Ikea is relaunching its smart home line in a move that will make its low-cost products work with other brands, with or without Ikea’s own hub. Starting in January, the Swedish furniture giant will release more than 20 new Matter-over-Thread smart lights, sensors, and remotes with “more new product types and form factors to come,” David Granath of Ikea of Sweden, tells The Verge in an exclusive interview.
Ikea is also rebooting its audio offerings as it seeks to fill the Sonos Symfonisk-shaped hole on its shelves. The first two models in the new line of inexpensive, easy-to-use Bluetooth speakers for the home are the $50 retro-style Nattbad and a speaker-slash-table-lamp, the Blomprakt, coming in October, with many more on the way.
These new products are part of the company’s ongoing effort to make its smart home as simple and affordable for as many people as possible. “A couple of years ago, we made some strategic decisions about how to move on with the smart range and the speaker range and make an impact in an Ikea way for the many people,” says Granath. He points to the company’s learnings from working with Zigbee and Sonos over the last few years, as well as its involvement in founding and developing the new smart home standard, Matter. “We feel we’ve reached that point. There’s a lot coming, but this is all the first step, getting things in place.”
Last week, Ikea released an update, currently in beta, to its Dirigera smart home hub that turns the hub into a Matter Controller and activates its long-dormant Thread radio, making it a Thread border router. This means it can now connect to and control any compatible Matter device, including those from other brands, alongside Ikea’s new Matter line (which will eventually replace its existing Zigbee devices, says Granath). It’s a major step toward a more open, plug-and-play smart home.
The Blomprakt is an LED table lamp featuring a Bluetooth speaker integrated into its top. It’s part of Ikea’s new focus on smart home and sound as it moves on from Zigbee and Sonos. Image: Ikea
Initially, Dirigera will only support Matter device types that Ikea currently offers — so, no robot vacuums, door locks, or fridges. However, Granath says that as they launch more smart home products, the hub will be updated to support more device types.
While the full rollout is expected later this year, the beta is live now through Ikea’s Home Smart app, but some features will be limited, says Granath.
Matter unlocks interoperability, ease of use, and affordability for us
We don’t have a lot of details on the over 20 new devices coming next year, but Granath confirmed that they are replacing existing functions. So, new smart bulbs, plugs, sensors, remotes, buttons, and air-quality devices, including temperature and humidity monitors. They will also come with a new design. Although “not necessarily what’s been leaked,” says Granath, referring to images of the Bilresa Dual Button that appeared earlier this year.
He did confirm that some new product categories will arrive in January, with more to follow in April and beyond, including potentially Matter-over-Wi-Fi products. Pricing will be comparable to or lower than that of previous products, which start under $10. “Affordability remains a key priority for us.”
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