Bottom line: Matter camera support exists, but only on one major hub so far - and even Matter-friendly camera makers are choosing to skip it on purpose

If you’ve seen “Matter” mentioned on a security camera or video doorbell and assumed it works the same way a Matter smart plug or light does, the honest answer right now is: camera support only exists in Matter 1.5 (finalized November 20, 2025 - not the earlier Matter 1.4), and as of this writing Samsung SmartThings is the only major smart home controller that has actually shipped support for it. Apple Home, Google Home, and Amazon Alexa haven’t caught up yet. On top of that, some manufacturers who are actively building other Matter devices are choosing, for real technical reasons, not to bring Matter to a specific camera - so “the brand supports Matter” and “this specific camera will show up in your hub” are two different questions.

What’s actually available today

Samsung announced Matter 1.5 camera support on December 9, 2025, with three launch partners: Aqara (a dual-camera model based on their G350), Xthings (the Ulticam IQ V2, a $199 4K PoE camera), and Walmart’s in-house Onn brand. Support starts on newer hardware like the Aeotec Smart Home Hub 2, with the older SmartThings Hub 2015 getting it later in 2026. The features on offer match what you’d expect from a modern camera app: live streaming, clip storage, two-way talk, motion detection, and configurable motion/privacy zones - the difference is these now work through SmartThings regardless of camera brand, instead of requiring each brand’s own app.

Apple, Google, and Amazon are all described in trade coverage as slow to pick up new Matter device categories, and cameras are no exception. Google in particular has indicated that only its newest-generation cameras will get Matter support going forward - which reads as a signal that existing Nest camera owners shouldn’t expect their current hardware to gain Matter compatibility through a firmware update.

Even Matter-friendly manufacturers are opting out of camera support - on purpose

The clearest illustration of why “Matter-certified” isn’t a reliable label to shop by for cameras specifically: SwitchBot’s new Outdoor Pan/Tilt Cam 3K ships without any Matter support at all, even though SwitchBot builds Matter-certified devices in other categories. The reason is a deliberate design choice, not a missed deadline - Matter’s video streaming path runs over WebRTC, while this camera uses RTSP instead, so it can pipe video directly to a local NAS or NVR without depending on a cloud service. SwitchBot confirmed to Matter Alpha that a future camera is planned to support Matter, but this specific model prioritizes local-storage compatibility over Matter support for now.

The lesson generalizes beyond this one camera: a manufacturer actively shipping Matter devices in other product lines can still choose to skip Matter on a specific camera for reasons that have nothing to do with how “committed” they are to Matter - local storage, cloud-avoidance, or existing protocol investments can outweigh it for that one product.

The checklist before you buy a “Matter camera”

1. Confirm you’re looking at Matter 1.5, not just “Matter.” Camera support didn’t exist before the November 2025 release - a device or hub that only supports an earlier Matter version won’t gain camera compatibility no matter what you pair it with.
2. Check whether your specific hub has shipped Matter camera support yet, not just whether it supports Matter for other devices. As of this writing, that’s SmartThings (on newer hub hardware) - Apple Home, Google Home, and Amazon Alexa users should check each platform’s current status directly before assuming their hub will pick up a Matter camera.
3. Don’t assume a Matter-building brand’s camera will support Matter. Check the specific model, not the manufacturer’s general Matter commitment - SwitchBot’s own outdoor camera is the counterexample.
4. If local NAS/NVR storage without a cloud dependency matters to you, RTSP support (often found on cameras that skip Matter for exactly this reason) may serve you better than waiting for Matter parity anyway.

Who this doesn’t fit

If you’re shopping for non-camera Matter devices (plugs, lights, locks, sensors), the camera-specific gaps described here don’t apply - those categories have been part of Matter far longer and have broader hub support. This also isn’t a buying guide for a specific camera model; storage needs (local vs. cloud), power source (wired vs. battery), and indoor/outdoor placement vary enough by household that model selection is a separate decision from the Matter-support question this article answers.

Summary

“Matter camera” support is real, but it’s version-specific (1.5, not 1.4) and, as of this writing, shipped on only one major hub (SmartThings), with Apple, Google, and Amazon all lagging. Even manufacturers actively building Matter devices elsewhere - SwitchBot is the documented example - can deliberately skip Matter on a specific camera for legitimate technical reasons like local NVR storage. Check your hub’s current camera-support status and the specific model’s Matter certification separately before buying, rather than assuming either one from the other. For the general version of this checking-before-buying problem across every Matter device category, see [matter-smart-home-buying-guide].