Smart home glossary

Matter is the interoperability standard from the Connectivity Standards Alliance. A Matter-certified device is designed to work across supporting ecosystems rather than only one vendor's app. The 1.5 release extended coverage to cameras, unified closures such as shades and garage doors, soil sensors, and expanded energy data features.

Thread is a low-power wireless mesh network used by many battery devices and is one of the connectivity technologies Matter runs over. It needs a border router, which is built into many hubs and smart speakers, to reach the rest of your network. Zigbee and Z-Wave are older low-power mesh protocols still widely used and typically require their own hub.

Hub is the device that bridges protocols and can run automations. Local control means automations execute on hardware in your house rather than on the manufacturer's servers, so they keep working when your internet does not.

Scene is a saved set of device states you trigger at once. Automation or routine is a rule that fires on a trigger such as time, motion or arrival. Geofencing triggers automations based on your phone crossing a boundary around your home.

How to choose

Look for Matter certification, not "works with Matter" marketing

Certification is the meaningful signal. Check the manufacturer's spec sheet.

Know whether you have a Thread border router

Thread devices need one. Many hubs and smart speakers include it, but not all do.

Ask whether control is local or cloud

It determines what still works during an internet outage and what happens if the vendor shuts down.

Do not confuse a hub with a router

Your Wi-Fi router carries traffic; a smart home hub bridges protocols and runs automations. You often need both.