Smart lighting company WiZ has updated all smart lights, bulbs, and plugs made in early 2021 or later to Matter, beating out sister brand Philips Hue. The company’s new app, WiZ v2, now allows users to migrate any compatible product to the new smart home standard directly in the app, and from there, add them to any Matter-compatible platform, including the Apple Home.
Previously, the WiZ line of smart lighting was only compatible with Apple’s smart home system through Siri Shortcuts. Now, with Matter, many of its products can be added to the Apple Home app and controlled along with any other supported Apple Home product. Signify, which owns both brands, said Philips Hue would also be compatible, but that update has been delayed.
WiZ products also work with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings through Matter. WiZ was previously compatible with these platforms, but when connected to Matter, you’ll be working locally on your home Wi-Fi instead of relying on a cloud connection. This would bring better response and reliability to the LEDs; It also needs to be manageable even if the internet goes down.
WiZ boasts a wide range of smart lighting options, from all shapes and sizes of lamps and lamps to luminaires, string lights, and other outdoor products. At just $13 for a full-color A19 smart bulb, it’s much less expensive than its more popular sibling, Hue, which costs $50 for a single A19 bulb. WiZ works over Wi-Fi and doesn’t need a hub or bridge, unlike Hue, which uses Zigbee and relies on a bridge.
Signify said that all WiZ bulbs and smart plugs manufactured from the second quarter of 2021 onwards are compatible with Matter. WiZ doesn’t appear to have started selling products with the Matter logo yet, but an FAQ on its webpage explains how to identify compatible models.
However, the WiZ A19 bulbs I have don’t appear to be upgradeable, though they fit the bill. WiZ told me that any compatible model on firmware 1.2 and later should work. However, this Reddit post from someone who claims to work at WiZ indicates that the update is slowly being rolled out to select model numbers and that more will be compatible next month. I’ve reached out to WiZ to confirm.
To get started, you need the new WiZ v2 app and a Matter controller, such as an Apple HomePod, Amazon Echo, or Google Nest Hub.
If you already have WiZ Bulbs, you’ll need to migrate your system to the new app. Then open the app and tap on File integrals In the Settings tab, tap on the issue logo. A list of any devices you have that can be updated to Matter will appear, and you can click on each of them to start the migration process to Matter. WiZ has a step by step guide on their website and more details here.
Once migrated, you can control the lights in any Matter platform – turn them on/off, change brightness and temperature, and adjust color. However, any advanced features will only be accessible through the WiZ app.