Ikea wants to simplify the connected house. And for this, the Swedish giant will offer more than 20 new matter compatible products in January, the new standard supported by Apple, Google, Amazon or Samsung. This means that these brand bulbs, sensors, sockets or remote controls will be able to operate without complicated installation, in almost all existing home automation ecosystems: Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa, SmartThings, etc.
A new home automation range that fits everywhere
Matter is a communication standard for connected objects. It was created to ensure that different brands devices can work together, in a simple and reliable way. With Matter, no need to multiply applications or owner hubs: only one system is enough to control all compatible objects.
As for Thread, it is a wireless radio protocol, a bit like Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, but designed for home automation. It consumes very little energy, works in a mesh network (each device can relay the signal) and is more stable and responsive than Wi-Fi in a fireplace filled with small sensors. Thread allows Matter devices to communicate with each other without saturating the domestic network.
Concretely, Ikea adopts Matter for universal compatibility, and thread for technical reliability. Everything works without going through an external cloud: the data remains at home. The group also promises that its Home Smart application will continue to evolve to follow the new features of Standard Matter, whose version 1.4 allows in particular to monitor energy consumption.
The company also transforms its hub will run: with a firmware update, in beta, it becomes a thread router and a Matter controller. This allows him not only to manage new IKEA products, but also to control those of other compatible brands. Ultimately, old ZigBee products (the old protocol used by IKEA) will gradually be replaced.
But the brand does not cut the bridges and keeps the retrocmpatibility with the old ZigBee products, via to TouchLink technology. This means that older remote controls will be able to continue to control the new Thread bulbs, and vice versa. “” TouchLink and Matter will coexist in future products “, Specifies David Granath, responsible for the connected range at Ikea.
On the audio side, Ikea turns the page on its collaboration with Sonos and offers a new range of Bluetooth speakers. The first model, the Blumprakt pregnant lamp, will be released in October at a very affordable Price. The objective is the same: to make technological objects useful, simple and as inexpensive as possible.
🟣 To not miss any news on the Geek newspaper, subscribe to Google News and on our WhatsApp. And if you love us, .
