Matter integration in the nRF Connect SDK

Matter is included in the nRF Connect SDK as one of the submodule repositories managed with the West (Zephyr’s meta-tool) tool, using a dedicated Matter fork. That is, the code used for the nRF Connect SDK and Matter integration is stored in the Matter repository (nRF Connect platform) and is compiled when building one of the available Matter samples.

The nRF Connect SDK repository structure

Both instances depend on each other, but their development is independent to ensure that they both support the latest stable version of one another. The fork is maintained and verified as a part of the nRF Connect SDK release process as an OSS repository.

The Matter repository fetched into the fork also includes documentation files. A selection of these pages is included in the nRF Connect SDK documentation under the Matter fork documentation tab.

Matter stack in the nRF Connect SDK

Matter is located on the top application layer of the integration model, looking from the networking point of view. The nRF Connect SDK and Zephyr provide the Bluetooth® LE, Thread, and Wi-Fi stacks, which must be integrated with the Matter stack using a special intermediate layer. In case of Matter over Thread, the nRF Connect SDK’s Multiprotocol Service Layer (MPSL) driver allows running Bluetooth LE and Thread concurrently on the same radio chip.

nRF Connect platform in Matter

For detailed description, see the nRF Connect platform overview page in the Matter documentation.

Matter platform designs (System-on-Chip, multiprotocol)

Matter in the nRF Connect SDK supports the System-on-Chip, multiprotocol platform designs, available with the related network stack on Nordic Semiconductor devices in the nRF Connect SDK. For more information about the multiprotocol feature, see Multiprotocol support.

Matter over Thread

In this design, the Matter stack, the OpenThread stack, and the Bluetooth LE stack run on a single SoC.

This platform design is suitable for the following development kits:

Hardware platforms	PCA	Board name	Build target
nRF52840 DK	PCA10056	nrf52840dk_nrf52840	nrf52840dk_nrf52840
nRF5340 DK	PCA10095	nrf5340dk_nrf5340	nrf5340dk_nrf5340_cpuapp nrf5340dk_nrf5340_cpuapp_ns

The design differences between the supported SoCs are the following:

• On the nRF5340 SoC, the network core runs both the Bluetooth LE Controller and the 802.15.4 IEEE Radio Driver.

• On the nRF52840 SoC, all components are located on the application core.

Multiprotocol Thread and Bluetooth LE architecture on nRF52 Series devices

Multiprotocol Thread and Bluetooth LE architecture on nRF53 Series devices

Matter over Wi-Fi

In this design, the Matter stack, the Wi-Fi stack, and the Bluetooth LE stack run on a single SoC.

This platform design is suitable for the following development kits:

Hardware platforms	PCA	Board name	Build target
nRF7002 DK	PCA10143	nrf7002dk_nrf5340	nrf7002dk_nrf5340_cpuapp
nRF5340 DK	PCA10095	nrf5340dk_nrf5340	nrf5340dk_nrf5340_cpuapp

For this design, the Wi-Fi driver on the application core communicates with the external nRF7002 Wi-Fi 6 Companion IC over QSPI or SPI:

• For the nrf5340dk_nrf5340_cpuapp, nRF7002 support is added using nrf7002_ek shield connected through SPI.

• For the nrf7002dk_nrf5340_cpuapp, nRF7002 is connected with the nRF5340 SoC through QSPI.

Multiprotocol Wi-Fi and Bluetooth LE architecture (nRF53 with the nRF7002 Wi-Fi 6 Companion IC)

Switchable Matter over Wi-Fi and Matter over Thread

In this design, the Matter stack, the OpenThread stack, Wi-Fi stack, and the Bluetooth LE stack run on a single SoC.

The application is built in two variants: the first one is the application working with Matter over Thread and the second one is the application working with Matter over Wi-Fi. You can configure which transport is selected on the device boot as the default one. Both application variants are programmed into separate partitions of the external flash. The application runs from the internal flash memory, using one of the variants from the external flash. You can trigger the switch from one variant to another using the Button 3 on the nRF5340 DK. The device is rebooted into the MCUboot bootloader, which replaces the current variant by swapping the application variant in the internal flash.

Note

Because the external flash is used for both the DFU and the switching feature, this implementation has higher memory size requirements and you need an external flash with at least 6 MB of memory.

For an example of how this design works, see the Thread and Wi-Fi switching feature in the Matter door lock sample.

This platform design is suitable for the following development kits:

Hardware platforms	PCA	Board name	Build target
nRF5340 DK	PCA10095	nrf5340dk_nrf5340	nrf5340dk_nrf5340_cpuapp

This design is only available for the nrf5340dk_nrf5340_cpuapp with the nrf7002_ek shield. The Wi-Fi driver on the application core communicates through SPI with the external nRF7002 EK shield, which works as the Wi-Fi 6 Companion IC.

Multiprotocol Wi-Fi/Thread and Bluetooth LE architecture (nRF53 with the nRF7002 EK shield as the Wi-Fi 6 Companion IC)