Matter was built to solve one of the biggest frustrations in smart home history. Devices that should work together often do not. Smart lights need one app, cameras need another, locks depend on a third, and anything involving a hub can feel like guesswork. Matter creates a single, universal standard that lets smart home devices speak the same language. It removes much of the confusion and helps people build connected homes that feel simpler, more reliable and more predictable.

Now, the latest update, Matter 1.5, introduces some of the most requested features from consumers, builders and integrators. Camera support, smarter energy insights, unified categories for devices like shades and garage doors, and improved performance bring the standard closer to its long-term promise.

This blog explores what Matter is, what Matter 1.5 delivers, why it is important and how it will shape the future of the smart home.

What Matter Is, Explained Simply

Matter is a universal smart home standard created by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA). The goal is straightforward. Help smart home devices communicate in a consistent, reliable and secure way, no matter who made them. If your lights are from Philips Hue, your camera is from Xthings, your lock is from ULTRALOQ and your thermostat is from Google or Amazon, they should all still work together.

Matter provides this consistency by giving every device a common set of rules for communication. Think of it like a shared language for the smart home. When devices speak the same language, they become easier to install, easier to use and far easier to integrate.

Matter is supported by the biggest names in tech: Apple, Google, Amazon, Samsung and hundreds of device makers have already committed to the standard. The goal is a smart home that depends less on individual apps and more on simple, unified control.

If you read our blog on How the Mashable Readers’ Choice Awards Signal the Smart Home Industry’s Next Leap, you know smart home consumers are increasingly expecting that level of interoperability. Matter exists to deliver it.

What Matter 1.5 Introduces and Why It Is a Big Deal

Matter 1.5 is one of the most important updates the standard has seen, because it adds features that unlock many of the devices consumers have been waiting for. These updates improve how homes handle video, energy, access, gardening and automation.

The update also reflects a trend we explored in the PropTech and Infrastructure categories, where interoperability and intelligence are becoming essential. Smart Homes, Real Estate and Intelligent Cities are moving in the same direction. Unified, predictive and efficient.

Below are the most meaningful changes introduced in Matter 1.5.

Cameras Join the Conversation

Cameras have been the missing piece in Matter from the beginning. They often rely on proprietary cloud systems, custom APIs or closed platforms. Matter 1.5 changes that by adding a unified camera specification.

What this means for users

Matter 1.5 now supports:

• Live video and audio streams

• Two-way talk

• Pan, tilt and zoom controls

• Motion detection

• Privacy zones

• Multi-stream configurations

• Local and remote access

• Flexible storage options

These features rely on WebRTC, a proven technology for real-time video. More importantly, they remove the need for expensive cloud relays that can slow performance or add security risks.

This shift also helps manufacturers support more devices without building one-off integrations for every ecosystem. Indoor cameras, outdoor floodlight cameras, doorbell cameras, baby monitors and PTZ cameras can now enter the Matter ecosystem more smoothly.

A real example: Ulticam IQ V2 from Xthings

According to Security.World, Xthings’ new Ulticam IQ V2 is one of the first PoE cameras designed with Matter 1.5 readiness. It delivers:

• 4K imaging

• Edge AI detection for people, vehicles, pets, smoke and sound anomalies

• Gemini Cloud Intelligence from Google

• A 160-degree field of view

• Integrated siren and spotlight

• PoE, Wi-Fi and optional LTE operation

This is the kind of flexible, advanced device Matter 1.5 was built to support. And more manufacturers can now follow.

Smarter, Cleaner and More Transparent Energy Management

Energy has been one of the most confusing parts of the smart home. Devices often report usage inconsistently. Tariff information is usually hidden behind vendor-specific APIs. Carbon intensity is hard to track. Matter 1.5 introduces new tools that simplify energy intelligence for consumers and energy managers.

Key features include:

• A new device type for energy tariffs

• Ability for utilities to send real-time and forecasted pricing

• Support for block rates, peak rates and time-of-use pricing

• Carbon intensity reporting

• Improved smart metering

• Support for bidirectional EV charging and state-of-charge reporting

According to IoT Tech News, these updates help devices calculate energy cost and usage independently instead of relying on a vendor server. This means devices can automate energy savings more accurately and more sustainably.

For EV owners, Matter 1.5 aligns with new regulations in Europe involving vehicle-to-grid support and real-time grid communication.

For builders, this marks a step toward homes that respond dynamically to energy conditions without custom integration.

This trend connects directly with the ideas we explored in AI Is Writing the Next Chapter in PropTech & Real Estate, where predictive systems improve operational efficiency across buildings.

A Unified Category for Shades, Blinds, Gates and Garage Doors

Matter 1.5 introduces a fully unified category called Closures. This category organizes motion-based devices in a consistent, reliable way. It includes:

• Shades

• Blinds

• Drapes

• Awnings

• Gates

• Garage doors

According to ResTech Today, this unified model helps manufacturers develop products using modular clusters, reducing development complexity. It also ensures users enjoy consistent behavior across devices and apps.

Why this matters

• More accurate open and close reporting

• Better safety monitoring for heavy devices

• Better consistency across ecosystems

• More reliable automation

In practice, this could look like a home automatically adjusting shades across different brands to manage afternoon heat, reducing the load on HVAC systems.

Soil Sensors and Sustainable Living

Matter 1.5 introduces official support for soil sensors. These devices measure moisture and temperature and can communicate directly with irrigation valves and water systems. This means gardens, balconies and indoor plants can become smarter and more efficient.

Simple example:

A soil sensor detects dry conditions.
It communicates with a Matter-enabled water valve.
The valve turns on for a measured, efficient watering cycle.

This level of automation supports both sustainability and convenience. The update also expands the kinds of devices that developers can build under the Matter umbrella.

Better Reliability Through TCP Support

Matter previously relied heavily on UDP as it's Protocol for communication, which works well for fast, lightweight commands, but struggles with the bandwidth and reliability required for video and firmware updates.

Matter 1.5 adds full support for TCP, a stronger Protocol, better suited for smart devices.

This matters because:

• Video streaming becomes more reliable

• Large sensor logs transmit more cleanly

• Firmware updates complete more consistently

• Device communication becomes more stable overall

As The Ambient and Android Central both reported, manufacturers can now build smoother, more robust devices without workarounds.

Matter Is Growing Up

Matter 1.5 marks a meaningful moment for the smart home. Instead of focusing on small fixes, the CSA focused on unlocking major categories and removing long-standing friction. Cameras now work across ecosystems. Energy management becomes more transparent. Closures become unified. Soil sensors get native support. Performance improves.

The smart home industry is entering an era where interoperability is the expectation. This aligns with the broader trend across Smart Homes, Real Estate and Intelligent Cities. As we noted in our Intelligent City blog, people increasingly expect infrastructure to work smoothly in the background.

Matter 1.5 helps homes move in that same direction.

Matter was designed to make smart homes simpler, and version 1.5 brings that vision closer to reality. From camera support to energy transparency, the update gives manufacturers, builders and users the tools they need to build smarter, cleaner and more reliable connected homes.

As this new standard rolls out across platforms and devices, it raises meaningful questions for the industry.

Are we ready for homes that respond intelligently to real-time conditions?
Will manufacturers adopt the standard quickly enough to meet growing expectations?
How will Matter change the way we design, build and automate homes in the next decade?
And what role will consumers play in shaping these new connected experiences?

The next phase of smart living is unfolding, and Matter could very well be the language that communicates the story.