It's time to ditch the old idea of your smartphone being just a remote control. In the new era of smart homes — the era of Matter — the phone takes a different job, and your voice does the rest.
More than a remote control
The first generation of smart homes treated the phone as a fancier remote: open an app, find the device, tap a switch. It worked, but it kept every interaction at arm's length. The new era feels different. With one simple button on your phone, everything can turn into your personal assistant — totally hands-free. One tap sets a scene in motion; after that, the home handles itself.
That shift — from controlling devices one by one to asking for outcomes — is what makes a smart home feel smart rather than merely connected. The technology steps back, and daily life steps forward.
Voice control that speaks Cantonese
You'll love the smooth voice control, especially with Siri on the HomePod mini: lights, music and daily routines answered by a sentence instead of a screen. And for our friends in Hong Kong, how awesome is it that it can speak Cantonese? Voice control only becomes natural when it speaks the language you actually think in — for Hong Kong homes, that means Cantonese, not a second language you have to translate yourself into.
We have written more about this in our companion piece on Cantonese voice control over home appliances — how speaking to the home in Cantonese changes the whole experience.
Built for the Matter era
Underneath the experience sits Matter, the common language that lets smart devices from different brands work together in one home. Oolaa's smart mirrors are built for this era: they support Matter, Zigbee, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and KNX, and through Matter they work with Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa and Xiaomi. Voice runs through Google Assistant, with Cantonese supported — so the mirror in the foyer can act as the whole-home hub, reached by voice, Bluetooth or Zigbee.
For homeowners, the practical meaning is freedom: the mirror does not lock the home into one brand's ecosystem. For developers, it means a specification that will still make sense as the platforms evolve.
Stay tuned
This is the direction Oolaa is building toward — homes that listen, in the language of the people who live in them. Stay tuned to the new era of smart homes by Matter.
Key facts
- The new smart-home era moves beyond the smartphone-as-remote: one simple button turns the phone into a personal assistant — totally hands-free.
- Voice control is central, including Siri on the HomePod mini — and, for Hong Kong, voice that speaks Cantonese.
- Matter is the shared standard that lets devices from different brands work together in one home.
- Oolaa smart mirrors support Matter, Zigbee, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and KNX, and work via Matter with Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa and Xiaomi.
- Voice control runs through Google Assistant with Cantonese support; the foyer mirror can serve as the whole-home hub.
- Oolaa (Viewdex Limited): Hong Kong company, own factory in Shenzhen, 31,000+ installations across Hong Kong and Macau.
Frequently asked questions
What is Matter in a smart home?
Matter is the common standard that lets smart devices from different brands work together in one home, across platforms such as Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa and Xiaomi.
Do I still need my phone to control the home?
The phone stops being just a remote control: one simple button can set everything in motion, and voice control handles the rest — totally hands-free.
Can voice control speak Cantonese?
Yes. For Hong Kong homes, voice control — including Siri on the HomePod mini and Google Assistant on Oolaa smart mirrors — can speak Cantonese.
Which systems do Oolaa smart mirrors support?
They support Matter, Zigbee, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and KNX, and connect through Matter with Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa and Xiaomi.
Planning a residential, hotel, or commercial project in Hong Kong? Talk to the team behind 31,000+ installations.