IKEA’s long-awaited Matter-enabled smart light bulbs have finally arrived in the United States. This comes a few months after the retailer first unveiled its new generation of connected lighting.
The bulbs are part of IKEA’s wider Matter smart home push, announced late last year. As shared by The Verge, these are currently available at the company’s online store as well as at many retailers nationwide.
The big change this time is support for Matter over Thread. Thread is a cross-platform smart home standard designed to help devices work more reliably across different ecosystems.
In theory, this means IKEA’s new light bulbs could more easily integrate with platforms like Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home. You can also take advantage of the low-power mesh networking provided by Thread.
IKEA’s lighting range has long been one of the more affordable entry points into the world of smart homes. Premium options from brands like Philips Hue are often cheaper. The new Matter-enabled models continue that approach, with prices starting at just $5.99 for the 450-lumen Kajplats E26 Smart White Bulb.
Several variations are available, including both E26 and E12 fittings, different brightness levels, and options for white spectrum lighting or full color support. Prices start at $13.99 for the brightest 1,600 lumen model. Additionally, IKEA sells starter kits that bundle the Bilresa wireless remote control with a light bulb starting at $9.99.
However, the launch wasn’t completely smooth. Early adopters have reported problems connecting the bulbs to Ikea’s own Dirigera hub and other Matter platforms. IKEA acknowledged the problem and recently pushed out a firmware update aimed at improving what the company calls “onboarding stability issues.” However, it is not yet clear whether this will fully resolve the connectivity issues some users have experienced.
