In a recent tweet, the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) welcomed several new member companies to their organization, including Roborock. While no specifics regarding Roborock’s inclusion were made by the CSA or the brand, this may be a sign that Roborock is entertaining incorporating robot vacuum support for the smart home standard.
A tweet posted on X, formerly Twitter, read, “Welcome to our newest members! We look forward to your invaluable contributions in helping the Alliance pave the way to a world of #seamless interaction transforming the way we live, work and play.”
The post was accompanied by the following image:
About Matter
Matter is a protocol focused on delivering reliable, secure, and simplified interoperability for IoT devices. From the consumer’s standpoint, a Matter device, such as a robot vacuum, doorbell or video camera from one manufacturer, would work on any Matter smart home network.
What’s more, Matter has the support of virtually every smart home company, including Amazon Echo, Apple Home, Google Home, Nest, and Samsung SmartThings. For Roborock robot vacuum owners, this might mean being able to incorporate their robot vacuum into all major smart home environments.
Matter Robot Vacuum Support
One roadblock standing in the way of integrating Roborock robot vacuums into Matter is Matter itself, as robot vacuums devices are planned for but not currently a supported device type.
Robot vacuums were expected to be a part of the May 2023 Matter 1.1 release but were absent.
Device Categories Supported by Matter
According to a set of frequently asked questions about Matter on the CSA website, supported device categories include:
- Bridges
- Controllers
- Door locks
- HVAC controls
- Lighting and electrical
- Media devices
- Safety and security sensors
- Window coverings and shades
Future Device Categories
Device categories that the CSA says their Alliance members have “begun defining” include ambient sensors, appliances, cameras, dynamic lighting, electric vehicle charging, energy management, home router and access point, robot vacuums, smoke and CO2, televisions, and water management.
What Would Matter Mean for Roborock Robot Vacuum Owners?
With Roborock not making any mention of joining the CSA or plans for integrating Matter into their devices, it’s difficult to know how support might eventually roll out.
Some smart home devices required a simple firmware update to support Matter. Current owners hope that, at the very least, Roborock’s 2023 models, like the S8 Pro Ultra (Amazon), S7 Max Ultra (Amazon), and Q Revo (Amazon), were developed with Matter in mind.
With no robot vacuums currently using Matter, another unknown is how extensive initial integration will be. The most common robot vacuum functionality, such as start and stop cleaning, will almost certainly be supported. But, most mid-range and premium robot vacuums offer a long list of features for highly customized home cleaning routines.
Roborock and Other CSA Companies
Current and past robot vacuum manufacturers who were members of the CSA at the time of Roborock joining include Bosch, Dyson, LG, Miele, Panasonic, Samsung and TP Link.
While other vacuum cleaners do have advanced app-based features, the autonomous nature of robot vacuums and mops makes them the most logical fit for Matter inclusion.
More information about the Connectivity Standards Alliance can be found at their website, csa-iot.org.
