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Home Assistant’s Matter Server 1.5.0 beta updates its Matter.JS engine and adds a camera API with two-way audio, custom support for Aqara’s FP400 and IKEA radiator thermostats, and faster offline detection. The release lays groundwork for Matter 1.6.1 features, but stable availability and access to many additions through Home Assistant Core are still pending.
The Open Home Foundation’s Matter Server 1.5.0 beta adds a dedicated camera API with two-way audio, support for custom features in Aqara and IKEA devices, and groundwork for Matter 1.6.1. The update matters to Home Assistant users because it expands what the platform’s Matter controller can manage, although many additions still need changes in Home Assistant Core before they are readily available to users.
The release updates the server to the Matter.JS 0.18.0 engine and introduces WebSocket Schema version 14, including an API for managing camera sessions and WebRTC stream negotiation. A new talkback: true option lets compatible cameras and video doorbells carry outgoing audio from a client, such as the Home Assistant dashboard. The report names the Aqara Camera Hub G350 as an example. The update also addresses some WebRTC session drops and adds error codes intended to make stream problems easier to diagnose.
For the Aqara Spatial Multi-Sensor FP400, the server adds definitions and Python client support for three manufacturer-specific clusters. These expose settings and events for radar sensing and occupant location, including detection zones and target-position information. The update also fixes transmission of zone-configuration data. For IKEA’s LILJEBAGGE radiator thermostat, it adds a custom valve-calibration cluster and a control panel in the server dashboard, allowing calibration of compatible valves without an IKEA hub, according to the report.
Other changes cover device status and administration. The server removes its fixed three-minute offline grace period, so a device can be marked unavailable once Matter.JS determines it cannot be reached. The dashboard’s network graph uses Thread 1.4 role labels, and the Door Lock panel can create temporary guest PINs with configurable expiration. The release also adds a command-line option to adjust custom-attribute polling for older Eve Energy plugs, commissioning details for sharing devices, and interactive control panels for several device categories.
More Matter Devices, More Direct Control
The update addresses practical limits in a smart-home system: users may want to speak through a camera, configure a sensor’s zones, or calibrate a radiator valve without relying on a manufacturer’s hub. Adding these functions at the Matter Server layer can make Home Assistant a more capable controller for mixed-brand setups. Whether each function appears in the standard Home Assistant interface depends on further work in Home Assistant Core.
The Matter 1.6.1 work also points toward faster group commands. The source report says Home Assistant has handled group actions through sequential messages, which can make devices respond at different times. The new server establishes a protocol foundation for IPv6 multicast group messaging across Thread, Wi-Fi and Ethernet. That is groundwork, not confirmation that all Matter groups will immediately switch to multicast or that users will see a particular performance improvement in this beta.
Home Assistant Matter camera with two-way audio
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From Matter Groups to Device Support
Matter is a smart-home connectivity standard, while Home Assistant’s Matter Server acts as a controller between the platform and Matter devices. Manufacturers can also use custom clusters for functions that are not covered by standard Matter controls; the new Aqara and IKEA definitions address features specific to those products.
The Connectivity Standards Alliance released Matter 1.6.1 in September, according to the source report. It says the specification promoted Groupcast from provisional status and added independent volume and mute controls for doorbell chimes. Matter Server 1.5.0 is described as adding official support for that version and the protocol foundation for group messaging. The release also builds on camera support introduced earlier by adding a dedicated API and talkback capability.
Version 1.5.0 remains in beta. The report says users can opt into beta testing through Matter Server settings and that a stable add-on release is expected soon, but it gives no date. It also cautions that most new features need additional Home Assistant Core work to become more accessible.
“The new Matter Server establishes the protocol-level foundation required for native IPv6 multicast group messaging over Thread, Wi-Fi, and Ethernet.”
— Matter Alpha’s report on the Matter Server 1.5.0 changelog
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Stable Release and Core Support
The report does not give a date for the stable Matter Server add-on release, identify every camera compatible with talkback, or specify when Home Assistant Core will expose the new functions to typical users. It also does not establish how broadly the new group-messaging foundation will be used in practice, or what performance users should expect across different networks and devices. The listed capabilities are based on the 1.5.0 beta changelog; availability may vary by device, client and software version.
IKEA LILJEBAGGE radiator thermostat
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Beta Testing Before Stable Rollout
Users can enable the beta option in Matter Server settings to test version 1.5.0, according to the report. The next milestones are a stable add-on release and the Home Assistant Core work needed to make more of the server’s new capabilities accessible. Until those arrive, users should check device compatibility and treat the reported features as beta functionality rather than assuming they are available across all Home Assistant installations.
smart home device calibration tools
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Key Questions
What is new in Home Assistant Matter Server 1.5.0?
The beta updates the Matter.JS engine and adds a camera API with two-way audio, Aqara FP400 and IKEA thermostat custom-cluster support, faster unavailable-device detection, and other management and diagnostic changes.
Can Home Assistant users talk through Matter cameras now?
The server beta adds a talkback: true option for compatible cameras and video doorbells. Device compatibility and access through Home Assistant Core may vary; the source report does not list every supported model.
Does Matter Server 1.5.0 make group commands instant?
No such performance result is confirmed. The release provides groundwork for IPv6 multicast group messaging under Matter 1.6.1; actual behavior and response times depend on implementation and the devices and network involved.
Can the IKEA LILJEBAGGE thermostat be calibrated without an IKEA hub?
The report says the beta adds a valve-calibration cluster and server dashboard control panel for compatible IKEA radiator valves, enabling calibration without an IKEA hub. It does not provide a full compatibility list.
When will the update be stable?
Version 1.5.0 is currently in beta, and a stable add-on rollout is expected. No specific release date is given, and some functions still require Home Assistant Core changes.
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