Ikea revolutionizes smart home with affordable Matter devices and robust hub update

In a significant move towards enhancing smart home technology, Ikea has committed to introducing a wide array of affordable Matter devices, coupled with important updates to its smart home hub. This initiative was announced during an interview with The Verge, emphasizing Ikea's strategy of creating affordable and user-friendly gear that smoothly integrates whether or not users already possess the company's hub. The updated Ikea Dirigera hub has now evolved beyond a basic Matter bridge, transforming into a capable Matter Controller equipped with Thread border router functionalities. This upgrade allows the hub to communicate directly with Matter devices from any brand, which broadens the potential for user management through the Ikea Home Smart application. As part of this rapid evolution, the update includes support for Matter 1.4 and Thread 1.4, enabling new features such as energy monitoring and compatibility with existing Thread networks. However, there are limitations; Ikea’s hub currently does not support all types of Matter devices—which now surpass 40 different types—thus users will still be unable to sync certain devices like robot vacuums and smart locks. This challenge isn't unique to Ikea's hub as support for different Matter device types has been inconsistent across various platforms. The modernization of the smart home hub also ensures that older Zigbee gear remains relevant, as the hub continues to function as a Matter Bridge for Ikea's legacy devices from the Tradfri line. Additionally, Ikea has retained support for Zigbee’s Touchlink feature, enabling direct pairing of devices like bulbs, remotes, and motion sensors without needing a hub or an app. This flexibility is a crucial aspect for consumers who may have a mixed bag of smart devices from different ecosystems. On the audio front, Ikea is rejuvenating its speaker lineup after discontinuing most of the Sonos-powered Symfonisk products earlier in the year. New products, including the retro-styled Nattbad Bluetooth speaker and a novel speaker-lamp hybrid named Blomprakt, are anticipated to hit the market soon. This strategic focus on diversifying product offerings, especially with the backing from major tech companies like Apple, Google, and Amazon, suggests Ikea's serious intent to push the Matter smart home platform into the mainstream, thereby addressing the previous challenges in its adoption and functionality.