In the ever-evolving world of smart home technology, compatibility and connectivity are paramount. The ability to seamlessly integrate different devices and platforms is what makes the smart home experience truly smart. At SmartThings, we constantly work to expand our ecosystem and ensure users have the flexibility to choose, connect, and control a wide range of devices. Today, we are thrilled to take that commitment a major step further by announcing support for third-party Matter bridges. 

What Are Matter Bridges? 

Matter bridges are a critical piece of the puzzle when creating a unified and interoperable smart home ecosystem. They serve as connectors, allowing device makers with non-Matter devices (such as Zigbee, Z-Wave, and proprietary connectivity) to seamlessly integrate with Matter ecosystems. These bridges represent non-Matter devices on a Matter network, and vice versa, acting as translators to facilitate communication between devices on either side of the bridge. Many popular brands have announced their hubs — including millions already in homes today — will act as Matter bridges, allowing SmartThings users to connect hundreds of new devices. 

A Seamless Integration Experience 

One of the key benefits of SmartThings’ support for third-party Matter bridges is the effortless onboarding process. When users commission Matter bridges to SmartThings, we take care of the heavy lifting by automatically onboarding all bridged devices, ensuring a hassle-free setup. 

We also continually synchronize with the bridge, so that if a user adds or removes a bridged device in your app, SmartThings responds immediately, updating to reflect those changes. This real-time synchronization ensures users always have an accurate view of their smart home. 

Expanding Reach with Works With SmartThings 

We know developers are eager to reach a broader audience. That’s why we’re excited to announce support for bridges is also coming to the Works With SmartThings program. This expansion creates new opportunities for developers to promote bridges and bridge-connected devices to millions of Samsung users. 

With Works With SmartThings, manufacturers can promote their products to a vast and diverse community of users who are looking to start and grow their smart homes. It’s a powerful platform for showcasing devices and driving adoption among users who value compatibility and interoperability with their Samsung devices and SmartThings-powered homes. 

SmartThings’ support for third-party Matter bridges gives users more choices in the devices they enable their smart home with and gives developers more choices in how they integrate those devices. We’re proud to continue leading interoperability and openness in the smart home industry and invite developers to join us on our journey.

Interested in learning more? Contact us at partners@smartthings.com.