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Jun 24, 2023

New Matter Products From Shenzhen Neo Unveiled

As first reported by popular Instagrammer ‘homewithapple‘, Chinese smart home

As first reported by popular Instagrammer ‘homewithapple‘, Chinese smart home product manufacturer Neo (officially Shenzhen NEO Electronic Co., LTD) revealed a raft of products on show at CES 2023, all of which are reportedly Matter compatible, many of which also make use of the Thread wireless protocol.

This includes such staples as a leak sensor, a contact sensor, and one type of device we’re seeing pop up more often – a presence sensor. These devices will utilise Matter over Thread, with the presence sensor combining mmWave technology, along with a more standard PIR motion sensor to achieve the best of both worlds.

The leak sensor comes equipped with a separate cable and attached probe to allow the device to detect water further than the main body of the device might normally allow.

Another Matter device listed is their Sprinkler controller, which uses WiFi on either the 2.4 or 5.0GHz band, along with Bluetooth for commissioning purposes, with up to 16 zones, whilst also featuring what the company states has "real-time detection of changes in ambient temperature and humidity, linked to weather changes…stop watering on rainy days to save water".

In the same ballpark is a sprinkler timer, available in four colours, connects using Thread, and is IP66 rated.

Finally, the company also make some ‘basics’ that strangely use WiFi, as opposed to Thread, including a smart relay for use with standard switches, and smart plugs for both North America and Europe. Incidentally, the US smart plug has a rated power range of 85~250VAC @ 50/60Hz, which is good news for smart home users in places like The Philippines, who use US-style sockets and switches but use 220-240V AC.

Before you get too excited, however, it should be noted that many companies like Neo are usually in the business of supplying OEM and ODM products like these as opposed to releasing them directly, so we’ll have to see if these – or products like these – will come to market at all.

Credit to Homewithapple for the find