The Matter 1.5 spec has been around for several months, and now we finally see what many smart‑home users have been waiting for: the first practical example of the Matter camera standard. The Aqara Camera Hub G350, when paired with SmartThings, now supports the official Matter camera specification.
This launch marks an important step for interoperable devices, showing how Matter can unify smart‑home platforms that have long worked separately.
Aqara Camera G350
The speed of adoption is faster than expected. Many device types introduced in earlier Matter specification versions, such as dimmer switches and laundry machines, are still rare on store shelves. Cameras present an even greater technical challenge, so seeing them arrive this early demonstrates that manufacturers are taking the new protocol seriously.
What works right now
At the moment, the Aqara G350 provides live view, snapshots, and two‑way audio within the SmartThings platform. Pairing through the SmartThings app reveals a simple, clean interface that focuses on essential controls. The main panel shows live video, plus on‑screen buttons for pan and zoom. These layout options appear even though the G350’s current firmware does not yet allow digital pan, tilt, or zoom through Matter. Aqara is expected to add these features in future updates.
The most critical function, video streaming, performs well. The live feed starts promptly and runs with minimal delay. Two‑way audio is also quick and clear, roughly equal to, or slightly faster than, what the Aqara Home app delivers. SmartThings settings also allow volume adjustments for the microphone and speaker, which shows that Matter handles real‑time data more efficiently than past proprietary integrations.
Night vision controls, however, work properly. The auto, on, and off selections make the G350 more flexible for both indoor and outdoor use.
Streaming over cellular data works reliably too. The initial connection takes a few extra seconds. But once the stream begins, both audio and video remain stable and properly synchronized. The combination of low latency and local communication suggests that Matter’s framework for security cameras is already well optimized.
Features still missing
Not all features are ready yet. A second tab in the SmartThings camera interface appears to be designed for logs or recorded clips, but it remains inactive. The existing live view covers basic needs, yet the lack of motion‑triggered recording is noticeable. A record‑on‑motion switch is visible in the settings, but it does not function with the G350 at this stage.
Some configuration menus in SmartThings are inconsistent. For example, the resolution settings for live and recorded video once allowed users to select quality levels, but later defaulted to the phrase “Depending on the manufacturer.” After that, no manual options appeared. This kind of instability highlights that the camera integration is still in an early stage.
Other visual options, such as time stamps or watermarks, do not appear yet, and extra on‑screen data is unavailable.
How to set it up
The G350 is not only a camera but also a Matter bridge, a Thread border router, and a Matter controller. When it is shared through Matter, other ecosystems recognize it as a bridge device rather than a single endpoint. That means the camera can manage its child devices, giving the network more consistent organization.
Since the stock firmware is still older, you need to add it to Aqara Home first for upgrades, then using Matter to connect with SmartThings.
SmartThings recently added extra support for Matter cameras through its beta firmware series 60.x, which is available to voluntary testers. The new firmware allows “bridged Matter camera,” that Aqara G350 needs. People who are not part of the beta program can either wait for an official release or sign up through the SmartThings developer community to try it early.
The Aqara G350 needs firmware version 4.5.20_0020.0017 or later to enable Matter camera functionality. The update release notes mention the new feature directly. After upgrading, setup follows the standard Matter pairing flow, scanning the code, adding the camera inside SmartThings, and waiting for the secure connection to finish.
SmartThings currently supports Matter cameras on the Samsung SmartThings Hub v2 and v3, the Aeotec Smart Home Hub first and second generation, and the ThingsOne Smart Home Hub. Users who rely on SmartThings hubs that are embedded in TVs, refrigerators, or wireless chargers may not receive the new camera feature immediately. Those built‑in hubs tend to update months slower and provide less transparency in their release logs. For consistent performance and future compatibility, a standalone SmartThings or Aeotec hub is always recommended.
Testing with other ecosystems
Out of curiosity, I tried connecting the Aqara G350 to a Home Assistant OS installation. The results were mixed.
The Matter clusters for the camera appeared as “unknown,” in the Open Home Foundation Matter server and two “identify” buttons were displayed in the Home Assistant device page.
When triggered, they made the camera announce itself through its speaker, confirming some level of communication but no video playback. This shows that, outside SmartThings, Matter camera support is still in development and may take additional time before it becomes widely accessible.
What comes next
Aqara has said that more features are under development. The follow-up updates are expected to deliver pan, tilt, and zoom through Matter, which would make SmartThings nearly identical to the native Aqara app in essential function. Once those arrive, many users will be able to control their cameras entirely within SmartThings or other supported Matter ecosystems, reducing the need for separate vendor apps. This is a core goal of Matter, letting people manage all of their devices within a single system rather than juggling multiple apps.
More manufacturers are expected to follow Aqara’s lead soon. The release of the Matter 1.5 camera spec opens the door for companies that previously avoided the smart camera market because of compatibility concerns. As SmartThings, Google Home, Home Assistant, and Apple Home gradually adopt the new spec, Matter cameras could become as common as smart light bulbs or plugs.
For now, the Aqara G350 is the first and only camera available to consumers with official Matter support. It already provides useful real‑time monitoring and voice communication, even if some advanced settings remain disabled. With firmware updates bringing motion recording and PTZ control later this year, the device could evolve from an early example into a standard model for how connected cameras behave in a cross‑platform smart home.
(Source: Aqara, SmartThings; Image: Matter Alpha/Ward Zhou)
