3 if Google flips the switch) and skip standalone Thread hubs.

• Cross-Platform Peace – Let house-mates keep Siri while you yell at Alexa—Enhanced Multi-Admin shares devices silently in the background.

The Caveats

• Platform Lag – As of April 2025, Apple, Google and Amazon still top out at Matter 1.2; SmartThings and Home Assistant have partial 1.3 support. Roll-outs take months.

• Manufacturer Buy-In – Only a handful of brands (e.g., Midea, Aqara) have publicly committed to shipping 1.3/1.4-ready hardware this year.

• Not Every Feature Is Mandatory – The spec is à-la-carte: a platform can claim 1.4 compliance yet ignore, say, solar inverters.

How to Future-Proof Today

1. Choose Upgradeable Gear – Look for hubs/plugs that tout “Matter-ready firmware updates.”

2. Invest in Thread Border Routers – An Apple TV 4K (2024), Echo Hub, or forthcoming HRAP router means fewer batteries and better range.

3. Watch the Certification Logo – Starting mid-2025, CSA’s new mark will indicate the highest Matter version a product supports—use it.

4. Stay Patient – Features often reach DIY platforms (Home Assistant) months before big ecosystems; early adopters may need work-arounds.

Bottom Line

In just a year, Matter has gone from light-bulb demos to whole-home energy orchestration and router-level integration. Adoption is still uneven, but the groundwork is here: if you’re planning a renovation, an EV purchase, or even a new Wi-Fi router, keep the Matter logo on your checklist—2025 could finally be the year your devices all speak the same language.

Exploring Tech together,

Paul