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2026.09.04

Product Update Notification - New Add-ons for nRF Connect SDK

Matter is now its own Add-on v1.0.0

Probably the biggest structural change: Matter has moved out of the core nRF Connect SDK and into its own Add-on, like we already did for Zigbee and KNX IoT. This first release adds support for Matter 1.6. In addition to that, the documentation, samples, configuration options, and software maturity levels have all moved over from the nRF Connect SDK. This means that future nRF Connect SDK releases will no longer include Matter; it will be in the Add-on and released independently of nRF Connect SDK versions. 

 

What is new in this version:

  • NFC-based commissioning - Allowing the full commissioning exchange over bi-directional NFC communication
  • NFC-Based Commissioning makes NFC a real alternative to Bluetooth LE for bringing a device onto a Matter network. It comes in two modes.
    • In powered mode, the device is commissioned over NFC without Bluetooth while powered, natively supported on Nordic SoCs through their built-in NFC Tag.
    • In unpowered mode, the full commissioning exchange completes over NFC without Bluetooth and before the device is powered on, so a bulb can be commissioned before it is screwed into the ceiling lamp, and an in-wall switch before mains power is on. Unpowered mode requires a dedicated NFC companion chip from a third-party vendor.
  • Nordic's Matter add-on v1.0 supports powered mode today, with unpowered mode planned for a future release.

Docs: https://nrfconnectdocs.nordicsemi.com/addons/ncs-matter/latest/index.html#addon-for-the-ncs

 

Matter and Zigbee combined v1.0.0

This one's for building a single device that speaks both Matter and Zigbee, not at the same time, but switchable between the two. It's aimed at two use cases: giving existing Zigbee customers an upgrade path to Matter, and letting a single product variant serve both markets instead of shipping two SKUs.

 

It integrates the Zigbee R23 Add-on v1.4.0 and Matter 1.5.0 and runs on the nRF54L15, nRF54LM20A, or nRF54LM20B SoCs. There are two ways to configure it:

  • A one-time upgrade path where the device starts as a Zigbee device and quietly advertises Matter over Bluetooth LE, and then switches over to Matter once commissioned
  • Bi-directional switching on a button press, with network data kept intact across the switch.

Matter OTA, Zigbee FOTA, and DFU over Bluetooth LE are supported, and light switch and light bulb samples are included.

 

Docs: https://nrfconnectdocs.nordicsemi.com/addons/ncs-matter-zigbee/latest/index.html

 

Matter and Edge AI combined v1.0.0

This is a Matter light switch you control by voice: say "okay Nordic" to wake it, then one of five commands, "toggle lights" or "scene 1" through "scene 4," with scenes configured on your Matter ecosystem side.

The wake word and keyword spotting run on the Axon NPU while the Matter application itself runs on the main Arm Cortex CPU, so the two workloads don't compete. This runs on the nRF54LM20B SoC.


Docs: https://nrfconnectdocs.nordicsemi.com/addons/ncs-matter-edge-ai/latest/index.html

 

Zigbee Add-on v1.4.0

Built on nRF Connect SDK v3.4.0 LTS and ZBOSS R23 v4.2.2.5, with support added for nRF54LM20A and nRF54LM20B. This version adds:

 

  • FOTA that can now resume after a dropped download instead of starting over
  • Optional DFU over Bluetooth LE for the light switch and light bulb samples
  • Experimental Touchlink support so devices can pair directly without a coordinator or hub.
  • New Kconfig choice for R22 vs. R23 core behavior; R22 stays the default since it's what Zigbee 3.0 certification on R23 platforms requires.

 

A few things to know before you upgrade:

ZBOSS libraries (the non-trace ones) now build with Link-Time Optimization (LTO) on by default, so you'll need CONFIG_LTO=y set in your application. Memory partitioning moved from Partition Manager to Devicetree, which changes flash layouts. If you're doing DFU against an old build, you'll need to bring the old partition addresses and sizes back into your Devicetree overlay.

The light switch sample's FOTA now uses MCUboot image compression, so devices can no longer revert to the previous image after an update.

 

Docs: https://nrfconnectdocs.nordicsemi.com/addons/ncs-zigbee/latest/index.html  

Release notes: https://nrfconnectdocs.nordicsemi.com/addons/ncs-zigbee/latest/release-notes.html
 

KNX IoT Add-on v0.1.0

First experimental release, now built on the official KNX IoT Point API Stack v1.0.0:

  • KNX IoT Point API Stack v1.0.0, released by the KNX Association in March 2026.
  • nRF Connect SDK v3.4.0 (LTS) compatibility.
  • Support for nRF54LM20A, nRF54LM20B, and nRF54L15 SoCs, running over Thread.
  • Light Switch Sensor and Light Switch Actuator samples included.
  • Commissioning is currently hard-coded for lab use, not yet suitable for production.

Docs: https://nrfconnectdocs.nordicsemi.com/addons/ncs-knx-iot/latest/index.html

 

All five Add-ons ship independently on top of the same nRF Connect SDK v3.4.0 LTS.

 

You can get an overview of all the currently available Add-ons here: https://nrfconnect.github.io/ncs-app-index/