If you’re following smart home tech closely, you’ve probably heard of the Matter standard. Be sure to check out our Matter guide for more details, but in short, it’s an upcoming protocol that will allow accessories to work across major platforms. At the moment there’s an important question: is it worth buying smart home products now, or should you wait for Matter’s official rollout later this year?

The short answer is that it’s probably worth waiting. There are circumstances, though, where it’s perfectly fine to buy something today.