Ikea’s long-awaited Matter update just went into beta

The long-awaited Matter update for Ikea’s Dirigera smart hub is–finally–coming in for a landing. 

An Ikea spokesperson told TechHive that Dirigera’s Matter update is available now to beta testers using the Ikea Home app, and that the patch will arrive “in the future” for “all customers and more products.” 

Ikea didn’t provide a timeline as to when we can expect the final release for the Matter update, but the fact that it’s reached beta testing suggests development of the update is—at last—wrapping up. 

Here’s Ikea’s full statement about its Matter update: 

At IKEA, we are excited to unveil the first version of Matter support for the DIRIGERA hub, available now for beta users through the IKEA Home smart app. The initial release transforms the DIRIGERA hub into a Matter bridge, allowing Zigbee devices to be compatible with Matter networks. We are piloting this innovative feature with a focus on lighting products exclusively for our beta users. We are gathering feedback from users during this testing phase, which will help improve the overall experience when the update is expanded to include all customers and more products in the future. More details to follow, so stay tuned. 

In a follow-up email, Ikea said that its Matter beta is “still in the early stages of testing” and is “only available to a limited number of users in our beta testing community.”

Ikea also clarified that “for now, only lighting sources connected to Dirigera as a Matter bridge are supported,” but “additional product types will be added in the future.”

Ikea’s smart home portfolio is primarily comprised of smart lights as well as smart remotes and light switches, but the company also offers smart shades, Wi-Fi speakers (some made in collaboration with Sonos), and smart air purifiers. 

Ikea first unveiled the Dirigera smart hub, the successor to the company’s original Tradfri gateway, way back in 2022. At the same time, Ikea announced that the Dirigera would eventually support Matter. 

But then the wait began. 

While unveiling three new smart sensors (pictured above) last November, Ikea broke the news that it was delaying its Matter update, citing the need for “more development time to secure good functionality.” 

Following the lengthy delay, some Ikea smart home users began speculating that the company had scuttled its Matter update. But for now, Ikea’s Matter plans appears back on track. 

Delays have been the name of the game for Matter, the new smart home standard that aims to unite the major smart home platforms via a common IoT protocol. Matter was delayed twice before finally getting off the ground in late 2022.

After a rocky start that saw a handful of companies (including Philips Hue) delay their Matter own updates, the standard seems to have hit its stride, with a recent Matter specification update adding 9 new device types. 

Updated on March 5, 2024 with additional comments from Ikea.