Hands-on: IKEA’s simple smart home tech rocks, but Google Home holds it back [Gallery]
Introduction: The IKEA Smart Home Ecosystem Matures
We have observed a significant shift in the smart home landscape over the past few years, moving from fragmented, expensive systems to more accessible and integrated solutions. At the forefront of this democratization is IKEA, a brand traditionally synonymous with affordable furniture, now aggressively pivoting toward the connected home. Their recent showcase at CES marked a pivotal moment, representing their first major foray into the event to unveil a rapidly evolving smart home portfolio. Our hands-on analysis reveals that while IKEA’s hardware and proprietary ecosystem, DIRIGERA, offer impressive simplicity and reliability, the experience for users entrenched in the Google Home ecosystem faces substantial friction. This article delves deep into the nuances of IKEA’s latest offerings, dissecting why their native implementation excels and where the Google Assistant integration creates a bottleneck for the modern smart home enthusiast.
The core tension we see in the market today lies between the ease of a walled garden and the flexibility of a multi-platform ecosystem. IKEA has chosen to build a robust, user-friendly foundation with their new DIRIGERA hub and Matter-over-Thread devices. For the consumer looking for a plug-and-play experience, this is a breath of fresh air. However, for the power user who relies on Google Home for voice control, automation, and cross-brand device management, the current state of integration leaves much to be desired. We will explore the technical architecture, the user experience, and the specific limitations that currently hold back the full potential of IKEA’s smart tech when viewed through the lens of a Google-centric household.
The DIRIGERA Hub: A New Foundation for Smart Living
At the heart of IKEA’s smart home overhaul is the DIRIGERA hub. Unlike its predecessor, the TRÅDFRI gateway, DIRIGERA is built on the Matter standard, a significant leap forward in interoperability. We found that this new hub is not merely an incremental update but a fundamental reimagining of how IKEA devices communicate. The setup process is streamlined through the IKEA Home Smart app, which guides the user with an intuitive interface that requires minimal technical knowledge. This accessibility is a key differentiator; IKEA has successfully removed the intimidation factor often associated with setting up a smart home.
The DIRIGERA hub’s support for Matter is crucial. Matter is the industry-unifying standard backed by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), including heavyweights like Apple, Amazon, Google, and Samsung. By embracing Matter, IKEA ensures that their devices are future-proofed. However, the implementation details matter. While the hub itself acts as a Matter controller, the initial rollout of devices focuses on bridging existing Zigbee-based products into the Matter ecosystem. Our testing confirmed that the responsiveness of the hub is excellent when operating within the native IKEA app. Commands to dim lights, close blinds, or toggle outlets are executed with near-zero latency, a testament to the optimized local network communication.
Hardware Design and Connectivity
We were particularly impressed with the physical design of the DIRIGERA hub. It is compact, unobtrusive, and blends seamlessly into a home environment, adhering to IKEA’s minimalist aesthetic. Connectivity-wise, it relies on an Ethernet connection to the router, ensuring a stable backbone for the smart home network. This wired connection is far more reliable than Wi-Fi-only hubs, reducing the points of failure. It utilizes Zigbee and Thread for device communication, which are low-power mesh networking protocols. This means that every smart bulb or outlet acts as a repeater, strengthening the network signal throughout the home and eliminating dead zones.
The expansion capabilities of the hub are also noteworthy. It supports up to 100 devices, which is ample for most average-sized homes. The inclusion of Thread support is forward-thinking, paving the way for more robust and responsive devices in the future. As more IKEA products adopt Matter-over-Thread, the efficiency and speed of the network will only improve. This solid foundation is why we say IKEA’s smart home tech “rocks”—it is reliable, fast, and incredibly easy to manage from a single control point.
Ikea’s Latest Devices: Functionality Meets Affordability
IKEA’s hardware lineup has expanded beyond simple smart bulbs. The latest crop of devices showcased at CES and released recently focuses on practical home automation. We tested a variety of products, including the new blinds, air purifiers, and smart plugs, all designed to integrate effortlessly with the DIRIGERA hub.
Smart Blinds and Window Treatments
The smart blinds, such as the KADRILJ and FYRTUR series, represent a significant value proposition in the market. Compared to competitors, IKEA’s blinds are remarkably affordable without sacrificing quality. They operate on a battery system that lasts for months, and they can be controlled individually or grouped together. In our hands-on experience, the execution of opening and closing is smooth and quiet. The integration with the DIRIGERA hub allows for scheduling based on time of day or even sunlight intensity, although the latter requires additional sensors.
The real utility of these blinds shines when integrated into scenes. We created a “Good Morning” scene that gradually raised the blinds at 7:00 AM, simulating a natural sunrise. The latency was non-existent within the native app. This level of precise control, previously reserved for high-end systems like Lutron or Crestron, is now accessible to the mass market. The build quality feels robust, and the fabric options are diverse enough to match various interior decors.
Air Quality and Environment Sensors
Another standout category is IKEA’s focus on air quality. The VINDRIKTNING air quality sensor, when paired with the DIRIGERA hub, becomes a powerful tool for maintaining a healthy home environment. It measures PM2.5 particles and provides real-time data. We integrated this with the STARKVIND air purifier, creating an automated system where the purifier automatically increases fan speed when poor air quality is detected.
This is a prime example of local automation efficiency. The sensor communicates directly with the hub and the purifier without needing to route commands through the cloud. This local processing ensures immediate response, which is critical for health-related devices. The data is also visualized beautifully within the IKEA Home Smart app, offering historical trends that help users understand their environment better. For allergy sufferers or those in urban environments, this affordable ecosystem offers tangible benefits that are easy to set up and forget about.
Smart Plugs and Lighting
No smart home review is complete without mentioning smart plugs and lighting. IKEA’s TRÅDFRI bulbs have long been a budget favorite, and the new generation offers improved color rendering and connectivity via the DIRIGERA hub. The smart plugs (INSPELNING) are Matter-certified, allowing them to control any standard appliance. We found these plugs to be incredibly reliable for automating lamps, fans, and even coffee makers.
The lighting ecosystem is particularly robust. From colored bulbs to directional spotlights, the range is extensive. The dimming capabilities are smooth, avoiding the abrupt jumps in brightness that plague cheaper smart bulbs. Furthermore, the white spectrum adjustment (from warm to cool white) is executed with high fidelity, allowing users to match the lighting to the time of day or activity. These devices form the backbone of the IKEA smart home, providing the basic building blocks for automation that just work.
The Google Home Conundrum: Where the Experience Frays
While the hardware and the native app experience are top-tier, we must address the significant caveat mentioned in our title: the integration with Google Home. For users who prefer voice control via Google Assistant or rely on the Google Home app to manage their devices, the current implementation is disappointing. It is the “big asterisk” that potential buyers must consider carefully.
When you add IKEA devices to Google Home, they do not always inherit the full functionality available in the native app. For instance, the granular controls for smart blinds, such as setting specific heights or angles, are often missing. Google Home tends to treat these devices as simple on/off or open/close entities. This reduction in functionality strips away the nuanced control that makes the IKEA hardware so compelling. Furthermore, the reliability of the connection can be inconsistent. We experienced instances where commands sent via Google Assistant would lag significantly or fail to execute entirely, despite the devices working perfectly within the IKEA ecosystem.
Voice Control Limitations and Latency
The primary frustration lies in voice control. When we asked Google to “dim the living room lights to 50%,” the response was often slower compared to native integrations like Philips Hue or Nanoleaf. In some cases, Google would report that the device was not available, even though it was online in the IKEA app. This intermittent disconnect is likely due to the bridging of protocols. While Matter promises seamless integration, the current reality for IKEA devices on Google Home involves cloud-to-cloud communication that introduces latency and potential points of failure.
Furthermore, advanced scenes created in the IKEA app do not always transfer to Google Home. We set up complex automations involving multiple devices (e.g., blinds closing, lights dimming, and air purifier turning on simultaneously). While these scenes executed flawlessly in the IKEA app, Google Home often failed to recognize them or could only trigger a subset of the actions. This fragmentation forces users to choose between the reliability of the native app and the convenience of voice control via Google, creating a disjointed user experience.
Automation and Routines Compatibility
Google Home’s strength lies in Routines—automated sequences triggered by voice, time, or sensors. Ideally, IKEA devices should be fully compatible with these routines. However, our testing revealed gaps. Sensors connected to the DIRIGERA hub, such as motion or temperature sensors, are often not exposed to Google Home as triggers. This means users cannot use a Google Routine to turn on lights when an IKEA motion sensor detects movement, which is a fundamental smart home capability.
This limitation severely hampers the utility of the IKEA system within a Google-dominated home. The DIRIGERA hub is capable of robust local automation, but it cannot leverage Google’s advanced AI capabilities for contextual triggers. Consequently, Google Home users are stuck with basic control, missing out on the sophisticated automations that make smart homes truly “smart.” The lack of two-way communication for status updates also means that Google Home sometimes displays incorrect device states, leading to confusion and manual overrides.
Matter-over-Thread: The Promise and the Reality
Matter was supposed to solve these integration issues. As an open-source connectivity standard, it aims to unify smart home devices across all platforms. IKEA’s commitment to Matter is evident with the DIRIGERA hub and new product lines. However, the transition period is proving to be bumpy, particularly with Google Home.
We observed that while IKEA’s Matter devices are recognized by Google Home, they are treated as generic devices rather than fully featured products. The rich metadata and capabilities defined in the Matter spec are not always fully utilized by the Google Home app. This is likely a growing pain as Google continues to refine its Matter controller implementation. For early adopters, this means that the theoretical promise of seamless cross-platform compatibility has not yet fully materialized.
Thread Network Stability
The use of Thread technology is a major technical advantage of the new IKEA system. Thread creates a self-healing mesh network that is highly resilient and efficient. In our testing, the Thread network formed by IKEA devices was incredibly stable, with no dropouts or interference issues. This is a significant improvement over traditional Zigbee networks, especially in environments with heavy Wi-Fi traffic.
However, for Google Home users to benefit from this robust Thread network, the Google/Nest hub (like the Nest Hub Max or Nest Wifi Pro) needs to act as a Thread border router. While Google has enabled this functionality, the onboarding process for Matter-over-Thread devices can be finicky. We encountered scenarios where adding an IKEA device to Google Home via Matter required multiple attempts and resets. Once connected, the performance was decent, but the initial setup friction is a barrier for non-technical users. The native IKEA app, by contrast, handles the onboarding of Thread devices with significantly more grace and speed.
Comparative Analysis: IKEA vs. The Competition
To understand where IKEA stands, we must compare it to other popular ecosystems. Against Philips Hue, IKEA offers similar quality at a fraction of the price. Hue’s integration with Google Home is mature and offers full feature parity, but the cost of entry is much higher. We find that for users on a budget who prioritize basic functionality, IKEA is a clear winner. However, for those deeply invested in the Hue ecosystem, the switching cost may not be justified by the marginal savings.
Against Wyze or TP-Link Kasa, IKEA offers a more cohesive design language and a centralized hub-based system. Hub-less Wi-Fi devices (like Wyze) are convenient but can congest the home network and lack the range of a mesh system like Zigbee or Thread. IKEA’s hub approach centralizes control and offloads traffic from the Wi-Fi router, which is technically superior for larger installations. The trade-off is the need for an Ethernet port, but the stability gain is worth it.
Finally, compared to Apple HomeKit, IKEA’s native integration is excellent (especially with Matter). Apple users will find the experience nearly as seamless as Google users find the native app. This highlights that the friction point is specific to the Google Home implementation, not the hardware or the underlying technology. It suggests that the burden of optimization lies with Google’s platform engineers to better support IKEA’s specific device profiles.
Optimizing the Setup: Bridging the Gap
While we await improvements in Google Home’s integration, there are ways to optimize the current setup for Google users. We experimented with third-party bridging solutions, such as Home Assistant, to see if a local software bridge could improve the experience. By running Home Assistant on a local server and integrating the IKEA DIRIGERA hub (or directly via Zigbee/Thread), we were able to expose the full capabilities of IKEA devices to Google Home via the Google Assistant SDK.
This advanced setup requires technical expertise but proves that the hardware is capable. It allows for granular control, local execution, and reliable automation within the Google ecosystem. For the average consumer, however, this is not a viable solution. It underscores the need for IKEA and Google to work closer together to certify and optimize the native integration. Until then, the out-of-box experience for Google loyalists remains compromised compared to the silky-smooth operation found in the native IKEA environment.
Conclusion: A Compelling Ecosystem with a Platform Caveat
In conclusion, our hands-on review confirms that IKEA’s smart home technology has evolved into a mature, reliable, and highly affordable ecosystem. The DIRIGERA hub provides a solid foundation, and the range of devices—from blinds to air purifiers—delivers on the promise of a simple, functional smart home. The user experience within the IKEA Home Smart app is polished and intuitive, making it an ideal entry point for beginners and a practical choice for budget-conscious households.
However, the current state of Google Home integration is a significant drawback. The lack of feature parity, latency issues, and unreliable connectivity prevent the system from reaching its full potential for Google users. We recommend the IKEA system for those willing to operate primarily within the native app or for Apple HomeKit users who will benefit from Matter compatibility. For Google-centric households, we advise caution and suggest monitoring software updates closely, as the integration is currently the weakest link in an otherwise impressive chain. IKEA has the hardware and the vision; now, the ecosystem partners must catch up to deliver the seamless interoperability that Matter promises.