Home Assistant, the leading open-source smart home platform, has released the first beta of its upcoming 2024.10.0 version, introducing significant enhancements to its Matter integration. Highlighting the update are new features such as support for smoke and carbon monoxide sensors, and advanced energy management capabilities through Matter 1.3 power and energy sensors.
(Credit: Home Assistant)
As Home Assistant accelerates toward Matter certification, this beta release emphasizes improved stability and expanded device support. The enhanced Matter integration ensures a more reliable setup process, even if individual device issues occur, providing users with seamless connectivity across a growing ecosystem of smart home devices.
Key features of Matter in this beta release include:
- Smoke and CO Sensor Support: Users can now integrate smoke and carbon monoxide sensors into their Home Assistant system, enabling real-time monitoring of air quality and enhancing home safety through timely alerts.
- Matter 1.3 Power/Energy Sensors: The update supports power and energy sensors compliant with Matter 1.3. These sensors can be integrated with Home Assistant’s energy dashboard, allowing users to track energy consumption meticulously and optimize usage for better energy management.
- Button Entities: New button entities enable users to perform specific actions on devices directly from the Home Assistant interface. Functions like device identification or resetting filter states become more accessible, enhancing control and convenience.
- Valve Entities: Support for water valves has been added, allowing users to control the flow of fluids or gases within their smart home systems. This feature is particularly useful for managing irrigation systems, gas lines, or other fluid control applications.
- Support for Operation States: Users gain the ability to monitor and control the operation states of household appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines. This provides greater oversight of appliance status and enables more efficient automation routines.
These updates underscore Home Assistant’s commitment to advancing its platform by embracing the latest smart home technology standards. The continuous enhancements to the Matter integration demonstrate a dedication to providing users with a connected, efficient, and secure smart home environment.
Home Assistant claimed in its release note that the community is encouraged to participate in the beta testing phase to experience the new features firsthand and contribute feedback. This collaborative approach reinforces Home Assistant’s position as a cornerstone in the open-source smart home landscape, as it moves closer to full Matter certification.