New Matter-Certified Access Devices: What's Hitting the Market in 2026

The Matter certification programme has hit a tipping point. In the first half of 2026 alone, dozens of new access-related devices have received certification — giving property managers more hardware choices than ever before.

But more choice also means more complexity. Not every Matter-certified device is suited for a multi-tenant building or a high-traffic commercial entrance. Here's what's new, what's worth watching, and how we evaluate it.

Smart Locks Are Maturing

The biggest shift in 2026 is the arrival of Matter-certified smart locks designed for commercial-grade use. Earlier generations were largely consumer-focused — fine for a front door, not ideal for a building with 200 apartments.

New entrants now offer:

• Battery life exceeding 18 months under heavy use
• Thread border router integration without requiring a separate hub
• Keypad and credential reader combos that support both fob and PIN access
• Remote unlock with local fallback — so if your internet drops, the door still works

We are currently testing several of these locks across pilot properties and will be rolling out our preferred models to new clients this quarter.

Environmental Sensors That Actually Talk to Access

One of the most exciting categories is Matter-certified environmental sensors — temperature, humidity, CO₂, and occupancy detectors that communicate natively with the rest of your building stack.

Why does this matter for access control? Because access events and environmental data are most powerful when combined:

• An occupancy sensor detects a meeting room is empty → the door automatically returns to a locked state
• A CO₂ sensor in a plant room triggers an alert → access is granted to the maintenance team automatically
• Temperature data from a vacant apartment suggests a heating issue → a maintenance visit is scheduled

This kind of automation used to require expensive custom integration. With Matter, it is native.

What We Look For

When we evaluate new hardware for the JustBell ecosystem, we apply a consistent set of criteria:

Reliability Under Load

A lock that works perfectly on a test bench is not the same as one that performs 500 cycles a day across a busy entrance. We stress-test every device before it enters our recommended list.

Battery and Power Management

For wireless devices, battery life is a maintenance cost. We prioritise hardware that delivers long life and gives us early low-battery alerts through the Matter network.

Security Posture

Matter includes strong encryption and device authentication, but implementation quality varies. We review each device's security documentation and firmware update history.

Physical Build Quality

In a managed service model, we carry the warranty. That means we need hardware that physically lasts — especially in UK weather conditions for exterior installations.

How JustBell Curates Your Hardware

We do not hand our clients a catalogue and ask them to choose. Instead, our process is:

1. Assess your property — door types, traffic patterns, environmental conditions, existing infrastructure
2. Select the optimal devices from our tested and approved Matter-certified pool
3. Install and provision everything as part of your managed subscription
4. Monitor and maintain — if a device underperforms, we replace it at no cost

This is the "we choose, you don't worry about it" model. It is the core of what makes JustBell different from a traditional hardware reseller.

Looking Forward

The second half of 2026 is expected to bring Matter certification to video intercoms, elevator control interfaces, and battery-powered exit devices. We are already in conversations with manufacturers and will be testing pre-release hardware as it becomes available.

The hardware landscape will keep evolving. Your managed service should evolve with it — without you having to think about it.

Curious what hardware we'd recommend for your building? Book a free consultation and we'll walk you through it.