Ikea's New $70 Smart Home Hub to 'Eventually' Be Compatible With Matter

Ikea announced October availability for its Matter-ready Dirigera ($69) smart home hub it teased in May (see 2205250038). The hub will “eventually be compatible with Matter,” Ikea said Monday. “As contributors to the development of Matter, we at IKEA are proud to be a part of enabling various smart products to interact with each other and provide more smart home opportunities for the many people worldwide,” said Rebecca Toreman, business leader-Ikea Home smart. The company developed a new app, available for download, that’s based on “decades of life at home expertise,” Toreman said, saying “hundreds of annual home visits have been complemented by multiple user research studies.” Most users observed in their homes perceived smart products as complicated, and many think a smart home is something available only for the elite. Ikea “aims to lower the threshold for people to set up and use a smart home,” Toreman said: Ikea believes “the smart home should be for everyone." The company has learned “how people use their smart homes and what works and doesn’t,” she said. “Based on that, we have created a simple and intuitive digital experience that enables an even smarter home for as many people as possible.” The company described creating a scene in the new Ikea Home app combining “clean air” via an air purification device with automated blinds going up, lamps ramping to a desired level, music playing and a coffee pot starting to brew. The Dirigera is designed to handle more smart product types and connected devices than Ikea’s existing Tradfri gateway, launched in 2014, said the furnishings company. Users with the Tradfri gateway, current app and existing smart home products will be able to connect with the Dirigera, Ikea said, saying the hub “enables a more user-friendly experience” for consumers to create a smart home. IKEA Home app will be updated “regularly with new functionality,” the company said.