Broadlink Enters Matter Arena With New RM Max IR/RF hub
Chinese smart home manufacturer BroadLink has announced a new hub it describes as the world’s first ‘Matter SuperBridge’, aimed at extending modern smart home platforms to appliances that pre-date current interoperability standards.
The new product, confusingly called RM MAX after the existing product that lacks the Matter integration, was demonstrated publicly at CES 2026, where BroadLink showed live control of legacy infrared (IR) and radio-frequency (RF) appliances through Matter-compatible ecosystems.
The launch comes as the industry continues its shift towards Matter, and is intended to simplify setup and improve cross-platform compatibility, but in practice its reach remains largely confined to newly released devices. Some homes are still filled with older appliances that rely on IR or RF control, leaving ACs, fans, heaters, and other installed equipment outside newer smart home frameworks.
Rather than requiring replacement, BroadLink positions the RM MAX as a translation layer. The hub converts IR and RF commands into IP-based control, allowing existing appliances to be managed through platforms such as Apple Home, without rewiring or physical modification.
As Matter supports IR control whilst Apple HomeKit never did, that does mean there has been a small but noticeable surge in devices to provide IR control, although RF control (specifically for 433MHz based devices) has been notably absent in this regard.
BroadLink claims the RM MAX supports more than 98 percent of IR and RF appliance brands globally. This reflects the reality of residential environments, where major appliances are often replaced over decades rather than years. As smart home standards evolve more quickly than household hardware, this mismatch has become a structural challenge for both platform providers and consumers.
Local operation is a central design feature. BroadLink says devices can be paired without an internet connection, with control handled directly across IR, RF, and the company’s FastCon protocol. Local voice control via Siri is also supported, allowing basic functions to continue during network outages.
The RM MAX incorporates mesh networking intended for larger deployments, supporting up to 4,096 devices on a single local network and offering a quoted transmission range of up to 80 metres per node. While aimed primarily at homes, this capacity may also suit multi-room properties or light commercial installations.
The bigger differentiator to take away here however is data handling. BroadLink states that all device data and usage information is stored locally on the hub rather than in the cloud, reducing reliance on external servers and limiting exposure to cloud-related security risks.
BroadLink says commercial availability of the RM MAX is planned for early February 2026. As Matter adoption expands, products that extend interoperability to existing appliances may play an important role in determining how quickly smart home platforms move beyond early adopters and into mainstream use.
