For a few years now, everyone’s favourite Swedish flat-pack furniture maker has been dabbling in smart home tech. And soon, I’ll actually be able to use one of Ikea’s smart home gadgets. That’s because after years of affordable yet frustratingly limited range of devices, Ikea is finally doubling down on next-gen smart home tech with Matter support.
To recap, Matter is a recent universal standard that brings all your smart gadgets together under one interface, letting them talk to each other without the usual bickering between ecosystems. Supported by the likes of Apple, Amazon, Google, and Samsung, it promises interoperability, security, and the kind of seamlessness smart homes have been promising for years.
Ikea’s 20+ devices on the way will include everything from smart bulbs and plugs to sensors and remotes, all designed to play nicely with the Matter ecosystem. You won’t even need Ikea’s own hub to use them, though if you do have the Dirigera hub, it’s now been upgraded to be a full Matter Controller with Thread support – the low-power mesh network that connects it all.
Ikea is even throwing in a reboot of its audio lineup. The Symfonisk range, once made in partnership with Sonos, is being shown the door in favour of some wallet-friendly Bluetooth speakers. The $50 Nattbad is a retro number that looks like an old radio but actually streams Spotify. Meanwhile the Blomprakt is a table lamp with a speaker baked into the top.
What’s particularly appealing about this new batch of gear is that Ikea isn’t asking you to commit to one ecosystem. Want to control your new Ikea bulb through Apple Home? Go for it. Fancy adding it to an Alexa routine? No problem. Backward compatibility remains intact, and Touchlink is still alive and kicking. Of course, Matter isn’t exactly flawless. Adoption has been patchy, and it’s still not the magic fix-it-all some of us were hoping for. But Ikea is doubling down on its commitment to next-gen smart home tech.
The new smart home range, including over 20 Matter-over-Thread devices, is set to start rolling out from January 2026, with more following in April and beyond. Prices will be in typical Ikea territory. The Nattbad speaker is available to buy for £29/$50, and the Blomprakt speaker-lamp combo is due in October.
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