Adopting Matter?

I stick to what I said about Sonos participating to the patent wars and playing the bully. I never said Google was better, but that doesn’t excuse Sonos from doing it. It’s unfortunate because I like Sonos, and have for years. But I feel the company is loosing it’s edge, and ramping up lawyer rather than engineers and designers, which is sad to see. This is to the point that today, if I was to spend 10 grand in a sound system for the house, I wouldn’t pick Sonos. 

As for Matter: it’s brand new, so obviosuly there isn’t much using it now. But most major vendors have announced they’d join. As for what I’d like to be able to do, maybe direct my doorbell to Sonos speakers. Or my bed alarm. Automatically shift my phone’s music to my Sonos when I arrive home. Blast alarm noise when my camera detect a burglar. Or tell my dog to get off the couch remotely, etc, etc, etc. The list is so long.

https://csa-iot.org/members/

Sonos is on the CSA Matter list right now :)

Thanks so much for sharing this! It’s really good to see that Sonos has joined the CSA Alliance which will likely bring Matter support to their products. Hopefully, it can be done via an update rather than new products. 

I think this is the whole point of why we’re hoping Sonos adopts Matter - because Google/GAssistant, Amazon/Alexa. Apple/HomeKit, Samsung/SmartThings, IKEA/Tradfri, etc are all members and ALL devices that work with Matter will automatically work with each and every other Matter member company. This means, specifically, that you can control things from the SmartThings app, use Alexa or GAssistant interchangeably for voice control, use HomeKit integrations or Siri Shortcuts at will. It’s designed for multiple controls, as the consumer sees fit. Google joining the CSA/Matter/Thread standard means that this current stipulation/limitation that Google artificially forces (where you can’t have Alexa and GA on the same device) will be a thing of the past for any Matter devices.

I’m really happy to see Sonos on the CSA member list. 

I’m not so sure that I agree with you here.  The issue of Sonos not integrating with other multi room speakers is more to do with the propriety buffering/audio sync approach, rather than simple connectivity.  Thread and Matter is about connectivity between Smart Home devices, I have seen nothing to indicate Audio Synchronisation would be included in this framework.

That’s not to say that Sonos couldn’t use this framework to standardise the connection with local Audio Sources or perhaps to make SonosNet Thread compliant.  However, if I was a product manager within Sonos, this wouldn’t be at the top of my priority list and definitely not above local voice control (Snips)

Smart Home integration is already available via the Sonos API.  I successfully use Home Assistant and Hubitat to connect to my Sonos system, either as a single or grouped devices now.  Thread should make this integration easier and at a local, rather cloud level.  The advantage that Thread has over existing connectivity approaches (e.g. Zigbee & Z-Wave) is auto repairing and no single point of failure and that devices can change their role if a specific device fails.  e.g. in the diagram below, if the leader fails another device can change itself to fullfill that role.  From a Sonos perspective, the Roam and Zoom would take on the properties of ‘Sleepy end devices’ when using their battery as a power source, whilst using the properties of ‘End Devices’ when mains powered - as the other Sonos devices would do.  The question of using a Sonos mains device as a ‘Router’ or ‘Leader’ device, could be an option and could be a useful approach for reducing wi-fi interference in congested environments.

Sonos has continued it’s stated aim of releasing 2-3 new products or major functionality improvements per year - can you point out any reduction in new technology as a result of the litigation around patents? 

The reason for Sonos enforcing their patents isn’t about stopping others from using their technology per se, it’s about enforcing a licensing model that stops big tech players from offering to integrate to their technology and then stealing that USP for their own benefit and at no cost. There are lots of factual cases of bullying from Apple, Amazon and Google and using their market dominance to keep smaller companies from competing on a level playing field.  Sonos have invested a lot of time and money to get to a position where they are profitable and their shares listed.  Can you point to one factual case of Sonos bullying? I for one think it only just that if partners become aware of their technology by collaboratory projects, that they license rather than steal that technology.

All achievable now and set-up in my home - well apart from the dog part, my cat just ignores me, remotely or at home!

When Sonos added WiFi support for their speakers back in the day, it resulted in a lot of customer frustration that exists to this day. Consumer routers often do a crap job of supported basic networking over multiple transports. Does anyone think these same routers (and other third party devices) are going to support Matter in a solid and reliable way, given that WiFi (and TCP/IP!) is still a problem for some in 2022?

I think the difference here is that for instance the Hue hub will be Thread compliant rather than all Hue devices and that will adopt the role of a Thread Router and so extend the mesh network for other Matter/Thread devices to connect to.  Perhaps I should have stated the difference of a Thread Router  and a Network router in the diagram above - my mistake.

Perhaps I should have also made clear that Zigbee and Zwave devices don’t get allocated IP addresses but Thread does integrate these different environments.  So, my understanding is that Sonos would need to build in these protocols into a Sonos device to make them compliant as either a Thread Router or Leader.

Which again, I can’t see Sonos doing….

And…. its delayed, again. https://www.digitaltrends.com/home/matter-delayed-fall-2022/