Q&A for TP-Link Matter-enabled device

Q1: How to set up the Matter device with the Matter-enabled smart home app.

A1: Refer to the FAQ: How to set up Matter device with Alexa, Google, Apple or SmartThings

Q2: How to set up a connected Matter device with another smart home system.

A2: If you have connected your Matter device to a Matter-enable smart home system and want to set it up with another one, please refer to the FAQ How to set up a connected Matter device with another smart home system

Q3: What should I do if I can't set up my Matter device?

A3: If you fail to set up your Matter device according to the FAQ above, please refer to the FAQ Troubleshooting for failing to set up my Matter device

Q4: How to reset the TP-Link Matter-enabled device.

A4: Factory Reset: To restore the Matter Device to factory default settings and re-enable pairing mode, please press and hold the Reset button for 10 seconds until the LED blinks blue and orange slowly.

Note: For the plug products, the power button is also the Reset button.

For the Switch products, there is a Reset button below the on/off button.

To reset bulbs, please repeat switching the Tapo bulb three times (Kasa bulb five times) and wait for the bulb blink three times.

Wi-Fi Reset: To reset Wi-Fi while keeping previous settings, please press and hold the Reset button for 5 seconds until the LED blinks blue and orange rapidly.

Note: Wi-Fi Reset is only applicable to Tapo/Kasa App.

Q5: Can I continue to add Matter-enabled device to Tapo/Kasa App after it is successfully paired with Matter?

A5: Yes, let the smartphone and Matter-enabled device in the same local network, the main page of Tapo/Kasa App will pop up a window to inform you that a new device has been discovered, you could also manually click‘+’ on the upper right of the main page for adding the device.

Conversely, if you’ve set up your Matter device with the Tapo app first, you can also set up it with the Matter-enabled smart home app within 15 minutes of it powering on.

Q6: What if the Matter Hub paired with a Matter-enabled device is Offline/Unbind from local network?

A6: If the Control Hub is Offline from local network, the Matter-enabled device will not be controlled. But the problem would be solved after Control Hub reconnects to the local network.

If the Control Hub unbinds from local network, the Matter-enabled device will be unbound to the corresponding ecosystem, but it will not affect the use of the device in other ecosystems.

Q7: What if the Matter-enabled device unbinds from the paired ecosystem?

A7：If the Matter-enabled device unbinds from a single ecosystem, the Matter-enabled device could still be controlled in other paired ecosystems.

If the Matter-enabled device unbinds from all the ecosystems, you may restart or reset the device to make it in Matter pairing mode.

Q8: What if a Matter-enabled device is removed from Tapo/Kasa App?

A8：The Matter-enabled device would be factory reset and shows unresponsive in all the paired ecosystems.

Q9: Why I can't find the Matter-enabled device in Alexa App after pairing it with Alexa successfully?

A9: Alexa will generate the default name according to device type, take Tapo P125M for an example, the first P125M paired with Alexa will be automatically named first plug, and so on.

Note: Dimmer and Switch products will be classified as light and named first (second, third……) light by Alexa.

Q10: Can I change the communication method of my P125M from Wi-Fi to Bluetooth?

A10: No. Actually, Bluetooth is only used during Matter setup. After your P125M completes connecting to your Home Wi-Fi, it will communicate with other devices with Wi-Fi.

Matter Overview

Q1: What is Matter?

A1: Matter is a new industry standard for smart home appliances, derived by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), aimed at creating interoperability and a consistent set-up process. It’s an open-source, royalty-free IP-based protocol focused on making it easier for smart home device manufacturers and mobile app/cloud solution developers to build products that communicate and work together.

TP-Link has been committed to promoting the implementation of the Matter protocol. It is one of the first companies to obtain the Matter 1.0 certification and one of the few to receive the root certificate issued by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA).

Some terms in the Matter protocol:

Matter Commissioner: The Commissioner is the device that does the commissioning process (The setup process of the Matter device is also called the commissioning process, during the process, the Matter device will be a Commissionee). Your mobile device with the Matter-enabled app will be the commissioner

Matter controller: A third-party Matter Hub will enable you to set up and control your Matter device via the corresponding third-party app. (For example, Apple TV, and Home Pod are Matter controllers from Apple)

Fabric: Matter fabric is such a society consisting of authorized devices that trust each other and communicate with each other (For example, once you set up a Matter device with Alexa Matter controller and commissioner, the Alexa fabric is created. More Matter devices can be joined the fabric). The Matter Fabric also can be called the Matter ecosystem.

Node: An authorized Matter device in the fabric is a Node

Multi-Admin: A Node can be authorized and joined by more than two fabrics and perform parallel operations in multiple fabrics. (For example, set up a Matter device with Alexa and Google, you could control the Matter device from both apps at the same time.)

You could refer to the link for more information about Matter protocol: https://csa-iot.org/all-solutions/matter/

Q2: What are the advantages of Matter?

A2: Here are 4 main advantages of Matter:

Multi-Admin Control:

Matter allows you to control devices via multiple smart home systems at the same time through its Multi-Admin feature.

For example, you could turn on P125M via Google Home and turn off P125M via Alexa.

Device-to-Device communications:

All Matter-supported devices could work together no matter which brand makes them.

Therefore, you can create a string of multi-device actions, what some smart ecosystem may call "Automations", "Routines" that include heretofore incompatible devices.

Easy Set up:

Matter bridges the gap between ecosystems and standardizes the setup process. Fire up any standard-compliant app and scan the provided QR code, and the configuration is nearly complete.

Local Control:

With Matter, all home devices do not need to be connected to the internet, as long as there is a Matter hub/Matter controller.

That means interactions with your smart home devices, such as turning plug on or off, should happen much faster and keep working in the midst of an internet outage.

Q3: What TP-Link device types are supported by Matter?

A3: The first Matter-enabled rollout of TP-Link includes smart plugs, smart switches, smart bulbs, and smart hubs that enable Tapo sensors (not Matter-compatible) to communicate with Matter devices. Additionally, the Tapo and Kasa apps will upgrade to be Matter-compatible, further opening the ecosystem to improve compatibility for users.

Q4: Is any TP-Link Matter-enabled device on sale now?

A4: Yes, Tapo P125M is TP-Link’s first Matter-enabled smart plug that has launched in US market.

The unveiling of Tapo P125M signifies TP-Link is making the long-anticipated vision of a seamless smart home a reality, lifting the curtain of the Matter era.

More TP-Link Matter-enabled devices are coming soon, please click here or reach out to sales.usa@tp-link.com for more information about our product.

Q5: Will You Need a Smart Home Hub to set up Matter-enabled device with Matter?

A5: Yes, Matter hub—or called Matter controller is required for providing ecosystem that could be paired with Matter-enabled device. The main advantage of hardware-based Matter controllers over software-based controller apps is that they allow you to control your smart home when you’re away from home. Matter hub can be built into other devices, or even simply be a smartphone app (such as the LG ThinQ app).

Most major manufacturers have or have plans to launch their own device be Matter hub via software upgrade. Please ask the corresponding manufacturer for the firmware version of your Matter Hub.

Here we take Google, Alexa, Apple, Samsung for examples:

Google ——Device list that can be a Matter Hub (Click here for more information):

Minimum Version Required for Google Home App：2.62.1.15 or later.

Device Type	Device Name
Wi-Fi Routers	Nest Wi-Fi Pro (Wi-Fi 6E)
Speakers	Google Home, Google Home Mini, Nest Mini, Nest Audio
Displays	Nest Hub (1st gen), Nest Hub (2nd gen), Nest Hub Max

Alexa——Device list that can be a Matter Hub (Click here for more information):

Minimum Version Required for Alexa App：2.2.491118.0 or later.

Type	Device Name
Echo/Echo Dot	5th Gen：Echo Dot，Echo Dot (Gen 5 with Clock) 4th Gen：Echo、Echo Dot、Echo Dot (Gen 4 with Clock) 3th Gen：Echo、Echo Dot、Echo Dot (Gen 3 with Clock)
Echo Show	3th Gen：Echo Show 10、Echo Show 15 2nd Gen：Echo Show 8、Echo Show 5 1st Gen：Echo Show、Echo Show 8
Echo Studio	/
Echo Input	/
Echo Flex	/

Apple (Click here for more information):

Minimum OS Required for IOS device: iOS16.2 or later.

Apple support to set up HomePod, HomePod mini, or Apple TV as a Matter Hub.

Samsung (Click here for more information):

Samsung is building its SmartThings hub software into Aeotec Smart Home Hub (V3/V4), Samsung SmartThings Hub (V3/V4), 2022 Samsung Smart TVs, Smart Monitors, and Family Hub refrigerators, allowing them to control Matter smart home devices.

Q6: What‘s the ecosystem and how many ecosystems can be paired with Matter-enabled device at the same time?

A6: Generally, an ecosystem can be described as a fabric, such as Google Fabric, Alexa Fabric, Apple Fabric. A Matter-enabled device can join multiple fabrics at the same time, that is, it can be integrated into multiple ecosystems at the same time. Hardware and firmware of the Matter-enabled device determine the maximum different ecosystems/fabrics’ number that device can be added, this important function is defined as Multi-admin.

Note:

1. Different ecosystems/fabrics can be ecosystems of different platforms or different accounts of the same platform.

2. Alexa and Google occupy 1 Matter fabric of Matter-enabled device. While Apple occupy 2 Matter fabric of Matter-enabled device due to Apple’s design. For example, if some Matter-enabled device supports up to 3 fabrics, you can add this device to Google and Alexa fabric at the same time. But you can’t add it to Apple fabric because only 1 matter fabric left and Apple fabric requires 2 of it.

Q7: What types of ecosystems does the TP-Link Matter-enabled device support?

A7: TP-Link Matter-enabled device is compatible with almost all certified smart home ecosystems, such as Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Samsung SmartThings. Apart from that, one Matter-enabled device can interact with numerous certified smart devices from other manufacturers, meeting users' needs for more personalized and unified smart home experiences. It is advisable to check with the corresponding manufacturer whether your hub controller could provide a Matter-supported ecosystem and its future compatibility. Additionally, the Tapo and Kasa apps will upgrade to be Matter-compatible, further offering the ecosystem to all Matter-enabled devices (no matter which brand) to integrate into.

Q8: How do I know if a smart device is Matter-compatible?

A8: As the following picture showing, all new Matter-compatible products’ packaging or device body will bear the new Matter "mark" – three arc-tipped arrows pointing inward – and a brand logo, just the word "matter" in a sans serif font. To find out if your existing smart home device is Matter compatible, you can search the CSA Certified Product Search web page. First, scroll down to "Program Type" and check the "Matter" box. You can then search by keyword or filter results by device type or company.

Q9: How secure is Matter?

A9: In summary, matter promises a high level of security and privacy protection – especially when it comes to communication between devices and the server infrastructure.

Primarily, Matter uses block chain – the same secure system used by bank and smartphone payment systems such as Apple Pay when you bank or pay wirelessly – to securely validate devices when you pair them to your control app. And each Matter device is required to generate its own secure digital identification ‘certificate’.

All Matter commands and control code transmissions are confined to your presumably secure local Wi-Fi network. Additionally, all Matter command and control systems transmitted by, to, and from your smartphone or device are encrypted. Since every communication between the devices is authenticated and encrypted, hackers will ideally find no points of attack at all.