Matter has the goal of being an interoperable **standard**
that fosters technology adoption and innovation, gradually replacing proprietary
protocols for **smart home ecosystems**.

Matter is implemented by an **open source SDK** that
contains not only the implementation of the specification but also a rich set of
examples and interoperable code. The core Matter protocol
fits on the top three layers in the context of
[OSI](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OSI_model), meaning it can run over any type
of IPv6 transport and network. While control and other operational communication
are performed over IPv6, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) may be
employed to commission new devices^[1](https://developers.home.google.com/matter/primer.md.txt#fn1)^.
![Matter, OSI and TCP/IP layer side by side](https://developers.home.google.com/static/matter/primer/images/primer-matter-architecture.png) *Figure 1: Matter, OSI and TCP/IP layers*

Matter is **flexible** and **interoperable** . It builds
upon years of challenges and successes of low power 802.15.4 networks as well as
Wi-Fi smart home devices. Like Thread,
Matter builds atop IPv6. It includes strong cryptography, a
well-defined modeling of Device Types and their data, and the support for
multiple ecosystem administrators.

Matter also supports **bridging** of other Smart Home
technologies such as Zigbee, Bluetooth Mesh and Z-Wave.
This means that devices based on these protocols may be operated as if they were
Matter devices through a **Bridge** , which is a member
device of both a Matter network and the other, bridged, IoT
technologies.

There is a dual advantage to Bridges. The devices that use other protocols
gain access to technologies and ecosystems that target native
Matter devices. Meanwhile Matter will
leverage mature technologies with large installed user bases to create a
**true web of connected things**.

## Prerequisites

This primer assumes you have a good working knowledge of the following:

- Networking and routing concepts
- IPv6

Familiarity with Wi-Fi technology and the Thread networking
protocol is not required, but useful to have.

*** ** * ** ***

1. BLE is a point-to-point protocol that does not implement IP. Thus, for the
   purposes of Matter 1.0, BLE should be seen as a
   onboarding technology that enables easy commissioning of devices. [↩](https://developers.home.google.com/matter/primer.md.txt#fnref1)