Matter Cameras in Home Assistant 2026.11: What Works and What to Buy
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- 23 Oct, 2026
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On October 22, 2026, Home Assistant merged the pull request that adds Matter cameras to its Matter integration. It is a short code change, but it ends a long wait. Matter 1.5 defined cameras almost a year ago, Aqara has been selling a certified model since March, and until now only Samsung SmartThings could show a Matter video stream in a mainstream app. The feature is in the development branch that becomes Home Assistant 2026.11. Here is what it does, what it leaves out, and which cameras are worth buying with that in mind.
Key takeaways
- Matter camera support was merged into Home Assistant's development branch on October 22, 2026 and is set for the 2026.11 release (expected in early November, if the usual monthly cadence holds).
- The first version covers live view through WebRTC, snapshots and privacy state. Recording, two-way audio and full pan-tilt control are not part of it yet.
- Home Assistant needs a Matter Server with websocket schema 14 or later (matter.js server 1.5.0+). The Matter Server add-on still ships 1.4.0, so an add-on update has to come first.
- Browser live view tops out at 1280×720 because of H.264 profile limits, even on 4K cameras.
- The Aqara Camera Hub G350 is the only Matter camera with confirmed, working support today. Several Tapo, EZVIZ and Ulticam models are certified, but retail firmware is not confirmed.
From spec to dashboard: a one-year timeline
Matter cameras did not appear overnight. The gap between "the standard supports it" and "it shows up on your dashboard" has been about eleven months, and it is worth seeing it laid out to judge how mature the ecosystem really is.
| Date | Milestone | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 20, 2025 | The CSA publishes Matter 1.5 with cameras (live video, audio, PTZ, privacy zones), closures and soil sensors | CSA |
| Mar 17, 2026 | Aqara launches the Camera Hub G350, billed as the first Matter-certified camera. At launch only SmartThings can view it | Aqara |
| Mar–Jun 2026 | Xthings Ulticam IQ V2, EZVIZ C6c 4K and three Tapo models get certified | Matter Alpha |
| Aug 18, 2026 | G350 firmware 4.5.70 enables PTZ, presets and privacy through Matter | Matter Alpha |
| Oct 20–21, 2026 | matter.js server 1.5.0 adds the camera API (schema 14). Versions 1.5.1 and 1.5.2 follow quickly with fixes | Changelog |
| Oct 22, 2026 | Home Assistant merges "Support Matter cameras" into the 2026.11 development branch | PR #176080 |
For context: Apple Home, Google Home and Alexa still do not show Matter cameras. SmartThings was first; Home Assistant will be the second large platform, and the first fully local and open-source one. We covered SmartThings' Matter 1.6 update in our 2026 Matter hub guide.
What Home Assistant 2026.11 will actually do
The pull request is clear about its scope. It adds a camera platform for Matter 1.5 devices that expose the Camera AV Stream Management and WebRTC Transport Provider clusters. The details matter, because they shape what you can do on day one.
Included in the first version
- Live view with native WebRTC. Video goes directly from the camera to your browser or the Companion app, with no transcoding by Home Assistant. That keeps the load on your server light.
- Snapshots as JPEG images, useful for notifications and picture cards.
- Privacy state. The entity shows as "off" when the camera's privacy mode is on.
- Remote access. Home Assistant passes its configured ICE servers to the camera, including the Nabu Casa TURN servers if you subscribe to Home Assistant Cloud, soon renamed Home Assistant Link.
Not included yet
The Open Home Foundation roadmap item for Matter cameras (issue #119) lists the items left out of this first iteration: recording, two-way audio, full pan-tilt control and AI detection. The OHF Daily summary of the merge confirms that recording, two-way audio and full pan-and-tilt are not covered yet.
| Feature | Home Assistant 2026.11 | SmartThings (G350, fw 4.5.70) |
|---|---|---|
| Live view (WebRTC) | Yes | Yes |
| Snapshots | Yes | Yes |
| Privacy mode | Read as on/off state | Yes |
| Two-way audio | Not yet | Yes |
| Pan-tilt and presets | Not yet (full PTZ) | Yes |
| Recording / local storage | Not yet | No |
| Zones, AI detection | Not yet | No |
The SmartThings column comes from a detailed community test of the G350. It also lists features that no platform exposes over Matter yet: zone management, HDR, digital PTZ and separate handling of the G350's two lenses.
Which cameras: certified is not the same as working
This is the part most buyers miss. A Matter certificate means the camera can speak Matter, not that the box on the shelf ships with that firmware. Here is the state of the market in October 2026, based on Matter Alpha's certification list and the SmartThings community market overview dated October 11.
| Camera | Type | Matter status (Oct 2026) | Our take |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aqara Camera Hub G350 | Indoor, 4K + 2.5K telephoto, 9× hybrid zoom, 360° pan-tilt | Certified, working (firmware 4.5.20+; PTZ/privacy 4.5.70+) | The reference choice, and the model used for Home Assistant testing |
| TP-Link Tapo C260 | Indoor 4K PTZ | Matter 1.5.1 certified; retail Matter firmware not confirmed | Wait, and check the hardware revision |
| TP-Link Tapo C560WS | Outdoor 4K PTZ, Wi-Fi 6 | Same as C260 | Wait |
| TP-Link Tapo C660 | Battery / solar | Same as C260 | Wait; battery models raise extra questions about streams |
| EZVIZ C6c 4K | Indoor PTZ | Certified in June; rollout not verified | Wait |
| Xthings Ulticam IQ V2 | 4K, PoE, ONVIF | Certified in March; backordered | Interesting for wired installs, since ONVIF is already a fallback |
| Aqara G100 (via Hub M3), G5 Pro | Indoor / outdoor | Matter camera support in beta or planned | Do not buy for Matter yet |
The G350 is also a Zigbee hub, a Matter controller and bridge, and a Thread border router, with local recording to a microSD card and a physical lens shutter. That makes it a sensible buy for an Aqara-heavy home anyway, and it pairs naturally with Aqara's Thread devices such as the Outdoor Plug H2 covered in our guide. One caveat: according to roadmap issue #119, Home Assistant testing has mainly been done on this camera so far, so other models may reveal edge cases.
What you'll actually see: 720p, 30 fps and shared streams
The matter.js team documents the technical limits in a camera limitations page. It is the most useful source to set expectations:
- Live view in the browser is capped at 1280×720. Browsers advertise H.264 level 3.1, which tops out at 720p. Your 4K camera will stream at 720p in a dashboard.
- 30 fps by default, with a starting bitrate of 8 Mbit/s that is halved if the camera refuses it, and a key frame every 4 seconds. Expect a short delay before the image sharpens.
- Streams are a shared resource. A camera can only run a few streams at once, and the server may close idle streams opened by other controllers. If SmartThings and Home Assistant both watch the same camera, one of them may lose its stream.
- Snapshots are requested at quality 90 but may be degraded while a video stream is running.
- Audio uses Opus at 64 kbit/s.
For a quick look at the living room, 720p is enough. For reading a license plate or keeping evidence, it is not, and you will still want the vendor app or an ONVIF/RTSP setup with a recorder.
Home Assistant / compatibility: your upgrade checklist
If you already run Matter in Home Assistant, the order of operations matters. The 1.5.0 server had a migration bug with the old Python Matter Server that left nodes unavailable, which was fixed in 1.5.1. Our Home Assistant 2026 guide also covers the Matter Server start-up issue reported after 2026.10.1.
- Back up first, including the Matter Server add-on. If a migration goes wrong, the matter.js changelog advises restoring the pre-migration backup and trying again.
- Wait for a Matter Server add-on build with server 1.5.0 or later. The current add-on (9.2.0) bundles server 1.4.0, which uses schema 13 and will not expose cameras.
- Update Home Assistant to 2026.11 once it is out, and read the release notes. A merged pull request can still be adjusted before the release.
- Update the camera firmware in the vendor app: 4.5.20 or later for the G350, 4.5.70 for PTZ and privacy.
- Pair through multi-admin. Share the camera from its app with a Matter pairing code. Keep the vendor app for recording and advanced settings.
- Test remote viewing on mobile data. Without a TURN relay, some networks will block the WebRTC stream.
If your network is still a mix of Zigbee, Thread and Wi-Fi, our Zigbee vs Matter/Thread study explains where each protocol makes sense. Matter cameras use Wi-Fi or Ethernet, not Thread, because of the bandwidth.
Who is this for?
- Buy now: you want one indoor PTZ camera that shows up locally in Home Assistant without a custom integration, and you already use Aqara or want a Zigbee/Thread hub. The G350 is the only safe choice today.
- Wait a few months: you need two-way audio, PTZ from the dashboard, recording, or an outdoor camera. None of that is in the first Home Assistant iteration, and outdoor Matter models are not confirmed in stores.
- Not for you: you already run Frigate or a recorder on ONVIF/RTSP cameras. Matter adds a standard pairing method, but for now it does not replace a local recording and detection pipeline.
Our take
Matter cameras in Home Assistant are good news, for a simple reason: they remove the need for one cloud integration per brand to get a live view. But the first version is a foundation, not a finished product. Treat 2026.11 as the moment to try it with a G350, not as the time to replace a working camera setup. We will test it on our install once the add-on update is available.
FAQ
When will Matter cameras work in Home Assistant?
The code is merged for the 2026.11 release, expected in early November 2026. You also need a Matter Server add-on update to server 1.5.0 or later, which had not been published at the time of writing.
Can I record Matter camera video in Home Assistant?
Not in the first version. Recording, two-way audio and full pan-tilt control are explicitly out of scope. You can take snapshots and save them with an automation.
Why is my 4K camera shown in 720p?
Browsers advertise H.264 level 3.1 to the camera, which is limited to 1280×720. This is a browser limit, documented by the matter.js team, not a Home Assistant bug.
Does the Tapo C260 work with Home Assistant over Matter?
It is Matter 1.5.1 certified, but as of October 2026 nobody has confirmed retail firmware with Matter camera support. Check TP-Link's release notes and the hardware revision before you buy it for that purpose.