Matter is the next-gen smart home protocol that aims to bring all your smart home devices under one roof, irrespective of the device manufacturer and the platform they support. The standard promises interoperability between devices and enables them to work offline without requiring constant access to an internet connection. Matter launched in November 2022, two years after its initial promised date. While the smart home standard has been off to a promising start with the backing of nearly all major brands, its promise has hit a significant hurdle. Belkin's smart home brand Wemo has decided to pause development on all Matter-compatible accessories.

Belkin's Corporate Development and Global Communications head Hen Wei confirmed to The Verge that the company is stopping development on its Matter accessories for now. While Belkin is hopeful of Matter's impact on the smart home market, it wants to "rethink" its approach to smart home accessories.

At CES 2022, Wemo announced the launch of updated versions of almost all its popular smart home accessories like smart plugs, light switches, and smart dimmers with Thread compatibility. Matter support was promised to arrive via a firmware update later in 2022. But now that Belkin has given up on the smart home standard, don't expect Thread-compatible Wemo products to gain Matter support.

Without Matter, you are limited to controlling Wemo accessories over Thread through your iPhone, Apple Watch, Mac, or Siri since they only support HomeKit. Thread only allows these devices to work offline without direct internet connection access and simplifies the initial setup process.

It is unclear why Belkin decided to give up on Matter, and the company might change its mind in the future. But for now, this move is notable, especially since Belkin is the first company to give up on the much-hyped smart home standard. Matter's entire promise of a smarter and interoperable home will fall apart without support from accessory makers. It remains to be seen if other companies will follow Belkin's footsteps and abandon support for Matter on their products.