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ZDNET’s key takeaways

• Matter 1.5 supports security cameras, unifies ‘closure’ devices, and more.
• Smart home users can expect more device options, improved automations, and simpler setup.
• The updated connectivity protocol will usher in new Matter-certified products.

The Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) is introducing Matter 1.5, its latest effort to remove interoperability woes. This update introduces Matter support for security cameras, enhanced energy management solutions, and integrations with more specialized devices, such as soil moisture sensors and garage openers. 

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Adding Matter compatibility for security cameras with the 1.5 update means that your Matter cameras will work across brands and ecosystems, rather than forcing you into a single ecosystem. Matter-certified cameras will work with Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, or Samsung SmartThings, rather than with just one of these platforms.

Matter 1.5 and security cameras

Just as you can mix and match brands for smart bulbs and smart plugs in your home, you’ll also be able to mix and match camera brands, while still viewing the feeds and receiving notifications through your preferred smart home platform.

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The Matter 1.5 update supports two-way talk, pan/tilt/zoom (PTZ), privacy zones, and multiple streams, and works regardless of whether you use local or cloud storage for your video history. Since Matter runs locally over Thread or Wi-Fi, you can also expect faster loading times for live feeds.

What ‘closure’ devices mean

Matter also unifies what are considered “closure” devices into one category. This includes shades, blinds, awnings, shutters, gates, and garage doors. Matter 1.5 works with multiple types of motion, including slide, rotate, and lift, to give you precise position reports.

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Using Matter-certified closure devices reduces control discrepancies across brands and ensures that your blinds, garage door, or shades behave more consistently. This means that you’ll also be able to create more sophisticated automations, such as asking your preferred virtual assistant to notify you when the garage has been open for longe than 10 minutes.

Other Matter 1.5 updates

As a connectivity protocol, Matter offers a unified way to share real-time energy reports and automate when your most power-hungry appliances run, resulting in reduced energy consumption.

The update gives these devices improved smart metering, support for complex pricing schedules, the ability to set limits and power caps on utilities, and future-proofed bi-directional support for EV charging.

With Matter 1.5, your smart home can run your largest appliances when energy costs are lower, track your actual energy costs, and even integrate your solar system’s output into home automations and savings. 

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Plant lovers can also breathe a little easier with new Matter support for soil sensors to monitor moisture and temperature. This means you can use these sensors with your preferred smart home platform, eliminating the need to switch between different apps for each brand.

Also included with Matter 1.5 is TCP support, which provides users with faster firmware updates, more reliable handling of large data sets, and improved performance for battery-powered devices.

Matter 1.5 gives smart home users real-world improvements in home security, comfort, gardening, and energy savings. This translates into more smart home platform choices and smarter automations that can literally save them money.