6 new IKEA Matter over Thread smart home gadgets that are worth the money

IKEA has gone all-in on Matter, ushering in a new era of affordable smart home devices that use low-power Thread mesh networking. This is great news for anyone who has been holding out for Matter devices, and it's hard to deny the value proposition when these devices cost less than the Zigbee accessories they're replacing.

Klippbok water leak sensor

If you buy one IKEA smart home device, make it the Klippbok water leak sensor ($8). You don't even need a smart home system to get some benefit from this, since it includes a speaker that will alert you whenever it detects moisture. For best results, add it to your IKEA, Home Assistant, or other Matter-compatible smart home.

The sensor uses the same foolproof detection mechanism that you'll find in most competing models. Two contacts on the bottom sit flush against a flat surface, and when water closes the circuit, the sensor is triggered. You can use this as a trigger to create an alert you won't miss, or go a step further and use a smart water shutoff valve to prevent a disaster.

It's a sensor you hope you'll never need, but one that can save your home and valuables should a pipe or appliance suddenly fail.

Bilresa remote control

Before IKEA's new smart home range launched, Matter remote controls were hard to come by and expensive. With the arrival of the Bilresa ($6), the game has changed. Though IKEA announced two versions of the remote, only one has materialized so far, a simple two-button design that uses two AAA batteries for power.

The remote works with IKEA's own smart home system using a hub and smartphone app, but can also be linked directly to a power outlet, bulb, and other devices for hubless control. Of course, it also works with Home Assistant, where you'll get access to single presses, plus press and hold and hold and release triggers.

After all, your Home Assistant setup probably needs more remotes .

Timmerflotte temperature and humidity sensor

IKEA's battery-powered temperature and humidity sensor has a clean and minimalist look that should win over anyone who loves smart tech that doesn't look obvious . The Timmerflotte ($10) is a round disc with an LED display that shows the current temperature in your choice of Fahrenheit or Celsius.

Tap the display to see the current temperature, followed by the humidity. The display isn't on all the time, or the two AAA batteries wouldn't last very long, but the sensor will be routinely polled by Home Assistant to gather information about whatever room it's placed in. No wires means you can put it virtually anywhere, too.

Alpstuga air quality sensor

If you like the idea of the Timmerflotte but don't want to worry about batteries, would rather the display stay on at all times, and would like a bit more information about the environment, the Alpstuga air quality monitor ($30) is for you.

This is a replacement for IKEA's old Vindstyrka sensor, with a brighter and larger display that displays a single metric at a time. In addition to temperature and humidity, the air quality monitor also measures carbon dioxide levels and particulate matter (PM 2.5), which could indicate that the room needs ventilating.

My only complaints are that the sensor doesn't measure volatile organic compounds (VOC) like the pricier Vindstyrka did and that you can't display multiple measurements at once. Despite that, it works great in Matter-based smart homes, including Home Assistant.

Myggbett door and window sensors

I bought a whole bunch of IKEA's previous contact sensors, and I've gotten a lot of use out of them. They can give your home superpowers , like the ability to pause heating or cooling automatically, get reminders when you've left something open, and trigger lights in dark places without relying on motion sensors.

IKEA's newest such sensor is called Myggbett ($8), and it's almost half the price of the Parasoll sensor it replaces (which sold for $15). The design is simple: attach the sensor to one surface and the corresponding magnet to another. When the sensor detects that the magnet is out of range, the door or window is considered open.

My favorite use so far is as part of an automation that tells me my laundry cycle has finished , which turns off the repeating reminder and notifies me that the laundry has been dealt with whenever the door is opened.

Myggspray passive infrared

Passive infrared sensors get a bad rap, and it's true that many consider them a waste of money . They're good at detecting sudden, intentional movement and bad at detecting ongoing presence. They also tend to eat batteries, especially if you put them in high-traffic areas.

That said, they're key to some really cool automations, and the Myggspray ($8) is IKEA's Matter over Thread version. This kind of motion sensor allowed me to build a mailbox sensor that actually works , so there are some neat uses beyond the obvious. Even though fancier mmWave sensors are better for automations that depend on human presence, passive infrared sensors don't need to be wired in, so you can put them virtually anywhere.

Matter over Thread plugs and bulbs are on the way

IKEA is still selling off its old Zigbee stock, but even more devices are set to launch in the coming months. Among them is the Grillplats smart plug that also tracks energy use ( enabling all sorts of neat automations ), a version of the Bilresa remote with a scroll wheel, and the Kajplats range of smart bulbs that promises improvements over the old Tradfri lineup with more features, color options, and intensity settings.

One hiccup that's been documented within the review section of IKEA's website is that some of these items (like the Alpstuga) arrive with outdated firmware, which can cause problems. At present, you need an IKEA Dirigera hub ($109) to update the firmware, which is surplus to requirements for anyone with an existing Matter over Thread setup (like Home Assistant).

IKEA has a generous money-back guarantee, so you could swap older units out and play the smart home lottery. You could also purchase the hub, update items, and return it once you're done. Hopefully, firmware updates are possible over standard Matter connections in the future.

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Still got a Zigbee network and happy with it? There's no need to change for the sake of it. In fact, some of these new IKEA devices can work over Zigbee too .