The Philips Hue Bridge (046677458478) is now Matter-certified… and presumably most downstream Hue accessories, like bulbs and motion detectors, will benefit.
As to when we consumers gain these capabilities, that remains unknown. Although filing paperwork indicates the bridge requires firmware version 65536 or higher (and that number doesn’t map in an obvious way to the software version listed in my Hue app). Presumably a corresponding app update will also be required for management.
Despite the jargon (Thread, controller, border router, oh my!), Matter’s goal is to increase interoperability, reduce friction in the smart home. tbd if and when that happens, but if you’re unfamiliar go check out Verge’s Matter explainer of the new standard.
Just a note that 65536 is 2^15, or 0x10000.
That makes me think that all previous versions were in the lower 16 bits, so perhaps anything that uses the upper 16 bits is Matter-enabled or something like that.
The Verge heard from Hue, who says this will launch by March of 2023. Also, Apple HomeKit connections will have to be reset, which is less than ideal in my estimation. Like I said, tbd if/when Matter improves things.
https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/3/23438437/philips-hue-bridge-matter-certified-smart-home-update
Someone must have enjoyed setting that firmware number. It’s exactly 64kb expressed in bytes.
Probably the same people who submitted this FCC filing. https://twitter.com/davezatz/status/440591690194112512?s=46&t=chvZWcE1EJp1-wKao2sM1Q