Subj : Matter now available on over 100 million Echo devices thanks to r
To   : All
From : TechnologyDaily
Date : Tue May 02 2023 23:45:04

Matter now available on over 100 million Echo devices thanks to recent update

Date:
Tue, 02 May 2023 22:30:00 +0000

Description:
In addition to expanding support for Matter, Amazon enters a new partnership 
with smart home company Eve Systems.

FULL STORY
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Amazon is rolling out a substantial Matter update by expanding support to 
more hardware, improving the compatibility between the smart home standard 
and Alexa. 

A big part of the overall package is all the changes coming to the companys 
Echo line. Starting today, the second generation Echo, Echo Plus , and Echo 
Dot  speakers will upgrade into proper Matter controllers for your at-home 
network. 

The Echo (4th Gen) now supports the Thread protocol giving it another 
category of gadgets to control in addition to those on Wi-Fi, Zigbee , and 
Bluetooth Low Energy Mesh. 

Put everything together, you now have over 100 million Echo devices across 20 
models supporting the smart home standard, according to a post on the Amazon 
Developer Blog . And to help out any newfound customers, the update will also 
allow people to set up their Matter devices with iOS. 

The other half of the roll out involves smart home brand Eve Systems 
integrating its own products with Amazons platform. Eve systems adopts Matter 
standard 

First, Eve Systems devices will now support the Matter standard as well as 
the Thread protocol, running contrary to the brands previous decisions of 
only operating with certain smart home systems. Additionally, Eve products 
being sold on Amazon will have a Works with Alexa (WWA) badge slapped on 
product listings. Gadgets with the WWA certification are confirmed to work 
with Alexa, promising to deliver a great experience with the digital 
assistant. 

The last update has Eve System is enabling Frustration Free Setup (FFS) to 
its Matter lineup. FFS, if you dont know, is the Amazon's attempt at 
simplifying the device setup experience. 

For example, customers can ask the tech giant to enter Wi-Fi credentials into 
a Fire TV at checkout. That way, when the Fire TV gets to your house, its 
already set up and all you have to do is plug it in. With regards to Eve 
Systems, the first batch getting this feature consists of the Eve Energy 
smart plug , Eve Motion , and the Eve Door & Windows smart contact sensor. 

The FFS upgrade will be released later this month, running contrary to the 
rest of the update. And when it does, those products will work right out of 
the box the moment they get turned on. 

Amazon states Eve Systems has plans to expand FFS to all its Matter-enabled 
devices seemingly hinting at another round, but didnt give any further 
details. We asked Amazon for more information on the future release, and we 
will update this story if and when we hear back from the company. 

In the meantime, don't forget to check out TechRadars list of the best cheap 
Amazon Echo deals for May 2023 .



======================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/news/matter-now-available-on-over-100-million-echo-d
evices-thanks-to-recent-update


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