Google details how interconnected Matter smart home standard will work on Android and Nest
Share this story
Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge
Google is one of the major companies behind the upcoming interconnected cross-platform smart home standard Matter, and today, the company has explained how it’ll work to support Matter with its Android devices and Nest smart home products.
To start, the company is promising that all of its Nest displays and speakers will be updated to enable them to control Matter devices. That means once the update arrives (Google isn’t giving a timeframe yet), you’ll be able to use Google Assistant to control any Matter device, whether it was previously part of Google’s smart home platform or not.
iStock
(CNN) Swapping standard lightbulbs for smart bulbs â ones that link directly to smart ecosystems to remotely control lighting â is perhaps the simplest step in the path to âsmartening upâ a home. CNN Underscored spent the last few months testing 10 top-rated smart bulbs, judging them based on how each was to set up, brightness and color options and reliable connections to smart home systems. And all that testing led to one clear winner:
Wyze Bulb Color ($15.98;
) The Wyze Bulb Color marries affordability and functionality like no other bulb we tested, boasting simple and instantaneous controls (be it through the Wyze app or through various smart assistants), thousands of color options and different light temperatures when casting white light.
A Confusing Step Sideways
A Confusing Step Sideways Tue, 16 Mar 2021, 1:09PM
There s no doubt smart lighting isn t for everyone - after all, what s wrong with the old switch on the wall? Flick it on - light. Off - dark. Simple, right?
Bit boring though.
So now we ve definitely got options and plenty of them. All kinds of smart bulbs offering limitless colours, a range of brightness settings and depending on which one you choose, the ability to link with virtual assistants and connect with smart hubs.
Nanoleaf stepped up the game with a selection of shapes, flat panels. squares, hexagons, triangles. to create not just funky lighting effects for your spaces but genuine art installations. Or in my case, a Christmas tree for my holiday entranceway.