The latest update to the Matter smart-home specification makes it easier for device makers to build high-quality cameras and doorbells.

The Connectivity Standards Alliance released Matter 1.5.1 at the end of last month to bring improvements that also deliver more efficient and flexible experiences to users.

Matter 1.5 introduced support for cameras and video doorbells. Version 1.5.1 builds on that with targeted enhancements and fixes that improve streaming efficiency, expand media capabilities, add flexibility for more user installation setups, and refine related device types such as chimes and intercoms.

One of the most significant enhancements in Matter 1.5.1 is support for multi-stream video and audio delivery. Previously, when multiple users or services needed access to a camera feed, such as viewers on different devices or analysis services within an ecosystem, multiple independent streams might need to be established to accommodate each device or task’s capabilities. With the multi-stream capability, a camera can deliver multiple optimised streams simultaneously.

This allows cameras and ecosystems to provide different video qualities efficiently for different use cases, for example: a high-resolution stream for recording or storage; a lower-resolution stream optimised for mobile viewing; a stream suitable for video analysis or AI processing; and multiple streams from multi-lens cameras.

By letting cameras deliver multiple streams in a single structured session, Matter 1.5.1 helps reduce bandwidth overhead, simplify integrations and improve reliability when multiple viewers or services access the same camera.

Matter 1.5.1 also expands support for modern media formats used in camera systems. Snapshot images can now be delivered using the HEIC image codec, which provides improved image quality at smaller file sizes than jpeg. This helps reduce bandwidth and storage requirements while preserving detail in captured images.

For recorded video, the specification adds full support for HLS and Dash streaming upload using the CMAF Interface-2 profile, enabling more compatibility with the streaming technologies widely used by modern cloud and media platforms.

Together, these enhancements make it easier for device makers and ecosystems to deliver high-quality viewing experiences while optimising network and storage usage.

Several updates in the release focus on improving the reliability and flexibility of camera deployments. Updates to pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) behaviour provide greater flexibility for camera positioning and movement, including improvements that better support installations where the camera’s home position may be at the edge of its rotation range.

The specification also includes fixes to recording configuration validation to prevent certain invalid recording setups, improving robustness and helping ensure more predictable operation across different platforms and implementations.

Matter 1.5.1 also includes refinements to device types commonly used alongside cameras and doorbells. Doorbell device types receive quality improvements and bug fixes that further stabilise interoperability. Chime devices gain additional flexibility, including the ability for controllers to request a specific chime sound rather than only triggering the default. This enables richer experiences such as: playing different chimes depending on which doorbell is pressed; triggering seasonal or contextual sounds; and supporting automations based on when a chime begins playing.

Updates to the intercom device type clarify requirements around signalling and add support for integrated chimes, helping ensure intercom devices behave consistently across ecosystems.

As with any maintenance release, Matter 1.5.1 also includes a number of editorial clarifications, bug fixes and specification refinements, many focused on the newly introduced camera functionality from the 1.5 release. These improvements help strengthen interoperability and ensure that the rapidly expanding set of Matter-enabled devices continues to deliver reliable experiences across platforms.

Developers interested in learning more about these enhancements can access the Matter 1.5.1 specification documents at csa-iot.org/developer-resource/specifications-download-request/.