How to read a Matter certificate and the compliance ledger
What the fields on a Matter certificate page mean, what the Distributed Compliance Ledger records, and what neither one tells you.
By Ines Calder · · 5 min read · Comments
Every certified Matter product has a public record. Reading it takes two minutes and answers questions the box cannot: which version of the standard the product was certified against, which network it uses, and which firmware the certificate covers. This guide walks through the fields on the Alliance's certified-product page and the ledger behind it, and says what the record does not show.
The certificate page
The Alliance publishes a page for each certified product. Take a certified smart plug's page as the example. It shows, among other things, these fields:
- Firmware version and hardware version. The certificate covers a specific build. A later firmware release may or may not be covered by a new certificate, so note the version the product ships with.
- Certificate ID. The reference for the certification. Quote it if you write to a maker or to the Alliance.
- Certified date. The date of certification. It is not the date the product went on sale. We always label it as a certification date and never call it a release date.
- Vendor ID and product ID. Two numbers that identify the maker and the product model. The ledger identifies a model by this same pair.
- Specification version. The version of Matter the product was certified against, such as 1.3 on the example page. A product certified against an older version cannot use features from newer ones, unless its maker certifies it again.
- Transport interface. The networks the product uses, such as Wi-Fi, or Thread, with Bluetooth for setup.
- Primary device type ID. A number that identifies the main device type in the specification's device library, which is the category the product was certified as.
- Product type and compliance document. Whether it is an end product, and a link to a compliance document you can download.
The page also shows a field called TIS/TRP Tested with a yes or no. We do not interpret it, and suggest you do not either without the Alliance's own definition.
What the ledger is
The ledger is a separate record, called the Distributed Compliance Ledger, or DCL. The Alliance's FAQ explains the thinking: manufacturers must put data about their products into it, it holds the set of certified product models and not every individual device, and it exists so that a controller can verify that a new device is certified and authentic, identify it to the user with the maker's description, and show setup guidance.
The ledger is public in a particular sense. Its open-source repository says anyone can read from it, while writing is permissioned and needs an account with a role. In other words you can check a record, but you cannot add one.
The ledger's own documentation shows how a record is organised. A model is identified by its vendor ID and product ID, each model has software versions, and the compliance entries are kept per software version. An entry can say a version is certified, provisional or revoked, and carries the certification date, the specification version and a certificate ID. So the useful question for a buyer is not only "is this product in the ledger" but "does the entry for the software on my device say certified".
The ledger is also the source other tools draw on. When Matter Home shows a "DCL Verified" badge on a product page, it means the public record agrees that the newest software of that product is certified. See our DCL Verified page for what we count and what the badge does not mean.
Authenticity, revocation and the device itself
Two other parts of the picture are worth knowing.
The FAQ says each Matter device carries a device attestation certificate that proves it is authentic and certified, and that the authorities issuing them are run by Alliance members and not by the Alliance itself. A controller checks this when you add a device.
Matter 1.4.2 added a standard way to revoke attestation certificates that are unused or compromised. The Alliance says platforms can use revocation lists to warn you during setup or to block a device from joining. Whether your platform does so depends on the platform.
What the record does not tell you
- Which features work. The certificate gives a device type and a specification version. It does not list the optional features a product implements, and your platform may not support every one. Read why a Matter badge does not mean every feature works.
- Whether it is for sale in the UK. A certificate is global. Availability, the plug fitting and the retailer are separate questions.
- How the product performs. Certification checks conformance with the specification. It is not a review.
- Whether the product is current. The record shows what was certified on a date. A maker may have changed the product since.
A short routine
- Find the product's certificate page from the Alliance's certified product list, or follow the link from the maker's page.
- Note the specification version, the transport and the device type.
- Check the firmware version against what the product ships with.
- Compare the device type with your platform's own list of supported types.
This guide is based on published documentation, read on 13 November 2026. We do not test devices.