Chinese security giant EZVIZ appears to be expanding its role within the Matter smart home ecosystem, following the major trend we reported that device makers are ambitious enough to build their own Matter controllers.
According to a new certification from the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), the company’s “HomePlayOS” has been certified as a Matter Controller. This development suggests that EZVIZ is moving beyond simply bridging its own sensors to Matter and is preparing to manage and control third-party devices directly from its platform.
HomePlayOS as a Matter Controller
HomePlayOS is described as a software component designed to run on edge computing devices, such as hubs, smart cameras, wall-mount screen consoles. The certification indicates that this software will function as a Matter Controller, giving it the ability to add, manage, and control other Matter-compatible hardware.
Based on the compliance documents, the initial feature set for this controller appears focused on essential smart home categories. The test plans explicitly list support for the “Color Control,” “Level Control,” and “On-Off” clusters. This implies that EZVIZ users will soon be able to control smart lights (including dimming and color changing) and smart plugs or relays directly through the EZVIZ interface, integrating these third-party devices alongside their existing security feeds. It is also a follow-up of previous certifications for Wi-Fi smart plugs and relays. They are possibly powered by Shelly X projects for the iconic design from Shelly.
Matter Bridges from other brands like Aqara can also work with the EZVIZ ecosystem, as the compliance files suggest.
Connectivity and limitations
While the software is built to control Matter devices, the current certification does not include Thread-related features. This suggests that while HomePlayOS can manage devices over Wi-Fi or Ethernet, it likely cannot host a Thread Border Router itself. Users wishing to add Thread-based sensors or lights to the EZVIZ ecosystem would need a third-party Border Router first and share them to EZVIZ via Matter Multi-Admin.
Building on a Zigbee foundation
This move represents a shift for EZVIZ, which previously focused on bridging its proprietary or Zigbee-based hardware into other ecosystems. The company’s A3-R200 Home Gateway, for example, functions as a Matter bridge, exposing EZVIZ sensors, such as the CS-T2C, which is identified as a Zigbee device in community databases like Zigbee2MQTT, to platforms like Apple Home and Google Home.
The new HomePlayOS certification flips this dynamic, allowing EZVIZ to act as the central platform rather than just a peripheral accessory. Users who invested a lot in its security systems can benefit from the change, using private triggers from the cameras to automate with third-party Matter devices.
Matter 1.4 and future outlook
The HomePlayOS certification notes a Matter version of 1.4, which is one major version behind the current standard. While EZVIZ is best known for its industrial and consumer security cameras, it remains unclear whether this certification signals the imminent arrival of native Matter support for the cameras themselves. For now, the focus appears to be on transforming its edge devices into Matter hubs.
Matter 1.5 and camera support have been well received in the smart home industry, and development is moving quickly for some brands, such as Aqara and Xthings. We would welcome major players releasing native Matter cameras or enabling integration with third-party Matter cameras, closing the gap and offering more options for end users—without locking them into a single platform or centralizing cameras under one preferred ecosystem.
(Source: CSA, EZVIZ; Image: EZVIZ)
