Matter 1.4 and 1.4.2: routers, multi-admin and security

Matter 1.4 was announced on 7 November 2024 and Matter 1.4.2 on 11 August 2025. Together they changed more about the network around your devices than about the devices themselves: routers that can be certified, a way of sharing control between platforms, new energy device types, and a set of security and scale measures. This piece summarises both from the Alliance's own announcements and says what each means for someone choosing equipment. For where they sit in the sequence, see the release history.

Matter 1.4

The announcement puts four things first.

Home routers and access points. Routers, modems, set-top boxes and access points can now be designed to a certification that pairs a Wi-Fi access point with a Thread border router. They also hold a secure directory of Thread network credentials, so a new Thread device or border router can join an existing network rather than starting another. The Alliance notes that the number 1.4 here is a coincidence: the Thread specification also has a 1.4 and the two are unrelated.

Enhanced Multi-Admin. A way to share devices between platforms after one consent from the user. Our guide to sharing a device across platforms covers it.

Energy. Device types for solar power (inverters, panel arrays and hybrid solar and battery systems), batteries (wall units, storage and larger systems that can send energy back to the home or the grid), heat pumps and water heaters. The announcement also lists user-defined charging preferences for electric vehicle chargers, scheduling and preset modes for thermostats, and a mechanism for devices to adjust when they run based on energy forecasts.

Fixed in-wall devices. Two new types for in-wall switches that feed wired devices such as lights and fans, which until then were usually modelled as lights.

There were also changes for sensors that use radar, vision or ambient sensing, with adjustable sensitivity, and for battery devices, with a long-idle mode and a check-in protocol meant to extend battery life while keeping communication reliable.

Matter 1.4.2

This release is about hardening. It stays backward compatible, but the Alliance says many features need coordinated work by device makers and platforms. Its highlights:

• Wi-Fi-only setup. A device can be added over Wi-Fi without Bluetooth Low Energy, which lets makers drop a radio and lets existing Wi-Fi-only products gain Matter by firmware update. The announcement is open about timing: it will take time to get enough phones, hubs and speakers that support it.
• Vendor ID verification. A controller can check that an administrator on a device is from the vendor it says, a protection against impersonation in shared setups.
• Access restriction lists. For routers and access points, a way to limit sensitive settings to trusted controllers.
• Certificate revocation lists. A standard way to withdraw device attestation certificates that are no longer used or have been compromised, so platforms can warn or refuse at setup.
• Scenes. Scene support became certifiable, with timing behaviour such as fades.
• Quieter reporting. Fewer, smarter updates from devices, to save battery and network traffic.
• Node reconfiguration and endpoint IDs. Devices can tell controllers when their features change, and the parts of a device keep an identifier that does not depend on the controller.
• Robot vacuum behaviour. A standard for what happens when a controller sends commands in sequence.
• Network infrastructure requirements. Border routers inside certified routers have to handle 150 devices or more and carry Thread 1.4 certification, and the access points have to allow 100 devices to be connected at once and support extended sleep and the proxying of address lookups.

What it means for a buyer

1. Routers are not the same as speakers. The 1.4.2 requirements apply to certified routers and access points. They say nothing about the border router in a smart speaker, a display or a TV.
2. Certified routers are an option, not a requirement. The announcements describe a certification path. They do not say which routers have it, and we have not checked UK models, so look for the maker's statement.
3. Security features need both ends. Revocation lists and vendor checks work only if your platform uses them.
4. Energy device types are a standards capability. Whether your solar inverter, battery or heat pump supports Matter is a product question.
5. Setup without Bluetooth is for later. Phones and hubs need to catch up, so do not buy for it today.

Announced versus shipped

Both announcements describe specifications. Makers and platforms add features on their own schedules, and a device's certificate shows which version it was certified against. See how to read a certificate.

This piece is based on the Alliance's published announcements, read on 13 November 2026. We do not test devices.