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The Home Assistant 2026.11 beta adds frontend support for compatible Matter cameras, including snapshots and live video, and a Labs preview of two-way audio. It also brings the Home Assistant Community Store into the core interface as a Marketplace and updates Matter device controls; the public release is scheduled for Nov. 4, according to the report.
The Home Assistant 2026.11 beta adds frontend support for compatible Matter cameras, including snapshots and live video, and introduces a Labs preview of two-way audio. The Open Home Foundation release also brings the Home Assistant Community Store into the platform as a built-in Marketplace, extending the update beyond camera support to how users install community add-ons.
According to Matter Alpha’s report on the beta, cameras supported by an updated Matter Server can appear in Home Assistant as standard camera entities. Users can access snapshots and live feeds, with video delivered through WebRTC between the camera and browser. The entity also reflects device status such as whether its privacy mode is on. The camera functionality had been available in the Matter.js server backend; 2026.11 makes it accessible through Home Assistant’s main interface.
The release adds two-way talk as a Labs preview, which users must enable in system settings. A talk button appears on live streams, allowing audio to be sent to the camera or doorbell. At launch, the report says it works with Matter cameras and Reolink cameras configured over RTSP; RTMP and FLV streams cannot carry the return audio. Browser microphone access requires a secure connection, so talk currently requires Home Assistant to be opened over HTTPS. Companion-app support over HTTP is described as in development, not as available now.
Version 2026.11 also makes the Home Assistant Community Store (HACS) a built-in Marketplace accessible from Settings. The report says users can browse, install and update custom integrations, dashboard cards and themes there, and existing HACS setups migrate automatically. Community projects remain maintained by their developers and are not thereby officially supported by Home Assistant. The beta also includes changes to Matter climate controls, covers, lighting, sensors and network maps.
Matter Cameras Reach the Dashboard
Putting Matter camera feeds in the same interface people already use to monitor and control their smart homes reduces the separation between device support in the backend and features ordinary users can reach. Live video and snapshots can be handled as camera entities in Home Assistant, while the talk preview adds a way to speak through supported cameras without switching to a separate manufacturer app. How useful that will be depends on camera compatibility, network setup and the limitations of the preview.
The built-in Marketplace is a separate but related change for users who rely on custom integrations and dashboards. Bringing HACS access into the core interface may make community projects easier to discover and manage. It does not change who maintains those projects: the report says community developers remain responsible, so users should distinguish a built-in catalog from official support for each listing.
The device-control changes may also affect existing setups. The update changes how some climate entities resume operation and how tilt-only covers expose their controls. People with automations based on the previous behavior may need to adjust them rather than assume existing routines will work unchanged.
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From Matter Server to Home Assistant
The camera change connects two parts of Home Assistant’s Matter support. As Matter Alpha describes it, the Matter.js server already supported camera capabilities, but those capabilities had not been exposed in the main Home Assistant frontend. The 2026.11 beta brings that functionality into the user-facing interface, provided the camera is compatible and the Matter Server has been updated.
The beta also contains broader Matter refinements. Climate entities remember their last active heating or cooling mode when turned back on, rather than returning to a default mode. Tilt-only window coverings now appear as tilt covers, and the update adds a reverse motor direction option, a travel-time selector for WAGO Home Blind Control, a power-on color-temperature entity for lights and Matter thermostat setpoint attributes.
Air-quality sensor handling is changing too: concentrations for TVOC, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone use the units reported by the device. Some existing entities may need attention after upgrading, including a statistics update or cleanup for certain TVOC sensors. The Matter network map will also show bridged devices. These changes form part of the beta’s wider work on device compatibility and management, not just its camera additions.
“Video streams run over WebRTC directly between your browser and the camera.”
— Matter Alpha report on Home Assistant 2026.11
Compatibility and Beta Limits
The report does not identify every supported Matter camera or specify the exact Matter Server version required. Camera compatibility should not be assumed across all devices. It also does not give a date for HTTP support in the companion apps, describing that work only as in development. The beta is a test release, and the report cautions that features may not all be present in the beta build while work continues ahead of the public rollout.
Some migration details are also conditional. Existing air-quality entities may retain or convert units depending on what the device reports and how the entity is configured; certain TVOC sensors may need a statistics update or cleanup. For automations, users may need to name HVAC modes explicitly under the revised climate behavior, while scripts using standard open and close actions may need edits for tilt-only covers. The report does not state how many users or devices will be affected.
Beta Testing Before Nov. 4
Home Assistant 2026.11 is available through the beta channel for testing. Matter Alpha reports that the public release is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. Until then, the beta may change, and the source does not guarantee that every planned feature will be included in every beta build.
Users considering an upgrade can check camera and Matter Server compatibility, test two-way audio with Home Assistant open over HTTPS, and review automations that depend on climate modes or cover controls. They should also inspect affected sensor entities after upgrading. The next confirmed milestone in the supplied report is the planned public release; a specific date for companion-app support over HTTP is not provided.
Key Questions
What camera features are new in Home Assistant 2026.11?
The beta exposes compatible Matter cameras in Home Assistant as camera entities, with snapshots and live video through WebRTC. Camera status such as privacy mode is also reflected in the entity, according to Matter Alpha.
Can users talk through a camera?
A two-way audio preview is available through the Labs menu. The report says it supports Matter cameras and Reolink cameras configured over RTSP at launch. Browser use requires an HTTPS connection for microphone access.
Is the HACS Marketplace officially supporting community projects?
No. The report says HACS becomes a built-in Marketplace and existing setups migrate automatically, but community projects remain maintained by their developers rather than officially supported by Home Assistant.
When will Home Assistant 2026.11 be released publicly?
Matter Alpha reports that the public release is scheduled for Nov. 4, 2026. The version is currently available through the beta channel, where features may still change or be absent.
Will existing automations need changes?
Some may. The report says climate automations that relied on the old fallback behavior may need to specify an HVAC mode, and scripts or routines for tilt-only covers may need to use the new tilt actions instead of standard open and close commands.
Source: matteralpha.com
