Xthings recently released the Ulticam IQ V2, touting it as the first Matter-certified AI security camera. It boasts an impressive list of features that includes Power over Ethernet, 4K resolution, and some nice Google Gemini AI integrations. Let’s take a closer look at what the Ulticam IQ V2 brings to the table and whether it is worth betting on future software updates.

HomeKit Weekly is a series focused on smart home accessories, automation tips and tricks, and everything to do with Apple’s smart home framework.

Bringing Google Gemini to your security camera

The most interesting part of the Ulticam IQ V2 is absolutely its integration with Google Gemini. Notifications on most cameras still aren’t perfect. Xthings is attempting to fix this information overload by combining local edge processing with cloud AI.

The camera handles basic recognition locally, such as identifying a person, a package, or a vehicle. Then it uses Google Gemini in the cloud to provide actual context for those events. Instead of scrolling through dozens of disconnected 30-second clips, the AI generates concise daily summaries. It can stitch together related clips to tell you that a delivery driver arrived, left a package, and stayed on the porch for 2 minutes.

The feature I am most interested in testing is the natural language search. The claim is that you can open the app and simply type something like, “Show me when the UPS driver came yesterday,” and Gemini will pull the exact footage you need. If this actually works as advertised, it would be a massive leap forward in how we interact with our camera history. I am now wishing all enterprise camera systems had this nice of a feature.

Of course, passing your video feed to a cloud AI requires a lot of trust in the vendor. Xthings notes that it uses AES-256 encryption and offers a free, rolling 7-day cloud storage plan without a subscription. That free storage tier alone makes it a very compelling package.

Matter 1.5 and the wait for Apple Home

The Ulticam IQ V2 is Matter-certified, supporting Matter 1.5, which finally introduced camera support to the ecosystem. However, there is a catch that we have to talk about. Apple has not yet updated the Home app to actually support Matter cameras. I am usually the first person to tell you never to buy hardware based on a software update that is coming soon and technically not announced. However, Apple has historically been a major driver behind the Matter standard, and it is highly likely we will see them flip the switch for camera support in a future iOS update. With WWDC 2026 right around the corner this summer, I would not be surprised to hear an announcement of expanded Matter support for Apple Home in iOS 27.

Tech specs

• Resolution: 4K UHD video with HDR and a wide 160-degree field of view to easily capture an entire driveway or yard.
• Connectivity: It includes an Ethernet port for Power over Ethernet, along with standard 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi as a fallback.
• Always-On Video: Instead of relying on traditional passive infrared sensors that often wake the camera up too late, it uses an ultra-low-power state to continuously capture key frames.
• AI processing: It handles basic person, vehicle, pet, and package detection locally on-device, and offloads the complex daily summaries and natural language search capabilities to Google Gemini in the cloud.
• Storage options: It supports local microSD cards up to 512 GB for redundancy. Xthings is also including a lifetime rolling 7-day cloud storage plan without requiring a monthly subscription.
• Smart home compatibility: It includes Matter 1.5 certification, ONVIF support, and direct integrations with Amazon Alexa and Google Home.

Wrap up

Until Apple officially rolls out Matter 1.5 support, the Ulticam IQ still has plenty of fallback options. Because it supports standard protocols like ONVIF, you can still pull the video feed into local systems like Home Assistant or an NVR today.

You can buy it from Amazon or directly from Ulticam.