How Do Robot Vacuums Work with Matter?

Matter is an open-source connectivity standard that simplifies your smart home ecosystem. It’s like a way for smart home devices to talk to each other, no matter what brand they are because it uses a common language that different devices can use to communicate. This is especially convenient for robot vacuums because it allows them to easily integrate and work better with other smart home gadgets. Almost half of Australians in a survey conducted by Savvy are willing to spend AUD 1,500 on smart home devices, so, it’s not surprising that Matter will soon be widely adopted as the new standard to unify and simplify this growing smart home ecosystem.

Why Choose a Matter-Compatible Robot Vacuum?

One of the biggest benefits of a Matter-compatible robot vacuum is that it is able to interact easily with other smart home devices that you own . This means that you can easily integrate your robot vacuum with smart speakers, light, sensors and other connected appliances. For example, a Matter-enabled smart vacuum could start cleaning automatically when your smart lock detects that you’ve left the house . Or it could stop cleaning when your smart doorbell detects that someone has arrived. This allows you to control and coordinate your auto vacuum through voice commands, mobile apps or even schedule cleaning based on your routines.

For example, a Matter-enabled smart vacuum could integrate with a smart thermostat and pause its cleaning cycle when the home temperature rises above a certain threshold to avoid disrupting your family's comfort. Your robot vacuum could also be voice-controlled through smart speakers and allow users to start, pause, or send it to specific rooms with simple voice commands.

Which Robot Vacuum Support Matter?

Whether your robot floor cleaner supports the Matter standard depends on its brand and mode l. As this new universal connectivity protocol gains traction in the smart home market, more and more robot vacuum manufacturers are incorporating Matter compatibility into their latest product offerings.

At CES 2024, ECOVACS revealed its first robot vacuum, the DEEBOT X2 COMBO, that will be compatible with Matter. This model can seamlessly connect with other Matter-compatible devices in your home like voice assistants, smart plugs, and home security systems. This allows you to control your automatic vacuum through a variety of platforms, whether it's through the ECOVACS app, your preferred voice assistant, or even third-party smart home integrations.

While smart home technology has definitely improved when it comes to security in recent years, Matter uses cryptographic verification to make sure any new devices you add are officially Matter-certified before they're allowed to connect to your home network. This adds an extra layer of control and protection to keep your home safe.

How Do Robot Vacuums Connect to Matter?

As smart home technology gets easier to use and more compatible, many of your existing smart home gadgets will be able to get upgraded to the new Matter standard through simple software updates. Remember to check in with your device manufacturers to keep updated on when their products will support Matter.

In general, setting up a new Matter device is expected to be straightforward because it uses digital codes and QR codes and a Bluetooth connection . You’ll likely be able to get a new Matter device connected to your home network, apps and smart home system simply by scanning a code or typing in a number.

Currently, the Matter smart home standard includes support for robot vacuums, but the necessary platforms to control the smart vacuum with Matter are not available just yet . For example, ECOVACS' DEEBOT X2 COMBO includes the Matter spec, but major smart home platforms like Apple Home (Siri), Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings have not yet integrated these robot vacuums through Matter 1.2 devices.

This will change with the release of iOS 18 in October 2024, which will introduce support for Matter-enabled auto vacuum cleaners in the Apple Home app . Matter 1.2 will add support for robot vacuums to start and stop, adjust cleaning modes, receive notifications and alerts. While the underlying standard is in place, the real-world integration of Matter-compatible automatic vacuum cleaners with leading smart home ecosystems is still a work in progress.

Troubleshooting Robot Vacuum Connectivity Issues with Matter

If you’re facing issues while connecting your robot vacuum to Matter, these solutions should get your device up and running smoothly in no time.

Intermittent Connectivity Loss

If you keep losing Wi-Fi connection or if the signal strength is weak, you may not be able to connect your auto vacuum to Matter network. Make sure your home Wi-Fi network is stable and has a strong signal. If your network is spotty, try moving your router or upgrading to a more powerful model. Also check that the robot vacuum is within range of the Wi-Fi and make sure that there are no physical obstacles around. If the issue persists, you may need to reset the robot vacuum or update its firmware.

Matter Pairing Errors

When you’re attempting to pair your robot vacuum with the Matter network, you might face pairing errors. This could be because you’ve added incorrect credentials, your network is not compatible, or there are problems with the device's setup. To avoid this, make sure you're entering the correct login information, check that your router and other smart home devices support the Matter standard. Also check whether the network code is entered correctly or whether the correct QR code is scanned. Consult the auto vacuum's manufacturer for any specific pairing instructions or firmware updates.

Your Robot Vacuum Is Not Compatible with Matter

If you have an older model of a robot vacuum, it may not be compatible with Matter. While some previous robot vacuum models will be upgraded to be paired with Matter,this won’t be the case for some older models. The DEEBOT X2 COMBO is the first ECOVACS model to be compatible with Matter, and some later models will also get this update. The best solution is to check with the manufacturer to see if your model can be updated or replaced with a newer Matter-compatible version.

Limited Manufacturer Adoption of the Matter System

Connecting your robot vacuum to Matter can be tricky when some big manufacturers haven’t adopted the Matter system. But the good news is that the technology is rapidly evolving. Stay up to date on the latest development s to find out when you’ll be able to connect your device to the Matter system.