Ikea's Matter Smart Bulbs Hit U.S.
Ikea has launched its new line of Matter-over-Thread smart bulbs in the United States, a major milestone for the smart home standard. The bulbs' use of the Thread mesh network ensures fast, reliable communication with controllers like Apple HomeKit. Their availability provides a cost-effective and standards-compliant option for both DIY projects and mainstream smart home setups.
The Matter standard itself originated in 2019 as "Project CHIP" (Connected Home over IP), an alliance formed by Amazon, Apple, Google, and the Zigbee Alliance (now the Connectivity Standards Alliance). The goal was to create a royalty-free, IP-based protocol to solve the persistent problem of walled-garden ecosystems, allowing devices to work together regardless of the manufacturer. Ikea's smart home ambitions are not new; the company first entered the space in 2012 and launched its initial Trådfri smart lighting range in 2017. Recognizing the potential, Ikea established a dedicated "Home Smart" business unit, signaling a significant long-term investment beyond conventional home furnishings. This new lineup represents a fundamental technology shift for Ikea, moving from the Zigbee protocol to the Matter-over-Thread standard. While older Zigbee-based products will still function, they require the Dirigera hub to act as a "Matter Bridge" to communicate with the new ecosystem. The hub itself has been updated to serve as a Thread Border Router, directly connecting to the new generation of devices. The initial launch includes the "KAJPLATS" smart bulb family, offering eleven variations in different sizes (E26/E27, E14, GU10), brightness levels up to 1,521 lumens, and both white spectrum and color options. This is a significant expansion from the previous Trådfri range, providing more functional and decorative choices. Alongside lighting, Ikea is introducing a suite of new sensors that also run on Matter-over-Thread. This includes the MYGGSPRAY motion sensor, MYGGBETT door/window sensor, TIMMERFLOTTE temperature/humidity sensor, KLIPPBOK water leakage sensor, and the ALPSTUGA air quality sensor, which measures CO₂, particulate matter (PM2.5), temperature, and humidity. The Dirigera hub is the central component for this strategy, and recent firmware updates have expanded its capabilities significantly. Initially just a bridge for legacy devices, it now functions as a full Matter Controller, capable of onboarding and managing third-party Matter products directly within the Ikea Home Smart app. The latest updates have also added compatibility for the Matter 1.3 specification.
