The Broadband Forum has launched a new interface designed to give broadband service providers and application developers a unified way to manage Matter-enabled devices across smart-home networks.
The Matter Service API, defined in the Broadband Forum’s TR-517 standard, provides a common interface for accessing Matter-powered devices regardless of manufacturer.
The organisation said the API will allow providers and developers to develop services once rather than creating separate integrations for individual Matter ecosystems.
“Industry efforts around Matter have successfully made smart home devices work together, but access to those devices is still frequently controlled through proprietary ecosystems,” said Jason Walls, Connected User Work Area Co-Director at the Broadband Forum and Director of Technical Marketing at QA Cafe. “This means that customer experience services, such as diagnostics, automation services, energy management solutions, and customer support tools can be deployed at scale to fix Matter-related smart home issues before customers even notice them.”
Matter is designed to allow connected devices from different manufacturers, including Apple, Google, Amazon and Samsung, to communicate over a network. As the standard expands into additional device categories, the Broadband Forum said a common service layer is becoming increasingly important.
Recent Matter releases have added support for cameras, energy-management devices, appliances, sensors and shading systems, alongside existing smart-home applications.
“Many Matter-enabled smart home deployments remain tied to proprietary cloud platforms, mobile applications, and vendor-specific integrations,” said Xavier Roubaud, Connected Home Product Line Director at Orange Innovation. “As a result, service providers and third-party developers often face a fragmented landscape when attempting to build services that work across devices from different manufacturers,” he added.
The Matter Service API combines the Broadband Forum’s User Services Platform (USP/TR-369) with the Matter protocol. TR-517 establishes a common API and data model for managing Matter devices through broadband gateways, routers and smart-home hubs.
The standard is also designed to accommodate changes to the Matter ecosystem. Its data model is automatically aligned with Matter’s evolving device definitions, allowing service providers to support new device types as they are introduced.
The Broadband Forum said the interface could support a range of customer-facing and operational services, including diagnostics, automation, energy management and customer support.
The launch comes as broadband providers increasingly look beyond connectivity towards services that can be delivered through the connected home. A common interface for Matter devices could reduce the integration work required to develop and deploy those services across different hardware ecosystems.
The Broadband Forum will provide further details on TR-517 during a webinar on August 27, focused on using the USP-Matter Service API to develop open smart-home services.
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