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Ikea is making big changes to its smart home lineup, introducing 20 new devices supporting Matter-over-Thread that will work with HomeKit without needing an intermediary hub.
Homeowners wanting smart home devices have often turned to Ikea for their connected floor lamps and speakers. However, while useful, most of the hardware requires intermediary devices like the Dirigera hub to work with Apple HomeKit.
The furniture producer intends to go big on smart home tech, and to also simplify connectivity at the same time. Speaking to The Verge, Ikea’s David Granath said that Ikea is going to be adding considerably to its smart home lineup.
The relaunch of its smart home catalog will have all future products supporting Matter-over-Thread. Over 20 smart lights, sensors, and remotes are on the way for the platform from January 2026.
A key change is that Matter and Threads support instead of Zigbee, as Matter-compatible hardware is also compatible with HomeKit, as well as Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Samsung Smart Things. This means consumers will be able to connect the new devices up to their Apple Home without a hub at all.
The announcement was something that has been months in the making. In March, a regulatory filing revealed that a Matter-over-Thread temperature and humidity sensor was on the way.
Hub update
While the Dirigera hub is not going to be needed by all users of Ikea’s new range, the connective hardware will still have some updates.
Currently, it only supports Matter devices that Ikea sells in its range. But, with future updates and as the range expands, the hub will support other product categories.
Though it may not necessarily be as useful as before due to Matter devices being able to communicate with a HomeKit smart home directly, it still has some use.
The key one is being able to expand the working footprint of the smart home, allowing for Ikea hardware to be positioned in more locations. This can be beyond the range of other supportive smart home devices with mesh connectivity and local Wi-Fi, so long as the devices can contact the hub.
