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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 the Home Assistant Community Store into the core interface as a built-in Marketplace; the public release is scheduled for Nov. 4.
The Open Home Foundation has released the Home Assistant 2026.11 beta, bringing Matter camera feeds into the platform’s frontend and adding a Labs preview of two-way audio. The update also incorporates the Home Assistant Community Store as a built-in Marketplace, widening access to community integrations, dashboard cards and themes.
With an updated Matter Server, compatible cameras can appear in Home Assistant as standard camera entities, with snapshots and live video. The source report says streams use WebRTC between the camera and a browser, and the entity reflects device states including whether privacy mode is enabled. Camera support had already existed in the Matter.js server; this release exposes those capabilities through Home Assistant’s main interface.
Two-way talk is an optional Labs preview, enabled through system settings. When available, a talk button appears on live streams. At launch, the feature supports Matter cameras and Reolink cameras configured over RTSP; RTMP and FLV streams cannot carry return audio. Browser microphone access requires Home Assistant to be opened over HTTPS. Support for companion apps over HTTP is described as in development.
The release also adds the built-in Marketplace, where users can browse, install and update community integrations, dashboard cards and themes from the settings menu. Existing HACS setups are reported to migrate automatically. Community projects remain maintained by their own developers and are not thereby officially supported by Home Assistant.
Matter Cameras Reach the Dashboard
The camera change moves Matter support beyond backend recognition and into a feature users can access in the Home Assistant interface. For owners of compatible devices, live video and snapshots can appear alongside their other smart-home controls rather than requiring a separate camera workflow. The added talk preview also offers a way to respond through a camera or doorbell from a live stream, subject to device compatibility and connection requirements.
The Marketplace change addresses a different part of the user experience: it places community-made extensions inside the core settings interface. That may make discovery and updates more direct, while the distinction between integration into the platform and official support remains important. Together, these changes expand what users can access from Home Assistant without implying that every camera, extension or streaming configuration will work.
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Backend Support Becomes User-Facing
According to Matter Alpha’s report, the Matter.js server already provided backend camera capabilities before this release. Home Assistant 2026.11 connects that capability to the main frontend, making compatible cameras visible as camera entities. The update therefore builds on existing server support rather than introducing camera functionality from scratch.
The beta also makes several less prominent changes to Matter devices. Climate entities now resume their last active heating or cooling mode when turned back on; users with automations relying on the previous fallback behavior may need to specify a mode directly. Tilt-only window coverings are represented as tilt covers, with dedicated actions that can require changes to existing scripts or voice routines. Other additions include a reverse motor-direction switch for Matter coverings and a power-on color-temperature entity for lighting.
Further reported updates cover air-quality sensor units, Matter network maps that display bridged devices, translated firmware release notes and developer test improvements. These changes accompany the headline camera and Marketplace additions but do not establish that every device has been tested or will behave identically.
“The camera capabilities are now exposed to the frontend.”
— Matter Alpha report
Compatibility and Beta Limits
The 2026.11 release is still in beta, and the source report cautions that features may not all be present in the beta build if work remains before the final rollout. The report does not list every compatible Matter camera or provide a device-by-device compatibility table, so users should not assume all cameras will appear or support talkback.
It is also not clear from the supplied information when companion-app support for two-way audio over HTTP will arrive. The report says that work is in development but gives no date. Reolink told Matter Alpha that its main-powered cameras with speakers should support the new capabilities with Home Assistant integration; that is an attributed compatibility statement, not a guarantee for every model or setup.
Public Release Set for Nov. 4
The official public release of Home Assistant 2026.11 is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026, according to the source report. Until then, the beta remains a test version; users considering it should account for unfinished features and possible changes before the public rollout.
Further details to watch include which features make the final release, the range of cameras verified to work, and progress on two-way audio in companion apps. Users upgrading from existing HACS installations can also check that their community projects and automations continue to work, particularly scripts affected by the new tilt-cover actions or climate-mode behavior.
Key Questions
What is new for Matter cameras in Home Assistant 2026.11?
With an updated Matter Server, compatible cameras can appear as standard Home Assistant camera entities with snapshots and live video delivered over WebRTC.
How does two-way talk work, and what does it require?
It is a Labs preview enabled in system settings. At launch, it supports Matter cameras and Reolink cameras configured over RTSP. Browser use requires an HTTPS connection and microphone access.
Does the built-in Marketplace make HACS projects officially supported?
No. The Marketplace brings community integrations, cards and themes into Home Assistant’s settings, but the source report says each project remains maintained by its own developer and is not officially supported by Home Assistant.
When is Home Assistant 2026.11 expected to be released publicly?
The source report schedules the public release for Nov. 4, 2026. The version is currently available through the beta channel.
Source: matteralpha.com
