Matter Cameras And Two-way Talk Officially Arrive In Home Assistant 2026.11
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The Open Home Foundation has released the Home Assistant 2026.11 beta, adding frontend support for Matter cameras and a Labs preview of two-way audio. The update also brings HACS into Home Assistant as a built-in Marketplace and changes controls for some Matter devices. The public release is scheduled for Nov. 4, 2026.

The Open Home Foundation has released the Home Assistant 2026.11 beta, adding frontend support for Matter devices cameras and a Labs preview of two-way audio. The update also makes the Home Assistant Community Store (HACS) available as a built-in Marketplace, giving users a more direct way to find and manage community integrations, dashboard cards and themes.

With the beta, compatible Matter devices cameras can appear in Home Assistant as standard camera entities, with snapshots and live video. The source report says the video streams use WebRTC between the camera and the user’s browser. Camera support was already present in the Matter.js server; the 2026.11 change exposes those capabilities in Home Assistant’s frontend. An updated Matter Server is required.

Two-way audio is a Labs preview, not a general default feature. When enabled in system settings, a talk button appears on supported live streams. At launch, the feature works with Matter cameras and Reolink cameras set up over RTSP; RTMP and FLV streams cannot carry return audio, according to the report. Microphone access in browsers currently requires Home Assistant to be opened over HTTPS. Companion-app support over HTTP is in development.

The release also incorporates HACS as a built-in Marketplace, accessible from the settings menu. Existing HACS installations are reported to migrate automatically. Community projects remain maintained by their own developers; inclusion in the Marketplace does not make them officially supported by Home Assistant.

At a glance
updateWhen: Beta released; public release scheduled…
The developmentThe Home Assistant 2026.11 beta brings Matter camera feeds and preview two-way audio into the platform’s frontend, alongside a built-in Marketplace.

Camera Feeds Reach the Dashboard

The camera change closes a gap between Matter support in Home Assistant’s backend and what users can access through its interface. Instead of relying on a separate Matter server capability, users with compatible devices can view camera entities and live feeds in the dashboard. The addition of two-way talk also creates a direct way to speak through supported cameras or doorbells from a live stream, although its preview status, device compatibility and HTTPS requirement limit who can use it immediately.

The Marketplace change affects a different part of the Home Assistant experience: finding and updating community-built tools. Bringing HACS into the settings menu may simplify access, but users should not read that change as a guarantee that every listing is reviewed or supported by the core project. The release also changes some Matter entity behavior, so existing automations may need attention after upgrading.

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From Matter Server to Home Assistant

The Matter.js server already provided backend camera capabilities before this beta. According to the source report, Home Assistant 2026.11 connects those capabilities to the main frontend, where camera feeds and snapshots can be presented as ordinary entities. The beta therefore adds user-facing access rather than introducing camera support in the Matter server itself.

Other changes concern existing device integrations. Matter climate entities now resume their last active heating or cooling mode when switched back on, rather than falling back to a default mode. Tilt-only Matter blinds are represented as tilt covers, with dedicated tilt actions. The update also includes controls for reversing cover motor direction and setting power-on color temperature for lights. These adjustments can affect scripts, routines and automations that relied on previous behavior.

Home Assistant 2026.11 is currently a beta release. The source report says the public release is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026, and cautions that features may not all be present in the beta build while work continues.

“Video streams run over WebRTC directly between your browser and the camera.”

— Matter Alpha, reporting on Home Assistant 2026.11

Compatibility and Beta Limits

The source report does not provide a complete list of compatible Matter cameras or specify which updated Matter Server versions are required. It also does not say how broadly the two-way audio preview will work across camera models beyond the stated Matter and RTSP-configured Reolink support. The report says Reolink told Matter Alpha that main-powered cameras with speakers should support the capabilities through Home Assistant integration, but that statement is not a guarantee for every model.

It remains unclear when companion-app access to two-way talk over HTTP will arrive. Because this is a beta, the final feature set may differ from the beta build. Users with climate automations or tilt-blind routines may also need to check their configurations: the report specifically flags changes to HVAC mode behavior and the commands used for tilt-only covers.

Stable Release on Nov. 4

The next milestone is the scheduled public release on Nov. 4, 2026. Until then, the beta is available for testing, and features may still change or be absent while development continues. Users considering the beta should check camera compatibility, confirm their Matter Server is updated and review automations that rely on the changed climate or cover controls.

For two-way audio, users will need a supported camera and an HTTPS connection when accessing Home Assistant through a browser. The source report says companion-app support over HTTP is in development but gives no delivery date. The release notes or later project updates will be needed to confirm final compatibility and any changes before stable rollout.

Key Questions

What camera features does Home Assistant 2026.11 add?

The beta exposes compatible Matter cameras in the frontend as camera entities, with snapshots and live video. The source report says streams use WebRTC between the camera and browser, and an updated Matter Server is required.

Which cameras support two-way audio?

The Labs preview supports Matter cameras and Reolink cameras configured over RTSP, according to the report. RTMP and FLV streams cannot carry return audio. Compatibility can vary by device.

Does two-way talk work over a browser’s HTTP connection?

Not currently, according to the source report. Browser microphone access requires Home Assistant to be opened over HTTPS. Companion-app support over HTTP is in development, with no release date stated.

What does the built-in Marketplace mean for HACS projects?

HACS is available from Home Assistant’s settings menu for browsing, installing and updating community integrations, cards and themes. Project developers remain responsible for their work; Marketplace availability does not mean Home Assistant officially supports each project.

When is Home Assistant 2026.11 due for general release?

The source report schedules the public release for Nov. 4, 2026. The current build is a beta, and its feature set may change before that release.

Source: matteralpha.com

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