Matter Controllers and Hubs: The Brain of Your Smart Home

When you set up a new Matter device, it’s securely linked to the “Matter Controller” of the smart home app or ecosystem you’ve chosen to use it with, enabling it to manage and control the device.

Think of a Matter Controller as the brain, or the conductor, of your smart home. It allows you to connect and control your Matter devices, such as your lights, locks, and sensors.

In many cases, your Matter Controller will be the same device that enables you to run automations, or remotely access your smart home devices. And it usually works with an app that enables you to set up and control your smart home devices through it.

If you’re already using a smart home ecosystem, you probably already own a Matter Controller. And if you don’t, they’re built into many devices you would want to have in your smart home.

Those include smart speakers, smart displays, Wi-Fi routers, set-top and streaming boxes, and even some TVs and refrigerators, as well as traditional smart home “hubs.”

What’s important is that Matter Controllers are specific to the smart home ecosystem or brand you want to use your devices with. So if you want to connect your new lightbulb to Alexa, you’d need to have a Matter Controller from Amazon, such as an Echo device. Or a HomePod for Apple Home, a Google Nest Hub for Google, or a Samsung Smart TV for SmartThings.

Common Controller Device Types

Matter Controllers work with the smart home ecosystem you want to connect them to

  • smart speaker icon

    Smart Speakers and Displays

    These are very common devices with built-in Matter Controllers, providing voice and screen-based interfaces to manage your home.

  • router icon

    Wi-Fi Routers

    Some newer routers and access points have Matter Controller capabilities baked in, making your home network even more powerful without adding extra boxes.

  • TV icon

    Smart TVs and Set-top Boxes

    Some popular TVs, set-top boxes, or streaming accessories can often operate as Matter Controllers.

  • Icon of a fridge

    Smart Appliances

    Some large “white goods” such as refrigerators, can now act as controllers for the rest of your Matter network.

  • icon of a hub / set top box

    Smart Home Hubs

    If you’re already running a smart home via a dedicated hub, there’s a good chance it includes a Matter Controller.

Controllers, Hubs, Bridges and More…

While “Matter Controller” is the official term used by the Connectivity Standards Alliance, and you might find it used in blogs, articles, or discussion forums, you will often see these devices described or advertised as a Matter “hub.”

In the smart home world, the word “hub” is the most common way to describe a central device that serves as a connection point for multiple smart home products. So devices with Matter Controllers built in, often get called a “hub”.

matter controllers icons

A lot of smart home ecosystems also use the term “hub” to indicate that a device includes this kind of functionality.

You might see promotions claiming your Google TV Streamer “can work as a hub for Google Home,” an Amazon Echo with a “built-in smart home hub that lets you easily set up and manage dozens of smart devices,” a Samsung TV that may “already be a smart home hub—ready to connect and control devices,” or an Apple HomePod that “can be set up as a smart home hub, giving you access to your home while you’re away.”

As far as your Matter smart home experience is concerned, a hub like any of these is a Matter Controller for the brand or ecosystem you want to connect Matter devices to.

Some Matter devices—especially battery-powered ones like sensors or door locks—use a wireless network technology called Thread.

You’ll often see Matter Controllers and Thread Border Routers mentioned together. While a Controller is the brain, a Thread Border Router is what’s needed to connect your Thread devices to your home’s Wi-Fi or Ethernet.

matter and thread icons

Often, devices that act as Matter Controllers also include a Thread Border Router, including in many popular existing devices you may already have in your home. If you’re adding Thread devices to your home, you’ll want to check with your favorite smart home app or ecosystem to make sure the hub you have from them supports Thread.

A Matter Bridge is a little different. Bridges don’t run the whole show like a Controller; instead, they act as “translators” for non-Matter devices, allowing your existing non-Matter devices (such as those using Zigbee) to connect to Matter Controllers, and become part of your Matter-based smart home.

Matter Bridging Examples

Many devices that act as hubs for particular brands—like the Philips Hue Bridge, IKEA Dirigera Hub, or an Aqara Hub, are able to also act as a Matter Bridge—connecting non-Matter devices attached to those hubs to Matter apps and ecosystems.

Unlike a Controller, a Bridge alone doesn’t manage the entire network; its specific job is to help your non-Matter smart devices interact with Matter devices and vice versa.