Matter in 2026 supports cameras, but the platforms still disagree
Matter 1.5 brought cameras but not one unified smart home, so here is where the standard stands and why a villa still needs a wired backbone.
Camera support has arrived, but the ecosystems still disagree
A January 2026 status review of the Matter standard counts more than 750 Matter-compatible products. It notes that version 1.5 added camera support and that 1.4.2 brought security and convenience improvements, and then it turns to the problems. The big ecosystems support different Matter versions, so a device can work in one and not in another; the review cites an IKEA remote that does not work in the Google ecosystem. "Multi-admin" mode, in which several platforms control one device, wakes battery devices more often and shortens their life. One platform claims 1.4 support but implements "only a selection of the features". And Thread sensors still run for roughly two years on a battery, against three for comparable Zigbee ones. Source.
Good news for accessories, but not a way to wire a villa
Matter is good news for the accessory layer of a house: the lamp, the plug or the sensor you add later. It is not, however, a way to wire a villa. The lighting circuits, climate, curtains and presence sensors of a new build should sit on a wired bus that does not depend on which phone ecosystem the family happens to use in 2030. That is what KNX is: an open standard with hundreds of manufacturers, running on a twisted pair inside the walls. Matter can then sit on top, as the way a phone or a speaker talks to the house, without becoming the thing the house depends on.
Matter stays out of the walls, but the network is ready for it
We do not specify Matter devices for the fixed installation, but we do leave the network ready for them. That means three networks (Main, IoT and Guest), a Thread border router wherever you want one, and a KNX-to-IP path that the platform of your choice can reach. This is how you stay clear of the version fights described above, because those fights happen in the app layer, not in the walls.