Pioneering spirit from Austria

• With the Connectivity Standards Alliance, Nuki initiates support of European locks and works on including this function in the next connectivity standard version.
• Matter as a universal language and Thread as a communication channel make the integration of Nuki products with any other manufacturer easier in a Smart Home.
• The Smart Lock market leader from Graz adheres to product notifications and wants to follow its words with actions in the autumn of 2023.

Since the company’s establishment by Martin and Jürgen Pansy in 2014, and entering the market in 2016, Nuki has been a pioneer in Smart Home systems in general and in Smart Locks in particular. The Austrian founder brothers wouldn’t be as good as their reputation if they didn’t take a pioneering role in a current subject in the Smart Home industry. Matter is an open source standard created by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) that makes home automation devices from various manufacturers compatible with each other. The CSA currently already has 620 members worldwide, and Nuki has been contributing its expertise since the beginning of 2022. “We can proudly say that Nuki is actively working on this standardisation together with many other large players in the industry”, states CEO Martin Pansy. As a European company, Nuki is also forcing the support of European door locks within the standards created by the CSA.

Because: Locks in the USA, where the development of the Matter standard had its start and which is the headquarters of industry giants such as Google and Apple have only two functions, different from us in Europe: Unlocking and locking. European models, on the other hand, nearly all have a knob on the outside and offer a latch to make it possible to hold the door shut without locking it. Through the active cooperation in the CSA, Nuki was able to develop the feature “unlock without pulling the latch” and thus improve the support of European doors. This is what Martin Pansy has to say: “Without Nuki, this very frequently requested function would not be a part of the new Matter version expected this autumn. And this is not only a benefit for our customers but for the entire Matter ecosystem”.

Matter is transported into future Smart Locks via Thread. Matter can thus be considered a universal language, with which the Smart Home devices can connect independent of brand and model, and communicate with each other. Thread is the communication channel through which this language is transmitted. It is an extremely efficient mesh network with a great range, similar to WLAN, and high energy efficiency. Matter enables the seamless and local integration of Smart Locks with Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings and many other services. The devices communicate locally via hubs so data relevant to security never leaves the home or apartment. Activation is as easy as scanning a bar code. CEO Martin Pansy emphasises: “That fits in perfectly with our brand and our products: We are smart, simple and secure – and so is Matter.”

And how certain is it that the new Smart Home standard will also soon find its way into Nuki Smart Locks? “In October 2022 we presented the first prototypes of a Smart Lock with Matter support and announced that one could expect the first Matter-capable devices from us in the second half of 2023. We are working hard on following-up our words with actions”, says co-founder Martin Pansy.

This is also a future, however, into which the Graz company looks forward to full of optimism: “We were able to further secure our position as the market-leader in Europe in the constantly growing Smart Lock market in the first six months of the new year, after the record year 2022. This is also because intelligent locks are becoming relevant for an increasingly broader target group”, Martin Pansy points out. This is reflected in the increase in the sales numbers that is in the high double digit percentage range. And the results of a current study ordered by the Graz company confirm this. Comfort and ease in everyday life are now seen as the main benefits of a Smart Lock. Among the people who already use a smart door lock, for the first time users that are not very tech-savvy are the largest group. “However, this doesn’t change the fact that customers interested in technology and innovation continue to be our target group. But it’s a matter of fact that the idea of smarter locks is becoming more and more mainstream, thanks to the easy installation and high product quality of our brand”, concludes the Nuki CEO.