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Ikea tried to build a smart home for everyone — here’s why it’s not working yet

The Verge / 3/18/2026

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Key Points

  • Ikea's Matter-over-Thread lineup aims to make affordable, interoperable smart home devices, but widespread onboarding and connectivity issues mean it's not yet ready for primetime.
  • Early testers reported difficulties connecting Ikea devices to Apple Home and other ecosystems, with ongoing reliability problems during setup.
  • The product range includes sensors, remotes, air-quality monitors, smart bulbs, and plugs at low prices, but practical usability remains limited by these integration problems.
  • Coverage and user discussions highlight real-world interoperability challenges, underscoring broader hurdles in achieving universal smart-home compatibility.
Ikea’s new smart bulbs, sensors, and remotes use Matter-over-Thread to connect to any compatible ecosystem — including Apple Home and Amazon Alexa. In theory. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

Ikea's new Matter-over-Thread products were supposed to prove that the smart home could be cheap, accessible, and reliable. The highly anticipated line - which includes sensors, remotes, smart plugs, air-quality monitors, and smart bulbs - has most everything you need to build a smart home, with prices starting at $6. It's an exciting idea, but it's still not ready for primetime.

When I first got the Ikea devices in January, I had a lot of problems connecting them to my main platform, Apple Home. And it turned out I was not alone. Reddit forums and user reviews were full of reports of onboarding and connectivity issues. Many people were str …

Read the full story at The Verge.