CEATEC 2024: Society 5.0 envisioned by smart homes powered by Matter | Smart Home Special Vol. 3 | NEXTY Electronics, an electronic components and semiconductor trading company

Smart Home Special

In this column, we will introduce how to use smart home appliances and security measures to suit new lifestyles.
We will introduce simple setup methods and provide tips for living a comfortable and safe life.
We will also provide technical explanations of the latest smart home technology, aiming to provide information to a wide range of users, from beginners to advanced users.

CEATEC 2024: Society 5.0 envisioned by smart homes using Matter

This article can be read in 5 minutes.
In this column, we will take a closer look at smart home exhibits at CEATEC 2024, the latest information on Matter, and the solutions proposed by Nexty. Let's explore together how these technologies, which will shape our future lifestyles, will change our lives.

Looking back at CEATEC 2024

What is CEATEC?

The name is derived from the initials of "Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies," and means "a combined exhibition of cutting-edge technologies." By utilizing cutting-edge technology, the event has continued to inject new energy into the development of society and the improvement of people's lives. It has now evolved into a major event that is not missed every year.

CEATEC 2024 Event Overview

CEATEC 2024 was held at Makuhari Messe from October 15th to 18th, 2024. This year, marking the 25th anniversary, the theme was "Innovation for All," and by co-hosting the event with JAPAN MOBILITY SHOW BIZWEEK 2024, the exhibits were broader than usual, with a lot of cutting-edge information being disseminated.

CEATEC 2024 scale

Number of exhibitors: 808 companies/organizations
Number of new exhibitors: 340 companies/organizations, new exhibitor rate: 42%
Number of startup/university research institute exhibitors: 188 companies/organizations
Number of overseas exhibitors: 158 companies/organizations from 25 countries/regions

CEATEC 2024 Registered Visitors

Date	2024年	2023年	Rate of increase/decrease
Day 1 (Tuesday)	21,397	20,505	4.35%
Day 2 (Wednesday)	26,144	20,301	28.78%
Third day (Thu)	29,589	22,666	30.54%
Day 4 (Friday)	34,884	25,575	36.40%
total	112,014	89,047	25.79%

reference

CEATEC 2024 official page

"Smart Home" at CEATEC 2024

The theme of this year's CEATEC is "Toward Society 5.0." I would like to give a brief explanation of "Society 5.0."
"Society 5.0" is a concept for the future society proposed by Japan, which aims to realize a human-centered society, particularly by utilizing advances in digital technology. Society 5.0 (a super smart society) is a society that utilizes advanced technologies such as AI, IoT, and big data to solve economic and social challenges while realizing sustainable and prosperous lifestyles.

At CEATEC 2024, over 20 member companies of the Connectivity Standards Alliance, which has been leading the standardization of IoT for many years, exhibited, attracting attention throughout the venue. Even those who came to see the "smart home" were sure to enjoy themselves.

It's no exaggeration to say that all of the Matter-related exhibition booths, including NEXTY Electronics', were a huge success. I'm really looking forward to seeing how Japanese companies will utilize Matter in the future. Meanwhile, there were also several Matter-related exhibitors from overseas, and while we could sense the globalization of Matter, we were reminded of the issue that Japan is lagging behind in the smart home field.

Introducing Nexty Electronics' smart home exhibit

Exhibition Booth Introduction

The NEXTY Electronics booth at CEATEC 2024 will have the following four areas:
In particular, in line with the theme of CEATEC, the exhibit focused particularly on "Smart Home."

The "Smart Home" exhibit featured related technologies and commercial materials displayed in a space that resembled an actual home, along with use cases, allowing visitors to directly experience the convenience of smart home appliances and housing equipment.
Delivery boxes, door locks, lighting, curtains, and more are all familiar items that we see in our daily lives, but the power of "smart" makes them feel fresh and new, raising expectations that they will enrich people's lives.

For more information on the exhibited products, please refer to the NEXTY Electronics CEATEC 2024 special page.

NEXTY Electronics CEATEC 2024 special page

Introducing the Matter exhibit

The Matter exhibit showcased the basic elements of a smart home.

Controller (e.g. smartphone app)
Hubs (e.g. smart LOUDSPEAKERS)
Devices (e.g. shutters, door locks)

Matter-enabled edge devices

We exhibited a bridge function that makes existing communication standards compatible with the Matter standard.
By utilizing this, it will be possible to easily make existing products on the market compatible with Matter, even if the technology is already mature.
NEXTY Electronics is also working on developing Matter-compatible devices using evaluation boards from suppliers it handles. Please take a look at the video on the NEXTY Electronics YouTube channel for more details.

NEXTY Electronics YouTube Channel

Matter / Platform for IoT

Nexty Electronics exhibited its own developed smartphone app, hub, and cloud server.
These are designed based on the Matter protocol, and while maintaining interoperability with the existing ecosystems of Google, Apple, and Amazon, they enable companies to provide a consistent system development, device control, data storage, and operation in-house, without relying on other companies' products.

In particular, the following use cases are envisioned:

Although they operate their own communication standards, systems, and platforms,
I want to support and integrate with Matter
I want to collect and use device usage data (or not leak it to other companies)
I want to build a highly secure local system environment.
Your company's unique functions cannot be supported by other companies' ecosystem environments

OTA* file distribution server

We exhibited an OTA file distribution server that supports firmware distribution for Matter-compatible edge devices.
With an easy-to-use UI, you can update the firmware of Matter-enabled edge devices using your existing Matter-enabled smart LOUDSPEAKERS. By using this service, you can easily distribute firmware without having to manage cloud servers.

OTA: An abbreviation for "Over The Air." It refers to sending and receiving data via wireless communication, and OTA technology is used for software updates, etc.

CEATEC 2024 Impressions

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' Information and Communications White Paper (2024 edition), the ownership rate of smart home appliances is reported to be 11%, and there are concerns that the spread of smart homes in Japan is lagging behind other countries. Despite this, we were able to attract a large number of visitors to this event.

Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Information and Communications White Paper (Reiwa 6 edition)

I was also surprised to hear many people say things like, "I know about Matter" or "I want to know more about Matter."

In particular, there were many visitors from the younger generation, and I realized that their interest is growing.
It was impressive to see visitors enthusiastically walking around the booth, imagining specific use cases for smart home technology and how it can be useful in their daily lives. They were particularly interested in practical aspects such as security, energy management, and streamlining housework, and asked many questions about the convenience these technologies can bring.
Many companies were presenting new technologies and products, and were keen to convey their appeal to visitors, which made us believe that smart homes are no longer just a trend, but will become an essential part of our future lifestyles.

I'm excited to see how smart homes will change our lives in the future. CEATEC 2024 was a wonderful opportunity to see the first steps in that direction.

Matter Updates

On November 7, 2024, Matter 1.4 version was released, about half a year after the previous Matter 1.3 version.
With powerful improvements to multi-admin and expanded energy management functions, you can see that smart home appliances are becoming smarter, not just for home appliances, but for the entire home. If you're interested, please see "Matter 1.4 Enables More Capable Smart Homes" for more details.

Matter 1.4 Enables More Capable Smart Homes

Here, we will organize and share information on device compatibility (by version), which is likely to be of most interest to CEATEC visitors and those working in smart homes and Matter. It's impressive that they update this much every six months.

Matter solutions provided by NEXTY Electronics

NEXTY Electronics can provide comprehensive support to customers in Matter-related development, providing comprehensive support throughout the process, from device design and development based on Matter specifications to implementation and certification test support.

In particular, the following use cases are envisioned:

Technical Consulting: We provide consulting to understand Matter's technical requirements and specifications, supporting you from the early stages of your project.
Device Development: Design and develop Matter-enabled IoT devices, optimizing them for maximum compatibility and performance.
Software Implementation: We develop software based on the Matter protocol and assist with implementation to facilitate communication between devices.
Testing and Certification: We will test your device on your behalf with a certification body to ensure it complies with Matter standards, and we will help you obtain the necessary certifications.

Leveraging the expertise and experience of NEXTY Electronics, we will help you provide new value using Matter. We offer flexible support tailored to your needs, and aim to succeed together with you. Please feel free to Inquiry.