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Home Assistant’s Matter Server 1.5.0 beta upgrades to the Matter.JS 0.18.0 engine and adds a camera API with two-way audio, device-specific features for Aqara and IKEA hardware, and quicker offline reporting. The release lays groundwork for Matter 1.6.1 Groupcast, but the server update is still in beta and some features also need changes in Home Assistant Core.
Home Assistant’s Matter Server 1.5.0 beta adds a dedicated camera API that can support two-way audio, device-specific features for Aqara and IKEA hardware, and the protocol groundwork for Matter 1.6.1. The update concerns the server that connects Home Assistant to Matter devices; it is not yet a stable release, and several features still need work in Home Assistant Core before users can access them fully.
The release upgrades the server to the Matter.JS 0.18.0 engine and introduces WebSocket Schema version 14, including an API for managing camera streaming sessions and negotiation. A new talkback: true parameter can enable users to speak through compatible Matter cameras and video doorbells from a dashboard or connected client. The report names the Aqara Camera Hub G350 as an example of compatible hardware. The update also addresses some WebRTC session drops and adds more specific camera-stream error codes.
For the Aqara Spatial Multi-Sensor FP400, the server adds definitions and Python client support for vendor-specific clusters related to ambient sensing, radar sensing and occupant location. The report says this makes detection zones and real-time target-position events available over Matter, and notes a fix for transmitting zone-configuration data. For IKEA’s LILJEBAGGE radiator thermostat, the update adds a custom valve-calibration cluster and a control panel intended to calibrate compatible valves without an IKEA hub.
Other changes include removing a fixed three-minute delay before an unreachable device is marked offline, adding temporary guest PIN controls to the Door Lock panel, and making network-graph labels clearer. The server also reports device commissioning details directly when users open a commissioning window to share a device with another platform. A command-line option lets owners of older Eve Energy plugs adjust polling for custom attributes.
New Tools for Cameras and Devices
The changes could make Home Assistant more useful as a controller for mixed-brand Matter homes. Camera talkback adds an interaction that goes beyond viewing a feed, while the Aqara and IKEA cluster support exposes manufacturer-specific functions that standard Matter controls may not cover. For users, those capabilities could reduce the need to rely on a manufacturer’s own hub or app for particular tasks.
The Matter 1.6.1 work is a foundation rather than a promise that every group command will immediately behave differently. The source report says the update prepares native IPv6 multicast Groupcast over Thread, Wi-Fi and Ethernet. If implemented across the relevant devices and software, group commands could be sent as a group rather than as separate sequential commands, which can cause lights to respond with a visible delay. The report does not establish that users will see this improvement as soon as they install version 1.5.0.
Home Assistant Matter camera with two-way audio
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From Sequential Commands to Groupcast
The Matter Server is the controller component used by Home Assistant to communicate with Matter devices. The report describes version 1.5.0 as an update to that server, not a general release of Home Assistant itself. Its account says the server has been handling group actions by sending individual commands to devices in sequence, which can produce staggered responses.
The Connectivity Standards Alliance released Matter 1.6.1 in September, according to the source report. It says the specification moved Groupcast out of provisional status and added independent volume and mute controls for doorbell chimes. The server’s new engine is described as establishing protocol-level support needed for Groupcast; the report does not say that all Matter 1.6.1 features are already exposed in Home Assistant.
“talkback: true”
— Matter Server 1.5.0 changelog, as described by Matter Alpha
Beta Status and Core Dependencies
Version 1.5.0 remains in beta, and the source says a stable rollout to the Home Assistant Matter Server add-on is expected soon but provides no firm release date. It also says most features need further work in Home Assistant Core to become more accessible. The report does not specify which functions will be available immediately through Home Assistant’s interface or when those Core changes will arrive.
Compatibility details are also limited. The source identifies example products and describes the new clusters, but it does not provide a complete list of supported camera models, IKEA valve variants, or device firmware requirements. Nor does it confirm that Groupcast will produce faster group actions across all network types and devices once the server update is installed.
Stable Release and Core Updates
Home Assistant users can opt into testing by enabling the beta option in Matter Server settings, according to the report. The next steps are a stable add-on release and the Home Assistant Core work needed to expose more of the new server capabilities to users. Until those arrive, users should treat the listed functions as beta features and check device compatibility before relying on them.
Further release notes should clarify the stable rollout timing, which camera and thermostat models are supported, and how the Matter 1.6.1 Groupcast foundation will be surfaced in Home Assistant. The source material does not give dates for those milestones.
Key Questions
Is Matter Server 1.5.0 available as a stable release?
No. The source report says version 1.5.0 is in beta and that a stable add-on rollout is expected soon, without naming a date.
What does camera talkback add?
The new camera API can support two-way audio, allowing a user to speak through a compatible Matter camera or video doorbell when a client starts a stream with the talkback: true parameter.
Does the update make Matter group commands faster right away?
Not necessarily. The server adds groundwork for Matter 1.6.1 Groupcast, but the report does not confirm that faster group behavior will be available immediately for every device or network.
Which Aqara and IKEA products are named?
The report names the Aqara Spatial Multi-Sensor FP400 and the IKEA LILJEBAGGE radiator thermostat. It does not provide a complete compatibility list or state all firmware requirements.
Do the new features require Home Assistant Core changes?
According to the report, most new features need work in Home Assistant Core to become more accessible. Installing the beta server may not by itself expose every feature through Home Assistant.
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