Ikea is finally bringing Matter to its Dirigera smart home hub nearly two years after it was supposed to arrive.
As detailed by The Verge, the Dirigera hub launched in May 2022 and was supposed to get Matter a “couple of months” later. And Matter for Dirigera was delayed in November. Finally, Ikea is rolling it out, though only in beta for now.
Specifically, the beta is for lighting products to start, though Ikea hasn’t said what, exactly, that includes. The Verge suggests the beta could cover lightbulbs, motion sensors, remotes and maybe smart plugs.
Adding Matter to the Dirigera should mean that it can expose smart lights to compatible Matter platforms, though the Dirigera already works with Apple HomeKit, Amazon Alexa and Google Home, meaning most people might not really notice the difference. It’s also important to note the Dirigera works as a bridge, not a Matter controller or device, meaning you’ll need a compatible controller for the platform you want to use, like a HomePod, Echo or Google smart speaker.
Moreover, Ikea hasn’t yet announced turning the Dirigera into a Thread border router, though the company previously said the hub could support Thread.
Finally, it’s important to note that the Dirigera Matter support is in beta, and it seems to be a closed beta since there’s no clear way to sign up to be a beta tester. Ikea hasn’t shared a timeline for a stable release of Matter support.
Header credit: Ikea
Source: The Verge
