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Inovelli has started development of the White Series VTM32-SN, a Matter-over-Thread wall switch planned to include built-in 24 GHz mmWave presence sensing. Hardware and firmware work are underway, but features and timing may change; no price or preorder date has been announced.
Inovelli has started development of the White Series VTM32-SN, a Matter-over-Thread wall switch designed to add built-in 24 GHz mmWave presence sensing to its Matter product lineup. The project is at an early stage: hardware design and firmware development are underway, and the company says both its planned features and schedule may change.
The VTM32-SN extends Inovelli’s Project Linus design, already offered in the company’s Zigbee Blue Series and Z-Wave Red Series, to its Matter-enabled White Series. Inovelli has completed initial product requirements and research and development analysis. It plans to make 15 beta samples for testing, currently scheduled from November through December 20.
Inovelli’s current hardware target includes a 24 GHz mmWave sensor, a center-rest paddle, a configuration and favorite button, and an addressable RGB LED bar. The company is also investigating an integrated light-level, or lux, sensor; that is not a confirmed feature. Planned switch functions include dimmer and on/off modes, power monitoring, smart-bulb mode, adjustable ramp rates and dimming limits, leading- and trailing-edge dimming, over-the-air updates, and multi-way installations.
The design is also intended to work without a neutral wire, a challenging requirement for a Matter-over-Thread device, according to the source report. Inovelli has not published a price or preorder date. The company’s current schedule places certification, including Matter certification, between December and February 1, 2027, with production preparation afterward and mass production targeted for March 20, 2027. Those are development targets, not confirmed retail dates.
Presence Sensing Reaches White Series
The project would bring occupancy sensing to Inovelli’s Matter-over-Thread wall-switch range, narrowing a gap with its Zigbee and Z-Wave lines, which already include Project Linus presence-sensing dimmers. A wall switch that can detect whether a room is occupied could help smart-home systems keep lights on when someone is relatively still, rather than relying only on motion detection that may miss small movements.
That capability is not the same as precise tracking of people or their positions. The source report describes the switch’s aim as reliable room occupancy, not detailed spatial or multi-person tracking. MmWave sensing can respond to smaller movements than conventional passive infrared sensors, but false detections can occur in complicated room layouts. Performance will depend on the final hardware, firmware and how the sensor is tuned in real homes.
For Matter users, the switch’s planned combination of Thread connectivity, load control and sensing could add another way to build automations around room occupancy. The practical benefit will depend on which features ship, how the device works with different Matter controllers, and the final product’s price and availability.
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From Linus to Matter Thread
Inovelli’s White Series is its Matter-over-Thread counterpart to the Zigbee Blue Series and Z-Wave Red Series. It began with a 2-in-1 switch now sold as the White Series Smart Dimmer. The company has since added an on/off switch with humidity sensing, a dedicated fan switch and a fan/light canopy module. The proposed VTM32-SN would expand that lineup with a presence-sensing dimmer design.
Inovelli has also been developing Matter binding, which lets compatible devices control one another directly rather than relying on a controller to relay every command. The source report says recent White Series beta firmware added group binding, so a switch can target a Matter group instead of maintaining separate bindings to individual lights.
Matter 1.6.1 includes a newer Groupcast architecture and related updates in the official SDK, according to the source report. However, there is no confirmation that the VTM32-SN will ship with Matter 1.6.1 or support its Groupcast cluster. Any connection between that newer implementation and this switch remains a possibility, not an announced product feature.
“The project is still at an early stage.”
— Inovelli, as reported by Matter Alpha
Features Still Under Development
Inovelli has not confirmed a final feature set, product price, preorder date or retail availability. The integrated lux sensor remains under investigation, and the listed switch capabilities are development targets. The company says features and dates may change as the project progresses.
It is also unclear whether the product will support Matter 1.6.1 Groupcast or which Matter versions and controllers will support all of its planned functions at launch. The source report does not provide independent test results for the sensor’s range, accuracy or false-detection rate. Those details will require hardware and firmware testing, including the planned beta period.
Beta Tests and Certification Ahead
Inovelli plans to produce 15 beta units and test them from November through December 20. Certification, including Matter certification, is currently scheduled for December through February 1, 2027. The company then expects to prepare for production, with mass production targeted for March 20, 2027.
Inovelli is inviting community participation through feature requests, project updates and beta testing. The company says contributors whose ideas make it into the product may receive credit and a free device. These steps may inform sensor tuning and feature decisions, but the company has not announced a preorder date or confirmed when customers will be able to buy the switch.
Key Questions
What is Inovelli developing?
It is developing the White Series VTM32-SN, a Matter-over-Thread wall switch based on its Project Linus design, with planned 24 GHz mmWave presence sensing.
What is mmWave presence sensing intended to do?
It is intended to detect room occupancy, including smaller movements that conventional motion sensors may miss. Inovelli’s stated design goal is room occupancy detection, not detailed tracking of people or their positions.
When will the switch be available, and how much will it cost?
Inovelli has not announced a price or preorder date. Mass production is currently targeted for March 20, 2027, but that is a development milestone, not a confirmed retail launch date.
Will it support Matter 1.6.1 Groupcast?
That has not been confirmed. The source report says Matter 1.6.1 includes a newer Groupcast architecture, but Inovelli has not stated whether the VTM32-SN will support it.
What features are planned beyond presence sensing?
Current targets include dimmer and on/off modes, power monitoring, smart-bulb mode, adjustable dimming behavior, over-the-air updates and multi-way installations. The final feature list may change, and an integrated lux sensor is still under investigation.
Source: rss
