The Best Matter-Compatible Radiator Valves

Radiators are great for keeping costs down by heating just the rooms or areas around them. However, they are not so great when it comes to convenience and controls, as most require making a trip over to the unit to make a simple adjustment.

To reduce the number of trips—and for those times when you forgot to turn your radiator off before heading off to work—consider installing a Matter-compatible radiator valve. With just a few minutes needed for installation—and this product guide—you can give your home's heating and more a smart upgrade with ease.

What are Matter-Compatible Radiator Valves?

Matter-compatible radiator valves—also commonly referred to as radiator thermostats—offer smart home controls for traditional radiator-based heaters. As with thermostats used for central HVAC systems, radiator valves regulate the temperature in your home by turning on or off at the set points that you establish, maximizing comfort and energy savings.

While primarily used for on-the-wall heaters, radiator valves can also be used for other applications such as towel-drying racks in bathrooms. Regardless of appliance, installing a radiator valve is simple with most requiring no tools as the process only involves unscrewing the existing valve by hand and screwing in the replacement.

Connecting a radiator valve to Matter is also a quick and easy experience through the usage of a QR code for pairing—unless a vendor's hub is required. To pair, you'll only need to point your phone's camera at the QR code to begin and complete a few organizational steps to add it to your existing smart home.

Once added to Matter, radiator valves provide a standard set of controls and metrics to the major smart home platforms—Apple Home, Alexa, and Google Home. Matter provides setpoint adjustments, temperature measurements, and simple scheduling through the use of automation and scenes although exact options may vary by platform.

What to Look For in Matter-Compatible Radiator Valves

Although smart radiator valves all perform the same basic functions thanks to Matter, there can be quite a few differences on the hardware front. Focusing on the following areas can help save you some time when researching your options:

• Budget: If budget is a concern, consider a valve that doesn't require an additional hub. Or if you already have a vendor's hub, you might be able to save by sticking to the same ecosystem.
• Design: Most smart radiator valves come with the standard M30x1,5mm thread size and adapters, but you'll want to ensure that your unit is compatible before purchasing.
• Features: Some radiator valves include nice-to-have features like integrated rechargeable batteries, full-color touchscreens, or extras like Matter Binding that can elevate the overall experience.

The Top Matter-Compatible Radiator Valves

While there aren't a ton of Matter-compatible options available as of yet, the ones that you can buy today each have their own set of unique features. We've highlighted a few of our favorites and go into detail as to what sets them apart from the competition below.

Tado Smart Radiator Thermostat X

The Tado Smart Radiator Thermostat X is currently the only valve on the market that works with Matter right out of the box. Matter connectivity comes via the wireless protocol, Thread, which supports Border Routers from Apple, Google, and Amazon, as well as Tado's Bridge X if you don't already have one in your home.

Tado's valve features a slick on-device LCD display that puts a current temperature and setpoint settings a glace-away, and its integrated control dial makes quick adjustments a breeze. And, it even includes a built-in rechargeable battery that can be topped off in as little as two hours with a standard USB-C charging cable.

Eve Thermo

Like Tado's valve, the Eve Thermo connects to your preferred smart home platform via Matter-over-Thread. However, the Eve Thermo requires a firmware update to enable Matter through the Eve for Matter app which, unfortunately, is only available to iOS users at this time.

In addition to standards like an onboard display and physical controls, the Eve Thermo has a major trick up its sleeve—Matter Binding capabilities. With Matter Binding, the Eve Thermo valve can be adjusted wirelessly with the Eve Thermo Control, an optional mini display/remote that optimizes comfort based on the room where it is placed.

Aqara Smart Radiator Thermostat E1

Despite being the most affordable Matter-compatible option around, the Aqara Smart Radiator Thermostat E1 doesn't skimp on the most essential features. Aqara's E1 sports a color touchscreen backlit display, on-device controls, and an automatic calibration process that starts as soon as you power on the unit.

The low price does come with a few downsides though, with the biggest being the E1's reliance on ZigBee for connectivity—which means an Aqara Hub 3 or similar is needed for operation. Aqara's valve also lacks an integrated battery, so you'll need to replace the required AA batteries about once every year or so depending on how often you use it.

Turn up the Heat With The Best Matter-Compatible Radiator Valves

With DIY-friendly designs, on-device displays, and convenient remote controls, the best Matter-compatible radiator valves are a smart way to upgrade your older heater, towel warmer, and more. To make the already straightforward installation process even easier, we suggest removing and looking at your current valve to confirm compatibility before making your decision.