Earlier this year, IKEA unveiled an affordable new line of smart home gadgets that includes various sensors, remote controls and light bulbs – all Matter-compatible. At the same time, we saw smart home features added to iconic product lines, such as the Varmblixt donut lamp.
I got a sneak preview of the new range at CES in January, and afterwards I spoke to David Granath, Range Manager for Lighting and Home Electronics at IKEA, to find out more about the brand’s long-term smart home plans.
The relaunched Matter compatible smart home range includes 21 new gadgets, almost all of which are under $10 / £10. There is a remote control area, motion sensors for doors and windows, water leaks, humidity and temperature, air quality plus a smart plug and various smart bulbs. Some are already available to buy and others will become available from April.
These are all independent smart products, but smart functions are also making their way into existing products – but never just for the sake of it.
David cites the newly nifty VARMBLIXT donut lamp as a good example of the brand’s approach, saying it will only be used “where it really enhances a product”.
Don’t expect IKEA to turn its back on its home furnishing roots either – it’s approaching smart functionality as an extension rather than a new category. “In the long term, we don’t see smart products as a segment at all,” reveals David.
“We’re still a home furnishings company, it’s just that adding smart functionality has now become affordable enough for us to give our products superpowers. In the long term, we think we have an opportunity to improve life at home quite a bit.”
Simple, affordable, relevant
Some of the new sensors were previously available in older series, but a major upgrade here is that the new versions are Matter compatible. Working with the universal material standard was crucial to IKEA’s vision for smart homes. “It removes one of the biggest barriers to getting started with a smart home,” says David.
Mater compatibility means customers don’t have to spend time and effort understanding standards and ecosystems or ensuring X product works with Y hub; the products will connect and just work.
“For us, Matter is an important step in making smart homes simpler and more affordable, and therefore relevant to more people,” he adds.
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