The Connectivity Standards Alliance has officially released Matter 1.5. This is one of the biggest updates to the smart home standard to date, especially since camera support has finally been added.
The new specifications open the door to a wide range of Matter-enabled video devices, along with improvements in window coverings, plant management sensors, and next-generation energy management.
The camera easily becomes the centerpiece of the headline. Matter 1.5 now includes unified camera specifications. This means manufacturers don’t need custom APIs or proprietary integrations to bring their devices into mainstream smart home ecosystems. Matter-compatible cameras support live video and audio streaming over WebRTC, allowing for two-way talk, local and remote access, and even multi-stream setups.
The spec also includes pan, tilt, and zoom controls, privacy zones, motion detection, and flexible storage options. Platform-specific clip playback and storage is in the hands of device manufacturers, and on-device audio/video analytics is not yet supported, but the foundation is in place for everything from doorbell cameras to outdoor floodlight cameras.
The update also introduces a cleaner, more unified approach to closures, a category that covers blinds, blinds, awnings, gates and garage doors. With Matter 1.5, devices can report clearer open and closed states and support different types of movements such as sliding, rotating, and multi-part configurations. The alliance says users should expect more consistent controls across different apps and ecosystems.
For plant lovers, Matter 1.5 introduces official support for soil sensors. The device reports humidity and temperature levels and can work with Matter-enabled irrigation systems and water valves to automate watering schedules.
Energy management will be significantly enhanced. Utilities and grid operators can now provide real-time and predictive pricing, rate data, and carbon information directly to Matter devices. This allows the device to more accurately estimate actual energy costs and carbon impact, provides better support for smart meters, and improves tracking of consumption at home.
With the release of Matter 1.5, manufacturers can now begin building new categories of products based on the updated specifications, and major platforms are now free to integrate support. Finally, with the addition of cameras, the Matter ecosystem is about to expand in a big way.
