IKEA, the global leader in affordable home furnishings, is embarking on a major smart home shakeup, officially signaling a significant transition away from the older Zigbee wireless protocol in favor of the industry-backed Matter standard utilizing the Thread network protocol.
The Swedish homeware giant has officially unveiled 21 new Matter-compatible smart home devices. This move reinforces the industry trend toward greater interoperability and aims to future-proof IKEA’s popular and accessible smart home ecosystem.
The centerpiece of this transition is the adoption of Matter over Thread. Matter is a universally embraced smart home platform designed to unify diverse ecosystems, while Thread is the low-power wireless protocol that replaces Zigbee in IKEA’s new product lines.
The newly branded product lineup includes replacements for nearly every category of smart device previously offered. This includes the new Kajplats smart bulbs, replacing the popular Tradfri line, along with new sensors and smart plugs.
New products also include Myggspray motion sensors, Myggbett door and window sensors, the Alpstuga air quality sensor, and the Timmerflotte temperature/humidity sensor, alongside the Klippbok water leak sensor. New smart plugs (Grillplats) and remotes (Bilresa) complete the refreshed catalog.
These new devices are essentially updated versions of existing IKEA products, now utilizing the Matter and Thread standards instead of the older Zigbee protocol. This overhaul impacts devices that have become staples for both casual and advanced smart home users.
IKEA’s existing Dirigera hub is central to this transition. It will function as a Matter bridge, extending Matter support to older, existing Zigbee devices, while also taking on the role of a Thread Border Router (or coordinator) for the new product lines.
The move is technically advantageous, as Zigbee and Thread share similarities—both operate on the 2.4GHz frequency and use a low-power mesh network. However, Thread offers key improvements, including lower latency and the ability to assign IP addresses to all devices within the network.
IKEA’s smart home offerings have long been praised for bringing technology to a mainstream audience, appealing to casual shoppers with simple paired kits. Simultaneously, their affordability and out-of-the-box compatibility with platforms like Home Assistant made them favorites among advanced smart home enthusiasts.
By going “all-in” on Matter over Thread, IKEA is not only streamlining its product portfolio but is effectively throwing its considerable weight behind the new standard, accelerating the slow decline of the Zigbee standard in mainstream consumer electronics and making cross-platform control easier than ever before.