With Matter being the new standard, for many it tends to feel like the early days of Apple HomeKit all over again, with new discoveries here and there, popping up every other day. This is especially the case with brands hitherto unknown to the West. A case in point is a smart IR blaster from Japanese company Nature, which make a series of IR remotes under the Remo line. What’s different here, is that the smallest and cheapest of the three models, the Remo Nano, has now – according to both the company’s website, and their Amazon listing – become Matter compatible.

This may come as a surprise, as there’s little in the way of information as to how IR blasters are covered in the Matter spec, although the inference is that the device would be covered under bridges in the case of the Remo Nano. According to the company’s website, the specs for the Nano state;

• Matter: Compatible with version 1.0, infrared bridge function (air conditioner, lighting, other appliances that can be turned on / off (Up to 3 units can be connected via Matter)

So as you can see, it supports Matter v1.0 and can support up to three devices “via Matter” which would allow basic control for the most part. Prior to the update, the Remo lineup did/does offer Siri Shortcuts compatibility, which is more than some companies offer.

The Remo lineup of products all use 2.4GHz WiFi to connect to your home network (and to your smart home) and also include Bluetooth for onboarding/setup, as well as infrared to control IR devices. The other models in the Remo lineup – Remo 3, Remo Mini 2 Premium, and Remo Mini 2 – currently only support Amazon Alexa, with the Remo 3 also containing sensors for temperature, humidity, ambient light, and motion.

Coming in at only 47 x 47 x12.5mm (WHD), this is certainly one of the smaller IR controllers on the market. Currently, it only appears to be available on Amazon Japan, priced at ¥3,980, which converts to roughly US$28/ UK£22 / EU€26, so it’s not going to break the bank, but with support set at only three devices, it may still be a difficult purchase option for some, especially if it only offers on/off.

You can read more about Nature’s products via their website.

Credit to Youichi Kusakabe for the find.