cheap smart home automation: Ikea in New Zealand/worldwide

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kingdragonfly

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#324761 21-May-2026 14:53

I have no association with Ikea.

link: Ikea NZ "Mattter" site

IKEA launches new smart home range with 21 Matter-compatible products : Ikea from 2025

IKEA is launching 21 new smart home products focusing on lighting, sensors, and control — all built to work with Matter, the universal smart home standard. The launch marks a significant step in making smart home technology easier to use, more affordable, and better adapted to real-life needs in the home.

With this launch, IKEA is rebuilding its smart home system and product range from the ground up. The new launch reflects years of development and testing in real homes, and a growing understanding of how people want smart products to work in their daily life.

The launch includes both new products and updates to existing categories – now built to work with Matter. This means IKEA smart products can connect with a wider range of devices and platforms, making it easier for customers to build a smart home across different brands.

IKEA’s Suspiciously Cheap Tech

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rscole86

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#3494480 21-May-2026 15:07

Do you have a view or opinion?

This isn't new, so what point are you trying to make?

KiwiSurfer

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#3494532 21-May-2026 15:34

Do they sell a Matter hub yet? I bought a Matter device not realising I need a hub for it. Luckily just a temp sensor which works without it anyway.

gzt

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#3494534 21-May-2026 15:39

Hub works with matter and IKEA non-matter apparently:

https://www.ikea.com/nz/en/p/dirigera-hub-for-smart-products-white-smart-90503407

ANglEAUT

altered-ego
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#3494535 21-May-2026 15:40

Saw something like this & decided to wait for the end of the year, let old stock age out of the stores & a purchase guarantees the newer devices.

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richms

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#3494539 21-May-2026 15:50

Dirigera is their hub. You don't need it if you have a supported nest speaker, google tv streamer, some amazon devices (not the cheap small ones) or some of the apple homepods. which are thread border routers and dont want to use the ikea home smart app. Their app is really limited, no account, cant share access to things to other people, have to be on the LAN to discover the hub before it will allow for control outside the house. Didn't work for me to replace tuya wifi stuff at all with the way that the app has no logins or sharing. And i dont want to deal with exposing HA to other people to just be able to turn a few things on and off.

The issues he had at the end are consistent with what I found when I had both the dirigera and a google nest hub both running. They are both thread border routers. I had it mostly fixed by powering off my google tv streamers. But it was still erratic. Once I powered off the nest hub then it came right. There is a firmware update for the dirigera that claims to have sorted out multiple border routers causing problems. I will test plugging in the others sometime over the weekend. if I have time.

The lights are ok. I like their MR16s because they are one of the few that I have found which are an actual spotlight, shame they only do GU10 mains ones and no 12v gu5.3s, but I can understand why with how many other LED lamps I see get toasted from junk electronic transformers.

The motion sensor is way too sensitive for outside use, so it being weatherproofed is pointless. Not tried the door sensors. Air quality one seems fine, as do the big round temperature and humidity ones. All take AAA cells so are huge compared to tuya ones that are on CR2032 or similar.

Not able to get a decent green or red out of the ikea RGB lamps - not sure if its crap design like the old philips hues or a software problem. Do not get them if RGB is your intent - bright, but ugly.

Richard rich.ms

Handle9

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#3494549 21-May-2026 16:45

rscole86:

Do you have a view or opinion?

This isn't new, so what point are you trying to make?

Ikea has only been in home automation for 10 years. Isn't that new?

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JarrodM

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#3494564 21-May-2026 18:01

I have the door sensor, on the front door it’s hooked into HomeKit to turn some lights on when I get home after sunset. Works well.

jnimmo

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#3513232 21-Jul-2026 21:36

Just got my hands on a few of the GRILLPLATS smart plugs today. Really easy to add to Apple HomeKit, and they even support power monitoring. First Matter accessory, fantastic not needing to set it up on wifi or download another app. The TP Link I had powering the washing machine (for finish notifications) jammed up last night so I’ll be able to swap it out for one of these.

gjm

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#3513341 22-Jul-2026 11:11

jnimmo:

Just got my hands on a few of the GRILLPLATS smart plugs today. Really easy to add to Apple HomeKit, and they even support power monitoring. First Matter accessory, fantastic not needing to set it up on wifi or download another app. The TP Link I had powering the washing machine (for finish notifications) jammed up last night so I’ll be able to swap it out for one of these.

what is the physical size like on these devices...I heard they were pretty chunky?

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richms

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#3513359 22-Jul-2026 12:23

gjm:

what is the physical size like on these devices...I heard they were pretty chunky?

Wont even fit 2 beside each other in my wide spaced powerstrip. They are giant. Really the arlecs at bunnings are the size that all these things should be, any larger is just inconsiderate design.

Cant stick these side by side, and they are pretty much limiting the adjacent sockets on a wide spaced powerstrip to a small normal rear cabled plug - not even an angled one will fit without hitting the grilplats.

Richard rich.ms

jnimmo

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#3513369 22-Jul-2026 12:46

Yeah, very good point I should’ve mentioned the size is terrible, can’t use in double outlets vertical or horizontal. So the dryer use case won’t be quite as simple!

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gjm

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#3513460 22-Jul-2026 16:40

ok thanks for confirming, was hoping they werent as big as some people were saying online but I guess they are which is a shame.

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RunningMan

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#3513461 22-Jul-2026 16:59

https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=73&topicid=324301 Other thread with more info