Matter 1.5.1 Update Brings Multi-Stream Video and Improved Camera Features

A single camera that once forced every connected service to pull its own separate feed can now serve multiple viewers simultaneously within a single structured session. That is the core engineering change in Matter 1.5.1, which the Connectivity Standards Alliance released on March 31, 2026, as an incremental refinement of the camera and video doorbell features first introduced in Matter 1.5 last November.

The multi-stream shift has direct household consequences. A camera covering a front door might simultaneously stream to a phone, a hub display, and a cloud recording service. Before 1.5.1, the Matter specification handled each of those connections as a discrete stream. Consolidating them into a single structured session reduces bandwidth overhead, simplifies how manufacturers and developers integrate devices, and should improve reliability when multiple viewers or services access the same device at once. No specific numeric limit on simultaneous streams is defined in the publicly available documentation.

Media format support expanded alongside multi-streaming. Snapshot images can now be delivered using the HEIC codec, which offers improved image quality at smaller file sizes compared to JPEG, with implications for both storage efficiency and the bandwidth consumed by motion-triggered captures. For video uploads, the update adds HLS and DASH streaming through the CMAF Interface-2 profile, formats already widely used by cloud and media platforms. Their inclusion is intended to improve compatibility for recording and playback workflows that connect Matter cameras to third-party services. Matter 1.5.1 also tightened behavior for chimes and intercoms, extending refinement to related device categories without specifying every behavioral change.

The technical foundation beneath these features is WebRTC, adopted in Matter 1.5 for live video and audio streaming across both local networks and remote connections via standard STUN and TURN protocols. Matter cameras also support two-way communication, pan-tilt-zoom controls, configurable detection and privacy zones, and cloud or local recording in either continuous or event-based modes. Transport layer enhancements, including improved handling for TCP and large messages, support the entire camera stack as underlying infrastructure.

The interoperability promise is the standard's boldest claim: any Matter-enabled camera should be viewable on any Matter-enabled hardware or app. The gap between specification and shelf reality is where that claim still faces pressure. Samsung SmartThings, which partnered with Aqara, Eve, and Xthings to position itself as the first Matter camera-enabled platform, now supports 58 Matter device types through the 1.5 specification. Its planned camera feature set covers live streaming, clip storage, two-way talk, motion detection, privacy zones, event history, and advanced settings. Adoption across the rest of the industry has been uneven; many major platforms have moved cautiously, a pattern attributed to concerns over technical debt and conflicts with existing proprietary integrations. Home Assistant has been the notable exception.

For consumers weighing a camera purchase, the Matter certification badge does not by itself guarantee access to every 1.5.1 feature. Firmware update commitments from the manufacturer determine whether a device shipping today will sustain multi-stream support over time, and whether devices certified under earlier Matter versions will receive any 1.5.1 improvements at all. The Connectivity Standards Alliance directed developers to the Matter 1.5.1 specification documents for technical detail; no platform-specific implementation timelines accompanied the release. Matter has existed since 2022 and has iterated through four major versions, each expanding the device categories under its umbrella. Whether 1.5.1's camera refinements translate into consistent cross-platform behavior will depend less on the specification itself and more on how quickly the platforms holding the largest user bases choose to implement it.