Can a Kitchen Fridge Be Connected to Matter?

Smart refrigerators are perhaps the most recognizable kitchen-based smart tech. Thanks to huge fridge-freezers adorned with striking LCD displays and adorned with sensors, the “smart fridge” has a cultural awareness that many other devices do not.

Boasting temperature control, inventory management, and even diet control, the smart fridge can only be enhanced by the emergence of Matter. The new smart home standard is slowly spreading into the kitchen, with connected devices included in Matter 1.3. But can current smart fridges connect to Matter?

How Much Does the Kitchen Matter?

The kitchen is a key element of many households. Open planning and a shift towards the kitchen/diner as the family hub of the home means that smart tech is increasingly important in the food storage and preparation area.

At the time of writing, the Matter smart home protocol (what is Matter?) is at version 1.3. This includes various improvements over the previous version, including the inclusion of kitchen tech. But it is important to recognize that while the Matter 1.3 specification has support for connected kitchen equipment, there is a delay between the release of specifications and adaption.

Matter is already capable of handing lighting, fans, blinds, and doors. Eventually, compatibility with kitchen gear will create a more complete smart home experience.

Smart Kitchen Fridge Connectivity

Various TV shows have featured smart fridges (e.g. a 2019 episode of Modern Family) but while many smart fridges are available, there is no direct connectivity with Matter.

Samsung, LG, and GE (under the Cafe brand) are currently the only manufacturers of smart fridges.

Samsung has several smart fridges (ranging from $1,599-2,499 in price), but the Samsung Family Hub is one of the few items of Matter-compatible kitchenware around, due to it having the SmartThings hub built in. However, as Matter doesn’t yet support smart fridges, you’re limited to communicating with the unit directly, rather than over Matter. Conversely, any Matter devices in your smart home can be communicated with and controlled by the fridge.

LG has several smart fridges with no display (but some feature a window) but boasting Wi-Fi and remote control for making ice. Door alerts are also supported, and these fridges can be controlled over Alexa and Google Assistant. LG devices range from $1,299 to $1,999.

GE’s fridges don’t use touchscreens or cameras, but do include door and water filter sensors. These devices have Wi-Fi, and are compatible with Google Assistant and Alexa, but are currently unsupported by Matter. GE smart fridges are around $3,000.

Unless you’re willing to pay big bucks, you’re not getting a connected fridge. Even if this was in your budget, Matter isn’t yet available.

Matter and Existing Smart Fridges

In many ways the smart fridge is the bridgehead for Matter to successfully move into the kitchen.

As noted, Matter is an element of the Samsung Family Hub fridge, due to its support in Samsung SmartThings, the “hub” element of the fridge. But generally, Matter has yet to invade the kitchen.

Like the rest of the smart home, the kitchen is fragmented, with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and (occasionally) Zigbee support, but no overarching protocol. This is a disadvantage for anyone requiring a fully connected experience in the kitchen.

Matter 1.3 specifies interoperability for cooktops, microwaves, and extractor fans. We think future iterations of the standard will look to adopt support for fridges – sooner rather than later.

Adding Matter support to smart fridges will improve the profile of the smart home platform. The wider ecosystem will benefit, more Matter support for kitchen tech is likely, and you’ll be able to prepare ice for your next drink.

The Future of Smart Fridges Matters

While there are alternative solutions for smart fridges, none of these (e.g. non-Matter smart hubs) offer the potential of Matter. The interoperability that Matter promises might just encourage you to wait for support.

After all, fridges are expensive. As one of the most important elements of the kitchen, it makes little sense to buy a new fridge unless it doesn’t function correctly. So hang tight. If your current smart fridge doesn’t yet have Matter compatibility, it may be added later.