Swiss semiconductor company ST Microelectronics has unveiled a secure NFC chip designed to make home networks faster and easier to install and scale, leveraging the latest Matter smart-home standard.

The ST25DA-C chip lets users add lighting, access control, security cameras or any IoT device to their home network in one step by tapping their phone. The chip is the first commercial offering fulfilling newly published enhancements in Matter, the open-source standard making smart home devices secure, reliable and seamless to use.

“The integration of NFC-based onboarding in Matter 1.5 is a timely enhancement to the smart home experience,” said David Richetto, vice president at ST Microelectronics (www.st.com). “Our market-first ST25DA-C chip leverages this capability to simplify device commissioning through tap-to-pair functionality. This reduces setup complexity, especially for installations that are difficult to access, thanks to NFC-enabled battery-less connectivity. This aligns well with the broader momentum in the smart home market to serve consumers who increasingly prioritise ease of use, interoperability and security. NFC-enabled Matter devices are positioned to play a key role in driving even greater adoption.”

The NFC Forum type-four chip improves the user experience, leveraging NFC technology present in most smartphone devices. NFC-enabled device commissioning is faster, more reliable and secure compared with conventional pairing using technologies such as Bluetooth or QR codes, which are not always possible.

The ST25DA-C secure NFC tag (www.st.com/en/nfc/st25d-secure.html) can operate cryptographic operations required for Matter device commissioning using energy harvesting from the RF field. This mechanism allows users to jump-start adding unpowered devices to the smart home network. It also simplifies the installation of multiple accessories in parallel.

“Matter is an important standard for the smart-home industry, enabling seamless communication across devices, mobile apps and cloud services,” said Shobhit Srivastava, senior principal analyst at Omdia (omdia.tech.informa.com). “Its primary benefit is simplifying technology for non-expert consumers, which could help accelerate adoption of connected devices. The new ST Microelectronics’ ST25DA-C secure NFC chip is one example of a next-generation chipset that supports this standard, providing device makers with tools to develop the next generation of smart-home products.”

The ST25DA-C (www.st.com/content/st_com/en/campaigns/matter-commissioning-with-nfc-z21.html) brings strong security to smart homes, leveraging STM’s expertise in embedded secure elements for protecting assets with device authentication, secure storage for cryptographic keys, certificates and network credentials.

Based on Common Criteria-certified hardware, the ST25DA-C also targets certification to the GlobalPlatform Security Evaluation Standard for IoT Platforms (SESIP level three).

The chip is available for evaluation and sampling in a DFN8 package, with mass production scheduled to begin next year.

For more on Matter 1.5, go to www.iotm2mcouncil.org/iot-library/news/iot-newsdesk/matter-1-5-adds-categories-and-use-cases/.