Key Highlights
- Ikea has launched a new line of low-cost Matter-over-Thread devices for the smart home market.
- The range includes affordable smart bulbs, remotes, and sensors, starting at just £4 for bulbs and £3 for remotes.
- This move signals Ikea’s commitment to Matter as an interoperability standard in smart homes.
- Ikea’s Dirigera hub is now a Thread border router, supporting Thread 1.4 and facilitating easier setup of smart home devices.
New Low-Cost Smart Home Devices from Ikea
Swedish furniture giant Ikea has unveiled a new line of affordable smart home devices that are compatible with the Matter protocol, marking a significant shift in their approach to home automation. The launch is set to make smart homes more accessible and user-friendly for consumers.
Affordable Devices for Every Home
The new lineup includes 21 products, such as smart bulbs starting at just £4 and two remote controls that start at £3 (US pricing not yet confirmed). According to David Granath, range manager at Ikea of Sweden, the goal was to make these devices more affordable, easier to use, and interoperable. The new Bilresa remotes are particularly notable for their scroll wheel feature, which allows users to adjust brightness, volume, and shades, all while coming in various colors.
Thread Protocol and Matter Compatibility
The new products are designed to work with the Thread protocol, which is part of the Matter standard. This shift from Zigbee to Thread represents a significant move towards greater interoperability among smart home devices. The Dirigera hub has been updated to support Thread 1.4, providing better mesh network connectivity and thread credential sharing capabilities. This means that users can now pair new devices directly with remotes without needing additional hardware, enhancing the ease of setup and use.
Impact on the Smart Home Market
Ikea’s move towards Matter is seen as a vote of confidence in the standard from a major mainstream brand. The launch of affordable, Matter-compatible devices that work with any smart home platform is expected to disrupt the market by offering more competitive pricing compared to existing solutions like Arre and Amazon. For instance, a Thread button from Arre costs $25, while the new Ikea remotes are priced at just $4 in the UK (approximately £3).
This pricing strategy could make the smart home more accessible to consumers who previously found such technologies too expensive.
Granath emphasized that this first step is laying the foundation for a successful smart home experience. “This needs to be affordable enough, simple enough, and interoperable,” he said. With Matter, Ikea aims to reduce barriers so that customers can enjoy the benefits of home automation without having to think too much about technical details.
Future Implications
Ikea’s commitment to Matter sets an important precedent for other companies in the smart home industry. As more brands adopt this standard, it could lead to a more unified and user-friendly ecosystem. This move also aligns with broader trends towards greater interoperability and ease of use in connected devices.
Industry analysts predict that this rapid pace of innovation will continue, driven by advances in artificial intelligence and the increasing demand for smarter home furnishings. “They will just expect to talk to my voice assistant and say ‘turn off the lights in the kitchen’ and have it happen,” Granath noted, highlighting Ikea’s readiness to meet future consumer expectations.
The launch of these new devices marks a significant milestone for both Ikea and the broader smart home market. As more companies follow suit, we may see a shift towards a more seamless and interconnected smart home experience for consumers.
