Jon Harros, head of testing and certification for the Connectivity Standards Alliance, joined the Smart Home Insider podcast to unpack Matter 1.6. He appeared from Unify, the CSA’s first public‑facing conference, where the week’s announcements centered on new smart‑home hardware. The most visible product is the Schlage Sense Pro UWB lock, slated for preorder by the end of June.

Beyond the lock, the episode covered upcoming HDMI 2.2 devices, which promise up to double the bandwidth of current standards and should reach high‑end TVs by late 2027. Apple TV will ship on 2026 Philips models, dropping Google TV for the Apple TV app with Dolby Vision, Atmos and 4K support. Roku’s acquisition by Fox puts the streaming hardware under a media conglomerate.

Harros detailed Matter 1.6’s new NFC commissioning, which eliminates Bluetooth and dedicated power for setup, adds richer thermostat context, and introduces a Joint Fabric layer enabling devices to operate across multiple ecosystems. The accompanying Product Security 1.1 update extends protection to apps and software, not just hardware. These changes significantly tighten interoperability and security for consumers adopting smart‑home products.