Amazon announces expanded development options for device makers building connected devices with the Alexa Connect Kit for Matter

Today, Amazon announced that smart home device makers building connected devices with the Alexa Connect Kit for Matter can build their devices with silicon vendor Beken’s BK7235 chipset. 

Amazon created the Alexa Connect Kit (ACK) to make it simpler for device makers to build smart home devices with a fully-managed service without having deep expertise in multiple wireless protocols, complex cloud connectivity, and the necessary maintenance of cloud infrastructure. Beken adds to ACK's portfolio of available hardware solutions for developers, and provides additional choice for device makers building their IoT roadmap with ACK. Today’s announcement provides them with a greater variety of options, in addition to simplifying the product development process for device makers that are already working with Beken. 

"By streamlining the development process and enhancing the user experience, Alexa Connect Kit (ACK) is a game-changer in smart device development," said Dr. Pengfei Zhang, CEO of Beken Corporation. "Beken is excited to leverage ACK's capabilities with our Wi-Fi chipsets to enable our partners to expedite the development timeline for exceptional and affordable Alexa-enabled devices."

The Alexa Connect Kit SDK for Matter enables device makers connecting products to Alexa or any Matter to deliver the increased interoperability of Matter for their customers, and receive the added benefits of cloud connectivity features to build differentiated products, without managing cloud services or even creating a skill. These features include over-the-air (OTA) updates for device lifecycle management, logs and metrics. 

Support for ACK SDK for Matter

Beken’s BK7235 is a Wi-Fi 6 MCU chip boasting an excellent track record of market adoption. BK7235 is certified for Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, Matter 1.0, and supports Amazon Alexa fast connection MSS certification. Featuring an independent hardware-isolated security unit, BK7235 supports Secure Boot and secure storage and employs highly secure P-384 encryption protocols for authentication algorithms. The entire chip passes white-box inspection by third-party security organizations and is certified with PSA Level 1 security certification. 

Beken's BK7235 chipset supports the Alexa Connect Kit SDK for Matter, ACK's Matter solution that provides the interoperability of Matter with valuable cloud features for Logs, Metrics, and OTA. Beken enabled devices with ACK SDK for Matter can connect to Matter administrators for complete interoperability, but also receive IoT updates and provide business insights through metrics and logs. Along with supporting the Alexa Connect Kit SDK for Matter, BK7235 is certified for Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2, and features security features like Secure Boot & storage as a PSA Level 1 security certified SoC.

ACK SDK for Matter also empowers device makers with differentiated features like Frustration Free Setup for Matter, which allow customers to add Matter compliant smart home devices to Alexa with a zero-touch experience, where devices are automatically connected to the network and setup begins as soon as the device is powered on.

Rapid development solutions with leading module makers

In integrating ACK SDK with Beken, we worked with a variety of leading module makers like Quectel Wireless Corporation and Uascent to develop ready-to-commercialize modules powered by Beken & ACK. ACK's module partners provide rapid development solutions, and can also support device makers in the software and hardware development of ACK products.

In addition to expanded chipset integration options, Amazon also announced support from global Internet of Things (IoT) solutions providers Quectel and Uascent with ready-to-manufacture solutions for Alexa Connect Kit. 

Device makers looking to build with Beken can learn more by contacting Beken at ack-support@bekencorp.com. If you have questions about the Alexa Connect Kit, please email ack-apply@amazon.com.