@Snort,

We are not sure what devices may be updated to support the new protocol, but I would assume that the older versions of devices would be unlikely to receive the capability through a firmware update.

The matter protocol was just officially released last month, and there are currently only a select few brands, if any, that have released products that are both compatible with AND Utilize the protocol. Right now, most companies still appear to be preparing for a wider rollout next year.

From a technical perspective, devices can only be updated to use the matter protocol if they have the necessary hardware and antennas meant to communicate directly with another device, or need a hub that is compatible and can connect your non-matter devices together. Devices that are designed to support the matter protocol often have additional hardware capabilities, such as needing a Bluetooth Chip for provisioning. For this reason, any device that is designed to support matter will provide a much more fluid and comprehensive integration into your network. Saying that, this does not mean that your devices will be incompatible with the protocol, just that they may not be able to fit into a matter ecosystem the way you were expecting.

We will have more details about the products that support matter and the plans for the protocol when TP-Link launches its first device that is designed for Matter. 

  @Micale,

We honestly don't have any information about the specifics of how the protocol will be implemented across brands and products. Given with how the matter protocol works, I would imagine that older devices will find a way to communicate with the matter network through some way. Matter is really all-encompassing and can operate at various technical levels such as with specific protocols or even at the IP layer of your network.

Either way, if matter support is brought to older devices, this will most likely be dependent on a firmware update to devices that have the necessary hardware and may take a longer time to develop and push to devices.

I can say that there are a lot of changes occurring for our Smart Home Platforms and I would think that many of the changes are necessary to support a request like this. When we begin to hear more about how Matter is officially integrating with our brands, I am sure we will have more information regarding what devices are compatible and what future plans for products may be. It was only a month ago that TP-Link passed the official matter certification process from the CSA, so I am sure there will be announcements soon.