The Connectivity Standards Alliance has released Matter 1.5.1, the latest update to the Matter specification. While not a headline grabbing release, it delivers a range of meaningful improvements, particularly for cameras and video doorbells, alongside broader refinements to performance, media handling, and reliability.
Matter 1.5 introduced support for cameras and doorbells, marking a major step forward for the standard. Version 1.5.1 builds on that foundation with targeted updates designed to make these devices more efficient and practical in real world use, while also tightening up how they integrate across different ecosystems.
Multi Stream support
A key addition in this release is support for multi stream video and audio. Previously, if multiple users or services needed access to a camera feed, separate streams often had to be created. This increased bandwidth usage and added unnecessary complexity. With Matter 1.5.1, a single camera can now deliver multiple optimised streams at the same time within one structured session.
This allows different streams to be tailored for specific use cases. For example, a high quality stream for recording, a lower bandwidth version for mobile viewing, and another stream for analytics or AI processing. It also supports scenarios such as multi lens cameras outputting multiple feeds simultaneously. The result is a more efficient system that reduces network load, simplifies integrations, and improves reliability when multiple viewers or services are accessing the same device.
Media support has also been expanded. Snapshot images can now use the HEIC format, offering better image quality at smaller file sizes compared to JPEG. This helps reduce both bandwidth and storage requirements without sacrificing detail. For video, the update adds support for modern streaming formats such as HLS and DASH using CMAF, aligning Matter more closely with the technologies widely used across today’s cloud and media platforms.
Alongside these improvements, there are a number of updates focused on reliability and flexibility. Camera controls such as pan, tilt and zoom have been refined to better support a wider range of installation scenarios, including setups where the default position sits at the edge of the camera’s movement range. Recording configuration checks have also been improved to prevent invalid setups, helping ensure more consistent behaviour across different platforms.
Doorbells improvements
The update also brings refinements to doorbells, chimes, and intercom devices. Doorbells benefit from general stability improvements, while chimes gain additional flexibility, including the ability to trigger specific sounds rather than relying on a single default tone. This opens up more advanced use cases, such as assigning different sounds to different doors or triggering automations when a chime begins playing. Intercom devices have also been updated with clearer requirements and support for integrated chimes, helping ensure more consistent behaviour across ecosystems.
As with most incremental releases, Matter 1.5.1 also includes a range of smaller fixes, clarifications, and specification updates, many of which focus on the camera functionality introduced in version 1.5. These changes help strengthen interoperability and ensure a more stable experience as more devices adopt the standard.
While Matter is progressing at pace, it’s worth being cautious about rollout expectations. This is not a criticism of the Connectivity Standards Alliance or the work behind Matter, but a reflection of reality. It takes time for developers and manufacturers to certify devices and bring new features to market.
