Matter FastTrack Recertification FAQ

What is Matter FastTrack Recertification?

Matter FastTrack Recertification is a new program for recertification of previously certified Matter products that reduces the cost and friction involved in releasing software updates for these products. With FastTrack, Alliance Member companies that are trained in the proper use of Matter Certification tools can perform their own testing of updated products and obtain Matter certification of the result for no additional Alliance fee. The conformance of every certified Matter product is initially validated by an Alliance-approved Authorized Test Lab (ATL), but with FastTrack, qualified Member companies in many cases can validate their own conformance of software updates to their certified Matter product without being required to return to the ATL.

Why did we create this new program?

As with any new standard and its implementation, the first few generations of products incorporate improvements in many areas such as reliability, resiliency, scalability, features, and even simple bug fixes. With Matter we have found that the best products issue software updates to pick up these improvements, but feedback from Matter product makers has been that the cost and overhead of recertification can create obstacles to providing such updates. We took that feedback seriously and to that end introduced the Matter FastTrack Recertification and Portfolio Certification programs to Members in November 2024. The new FastTrack Recertification program streamlines the recertification process for product makers, reducing costs and overhead for releasing important updates. Both FastTrack and Portfolio programs can help reduce the TCO for high-quality Matter end products and families of products.

What can Members do now that they weren’t able to do before?

FastTrack Recertification enables Members who are trained in the use of certification tools to perform their own testing and validation of software updates. This Trust-but-Verify approach to recertification eliminates many of the costs and additional time-consuming steps for product makers, decreasing overall TCO for high-quality Matter end products. FastTrack allows Members to self-test without additional Log Review by an Authorized Test Lab (ATL) or additional Alliance fees. In order to qualify for the FastTrack Recertification program, a Member company must meet certain qualifications such as tool training, and must submit two units of their product to the Alliance Interoperability Testing Facility (Interop Lab) within a certain time period. By providing product samples to the Interop Lab, additional testing can be done to verify the behavior of the latest version of products on the market.

What other benefits does FastTrack Recertification provide?

Encourages Rapid Improvement in Quality Products
- Members may deploy bug and security fixes without external schedule dependencies such as ATL validation or waiting for completion of Alliance recertification documentation verification and payment processing. It reduces obstacles to Members upgrading their products to the latest version of Matter, improving the experience for Matter product customers.
Reduces Certification Fees
- With this new approach, recertification fees paid to ATLs and the Alliance can be reduced to zero. Initial certification which requires ATL validation and Alliance certification fees is still required, but subsequent recertifications can be issued without these costs.
Clarifies Total Cost of Certification
- Helps provide predictability in the business case for making Matter products, because Members will better understand the total cost associated with certification over the lifetime of products, during which software updates are expected.
Enhances End User Experience
- Each iteration of Matter includes bug fixes and performance improvements. Enabling Members to quickly and cost-effectively upgrade to the latest version of the Matter SDK enables a better user experience for Matter products.

Why should I update to the latest version of the Matter SDK?

The open source SDK includes the latest optimizations and bug fixes to improve the user experience of Matter products. By keeping up-to-date with the latest version of Matter, you can take advantage of new features, bug fixes, security enhancement, performance improvements, and interoperability improvements, increasing customer satisfaction.

I have a Certified product. What do I need to do now to take advantage of this program?

Step 0 Train Members of your development team to become qualified to use this program by attending formally approved Rapid Recert Training programs
Step 1 Test internally using the established Alliance-provided test suite. This will confirm protocol compliance.
Step 2 Submit your documents to the Alliance Certification Team.
Step 3 Send 2 units to the Alliance Interoperability Testing Facility (Interop Lab). Alliance engineers will perform tests across Operating Systems and Ecosystems to confirm that your product works in the real world. It is not necessary to wait for the completion of the interop testing. You are permitted to implement your s/w update on your product, and ship it/OTA upgrade to deployed devices, as soon as step 2 is completed. It’s important to note that while you don’t need to have tests run at an ATL, you do need to run the tests internally and keep the logs for 5 years.

How do I know if my product qualifies for FastTrack Recertification?

First, you need a Matter certified product. All Matter devices must go through Initial Certification.
Second, you must attend a training to become qualified for the self-testing; there are two paths to completion. The first path is to attend a specification validation event (SVE); the second path is to attend Rapid Recertification Training offered during Alliance Member meetings.
The scope of changes permitted is limited to basic software updates; any additional changes to Matter-related functionality must go through General Recertification (including ATL testing). The scope of permissible changes includes:
- Security fixes
- Critical bug fixes
- Fixes to improve interoperability
- Updates to a newer spec version
  - A spec version that is certifiable at the time of applying for recertification using FRP
  - The Alliance reserves the right to restrict the use of FastTrack for certain specification updates
- SDK updates recommended by Matter SC and approved by the TCOC
- Device improvements and bug fixes

How do I send my products to the Interoperability Testing Facility?

You can find more information about the Interop Lab and its additional benefits on the Alliance’s website. You can also contact interop@csa-iot.org.

Can I use the Fast Track Recert program with the Certification Transfer Program (CTP)?

Provided that you obtained your original certification via a Certification Transfer, you can subsequently use the Fast Track Recert program to obtain an Expedited Transfer when your original device developer (Transfer partner Member) updates their original product using the Fast Track program. In the case of an Expedited Transfer, the application process is the same as the original transfer, however, there is no certification fee associated with obtaining the recertification for your updated transfer product.
As there is no testing involved in a certification obtained by CTP or Expedited Transfer, this allows those Members who are not able to access Rapid Recert training, to benefit from the Fast Track Recert program.

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