Get started with Matter

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  Developer Preview release  

Google's Home Developer program allows device manufacturers to connect their smart home devices with the Google Home ecosystem. We are expanding the Smart Home Actions local fulfillment path with an ability to add Matter-enabled devices for setup using the Google Home app (GHA) on Android and control them using Google Assistant, GHA, or smart displays like the Google Nest Hub (2nd gen).

This documentation describes how to get started with building and integrating a Matter-supported platform in the Google Home ecosystem.

Disclaimers

Regarding the procedures described in this Developer Preview of Matter, be aware of the following:

  • The account used for development should only have a single Matter-enabled hub connected for testing. Multiple Matter-enabled hubs connected at the same time or connected to the same structure during testing could result in unpredictable behavior.
  • All procedures assume the use of a Linux machine running Ubuntu 20.04 for building and flashing Matter samples, which have been tested by Google. While MacOS machines are supported, Linux is recommended. Mac-specific instructions are called out in the procedures as needed.
  • Only the Android version of the GHA is supported.

Definitions

The following terms are used throughout this documentation:

Border router
A hub that implements a general-purpose Thread Border Router for Thread-enabled devices.
Hub
A supported Google Nest device, such as the Google Nest Hub (2nd gen). A hub is required to control Matter-enabled devices through other surfaces such as Assistant, the GHA, and smart displays.
Matter-enabled device
A device or development board that has been flashed with a Matter-enabled build or sample app.
Mobile device
The test phone used to assist with pairing. Currently this is an Android phone.

Prerequisites

Recommended IDE extensions for Matter development

In order to fully integrate a Matter-enabled device with the Google Home ecosystem, a developer must have:

  1. A Google hub with Thread support to serve as both a Border Router for Thread-enabled devices and as a local fulfillment path for routing Smart Home intents.
  2. A mobile device (test phone) that meets the minimum requirements:
    • Android O (8.1, API level 27) or newer (iOS support to be added later)
    • BLE capability
  3. A Vendor ID (VID) and Product ID (PID) for the Matter-enabled device.
  4. A Matter-enabled device. This device should be one of the Matter device types currently supported in the Google Home ecosystem, and could be:
    • Your own product with Matter-enabled firmware.
    • A development board of a supported vendor platform that can serve as a Matter-enabled device for end-to-end verification. The following platforms are supported:
Table: Matter examples from silicon vendors
Vendor Platform Guides Thread Support
Bouffalo Lab BL602 Quick Start
BL702 Quick Start
Espressif ESP32 Quick Start
OTA Testing
Nordic Semiconductor nRF52840 DK Quick Start
OTA Testing
NXP IOTZTB-DK006 development kit Quick Start
Realtek Ameba D Series Quick Start
Silicon Labs EFR32MG Zigbee and Thread Starter Kit Quick Start
EFR32MG24 Dev Kit Quick Start
Telink TLSR9518 Quick Start

Vendor ID

By default, you can use one of the VIDs allocated by the CSA for testing purposes. Select one of the following: 0xFFF1, 0xFFF2, 0xFFF3, 0xFFF4.

To use a Production VID so that your integration can be certified and launched, you must first have it verified by Google to ensure that it has been issued to you by the CSA.

This VID should be implemented in your device's firmware.

A Matter device can only be paired in the Google Home ecosystem in certain Vendor ID and device type scenarios.

Table: Vendor ID (VID) and device type pairing scenarios
Which types of users can commission the device into the Google Home ecosystem?
VID type VID certification and registration status Production
(Consumer users)
Development
(Developers, Field Trial users)
Test Not registered (cannot be certified) N/A N/A
Test Registered in the Developer Console (cannot be certified) N/A
Production Not certified, not registered N/A
Production Not certified, registered in the Developer Console
Production Certified in the CSA DCL, not registered N/A
Production Certified in the CSA DCL and registered in the Developer Console

Product ID

Information about the device is read using the Matter Descriptor clusters, rather than the Product ID. You may assign any Product ID during development, according to your company's numbering scheme—as long as it matches the Product ID of your Matter integration, if specified.

Unsupported features

Some Matter clusters are not yet exposed to users, though they may be used by the system. In most cases, this means that attributes exposed via these clusters will not be visible to end users:

Table: Matter clusters not exposed to users in the Google Home ecosystem
Cluster Type Clusters
Core
  • Binding
  • Label
  • Fixed Label
  • User Label
  • Actions
  • Group Key
  • Localization Configuration
  • Time Format Localization
  • Unit Localization
  • Power Source Configuration
  • Power Source
  • Diagnostics clusters (Diagnostic Logs, General Diagnostics, Software Diagnostics, Thread Network Diagnostics, Wi-Fi Network Diagnostics, Ethernet Network Diagnostics)
  • Time Synchronization
  • Mode Select
Application
  • Groups and Scenes are not directly supported. Equivalent functionality is available via Routines.
  • All Media clusters. Equivalent functionality is available via Google Cast.