Berker Is Being Retired. The Switch Replacing It Speaks KNX and Matter From the Same Backbox.

Berker is gone. Not gone as in bankrupt, gone as in folded. At Light + Building in Frankfurt back in March, Hager announced that its switch and socket business is moving out from under the Berker name and into a single Hager-branded range. A hundred years of a name I've written on more spec sheets than I can count, retired in one press release.

Normally a rebrand is nothing to write about. This one is, because of what Hager built into the replacement.

What's actually changing

The new range launches in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Austria from May 2026, in four design lines: compact A.1 and C.1, and larger A.8 and C.8 at 88mm. All four sit on the same 55×55mm electronic platform Hager already uses, which means existing backboxes aren't obsolete the day the name changes on the box.

That platform takes three kinds of insert, in the same frame, same finish: a plain mechanical switch, an electronic in-wall actuator, or a KNX Secure push-button sensor. Hager's own line on it is that the range ensures "full integration into smart building and KNX environments" and aims to run "from the distribution board to the switch" as one system. For anyone specifying KNX, that's the part that matters, not the logo.

The other part is the application module. Clip one behind the rocker and the switch gains Matter over Thread, certified against Matter 1.4 at launch, including Matter Binding, which lets a smart bulb pair straight to the switch with no hub in the chain. Five devices ship at launch: a 16A single-channel switching insert, a 4A dual-channel insert, a dimming actuator, a shutter actuator, and a mains-only insert for powering battery-free wireless push buttons. A Signature range with 16 colours and 15 finishes, including wood, stone, slate and marble, follows in October. Matter-enabled outlets are pencilled in for late 2026 or early 2027.

Why this is the interesting bit, not the name

I've written before about 1Home bridging KNX installations to Matter at the gateway. This is different. Hager just put both protocols on the same physical footprint, chosen at the switch, not at the design table. Run KNX Secure through the frame and you get the wired, deterministic bus I'd normally spec. Run the electronic insert with the Matter module and you get local switching plus the option to pair Matter devices directly, without a separate controller sitting in between. Same faceplate, same backbox, different insert behind it.

That's the open-standards argument I make to clients, playing out in actual hardware. Nobody's forced to pick an ecosystem the day the electrician wires the backbox. The decision moves later, and in a build that can run to years between first fix and handover, that matters more than it sounds like it should.

I'll flag what I don't know rather than guess: Hager hasn't published a South African rollout date, and the initial four markets are all EU. Matter certification at launch is version 1.4, not 1.5, so don't expect camera or closures clusters to show up on this specific chip without a future update. I'll confirm local availability with our Hager rep before I put this in front of a client as a spec option, and I'd treat anyone claiming SA stock right now with the same scepticism.

What it means for anyone speccing now

If you're mid-design on a project using Hager or Berker-branded switching, nothing changes for you today. Existing product lines continue, and the 55×55mm platform means a like-for-like swap later isn't a demolition job. What it tells me is where the manufacturers are placing their bets. Not on Matter replacing KNX. Not on KNX pretending Matter doesn't exist. They're betting a single physical platform can carry both, so the client's phone app of choice stops being a decision anyone has to make at first-fix stage.

I'll be watching for local distribution news and will update once I know what's actually landing in South Africa and when.

If you're planning a build and want the switching spec to hold up regardless of which ecosystem wins the next argument, get in touch. Just a conversation about what the project needs.

Wayne | KNX Logic

wayne@knxlogic.co.za | 082 564 3982 | www.knxlogic.co.za

Sources: Hager, Light + Building 2026: Hager launches new brand positioning (8 Mar 2026) | matter-smarthome.de, New Switch Series from Hager Featuring Matter (25 Mar 2026)