Triple smart home: Fritzsmart gateway now with Zigbee, DECT-ULE and Matter
The first Matter Bridge from AVM is in the Fritzsmart Gateway. DECT ULE and Zigbee devices can now be controlled via Alexa, Google or Siri voice commands.
(Image: AVM)
A year ago, AVM announced that it would gradually introduce the Matter industry standard to its smart home control centers. Now, the first beta version of FritzOS for the Fritzsmart gateway gives you an idea of what AVM's Matter implementation could look like on Fritzboxes: FritzOS version 7.62-113994 turns the Fritzsmart gateway into a Matter bridge.
According to AVM, this means that the gateway will "seamlessly" forward all smart home devices registered in the Fritzbox network to a higher-level Matter network. As a result, common smart home apps designed for Matter can now control not only Matter devices, but also DECT, HAN-FUN and Zigbee devices on the entire Fritzbox network. The gateway accepts commands from Amazon's Alexa or the Home app from Apple or Google and forwards them to the corresponding smart home device in the Fritz network. At the network level, the Fritzsmart gateway communicates as a Matter bridge with a Matter controller such as Amazon Echo Dot, Apple HomePod or Google Nest Hub. The Matter controller specifies which platform and app is used to control the Matter network.
A useful consequence of this is that the devices registered in the Fritz network can be controlled by voice command without any special precautions. AVM cites the commands "Siri, switch the Fritz radiator controller to 20 degrees" and "Hey Google, open the DECT garage door" as examples. The DECT-based radio-controlled sockets developed by AVM or Zigbee sockets from other manufacturers can also be switched in this way or linked to Matter-compatible motion detectors, for example.
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Quick test with a smart home dozen
To try out Matter with Fritz devices, you need a Fritzbox with built-in DECT ULE, the Fritzsmart gateway, a smart home device (DECT ULE, HAN-FUN or Zigbee) and a Matter controller or a smart home control center from Google, Apple or Amazon.
In a short test with a Matter network based on Apple's HomePod, dozens of DECT and Zigbee devices registered on a Fritzbox 7590 and a Fritzsmart gateway could be integrated into the higher-level Matter network. This includes several Fritz DECT thermostats as well as DECT and Zigbee sockets. All you have to do is link the Matter network and the Fritzsmart gateway. The process is initiated via the gateway's web interface and via the Home app on an iPhone or iPad; the Home app takes the pairing information from a QR code that the gateway's web interface outputs with a click of the mouse. Alternatively, AVM's Bridge can also be paired to the Matter controller using its ID.
(Image: c't / dz)
The Home app then lists all the devices reported by the Fritzsmart gateway one after the other and offers to assign them to the respective rooms. This is easy, especially as you can easily recognize the devices by the names listed in the gateway. Subsequent name or room changes are possible at any time in Apple's Home app.
As this is a beta version, which should expressly not be used in a productive environment, this also became apparent in the short test. For example, two FritzDECT 400 buttons manufactured by AVM could not be integrated at all and Apple's Home app could only read the temperature sensor on the FritzDECT 440. With some radiator thermostats, it reported unrealistically high or low temperatures - unlike the gateway.
The gateway as a Matter pioneer
AVM uses the Fritzsmart gateway as a learning environment for implementing new smart home functions. For example, the device was the first to receive Zigbee technology when it first appeared on the market. The concepts developed for this were later incorporated into the Fritzbox 6670 Cable and 7690 DSL models. These two models and the soon to be available Fritzbox 5690 Pro could receive Matter in the fall.
The open Matter specification was developed by Amazon, Apple and Google, among others, as a cross-manufacturer technology that allows smart home devices from a wide range of manufacturers to be networked and operated via a standardized app. AVM has published a detailed list of all new functions and instructions for installing the FritzOS beta version for the Fritzsmart gateway at avm.de/labor. Further information about Matter with Fritz can be found at avm.de/service/matter-mit-fritz.
(dz)
