Matter will not be supported by the Schlage Encode Plus smart lock. Changes in the spec of the product are one of the reasons why this is happening. None of its smart locks will support Matter. Schlage plans to introduce a Matter-enabled smart lock in the future but did not give a release date.

Schlage said the Encode Plus should have the hardware to support Matter. Donald Beene, senior product manager for Allegion, said in January that they don't know where those tech specs will land. They landed too far off the ground.

The thread is a pillar of matter. It was thought that newer Thread products could be upgraded easily to Matter. Matter has changed a lot over the last three years.

This Schlage lock was on display at the Matter launch event in Amsterdam. The company says it will produce a Matter lock but will not upgrade its existing models.
This Schlage lock was on display at the Matter launch event in Amsterdam. The company says it will produce a Matter lock but will not upgrade its existing models.
Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

The general manager of Schlage Residential Solutions and Allegion Home said in a statement that the Matter standard continued to evolve after the initial release of Encode Plus. It became apparent that introducing a new, dedicated Matter-enabled product would net the best results for our customers.

While Schlage is still involved with Matter, Perozzi said that moving beyond walled garden architectures will take time.

Schlage is talking about tech partners like Amazon. Schlage's locks are compatible with Amazon products. Amazon said it wouldn't allow Thread on its Matter controllers until next year. Smart plugs, switches, and bulbs are only supported at first.

What is Matter?

A common language for smart home devices to communicate in your home without relying on a cloud connection is provided by Matter. At launch, it will include smart sensors, smart lighting, smart plugs and switches, smart thermostats, connected locks, and media devices.

If you buy a smart home device that has the Matter logo on it, you should be able to use it with any Matter compatible device and platform. Devices compatible with matter should be available by the end of the year.

We expect to see updates on the smart home platforms that are signed on to support Matter over the next few months.

Schlage's current customers are out of luck after Yale and Level Home announced upgrade paths for their locks. Schlage said in August that supply chain constraints were to blame for the difficulty in finding Encode Plus in stock.

Schlage was the first company to use Thread-enabled hardware. There are Thread products that won't work with Matter.

The new standard for Thread-enabled A19 bulbs and light strips requires a new chip, so they can't be updated to it. New versions of Matter-over-Thread will be launched early in the next decade.

There are three products that will not work with Matter. They only work with HomeKit over Thread, not Matter over Thread. "When Matter launches later this year, we will bring to market new switches / dimmers that support Matter over Thread."

The current Matter implementation may not be supported by all devices.

The Thread Group told me that it was hard for existing products to upgrade to Matter. Matter's increased memory requirements are one of the elements that can be considered as part of the upgrade. Jonathan Hui, VP of technology at the Thread Group, said in an email that some devices may have enough flash or RAM memory to support Matter.

You can't buy Matter devices at this time. They are on their way. If you're thinking of buying a Thread-enabled product that will support Matter, I advise you to hold off until the company guarantees the device will be upgraded. Eve Systems, one of the few device makers that has committed to this, says its entire Thread line will be updated over the course of the next three years.