The brain. That’s what IKEA calls their DIRIGERA hub in their marketing materials. And now, with firmware update 2.805.6, this brain just got scary smart. IKEA quietly dropped a bombshell – their humble white box now functions as a Matter Controller. Yeah, you read that right.
IKEA’s DIRIGERA hub just became a full Matter Controller. The smart home game changed forever.
For years, IKEA played it safe. Their smart home ecosystem was a walled garden. You bought IKEA lights, IKEA blinds, IKEA sensors. Everything stayed in the family. Nice and cozy. But someone in Sweden apparently got bored.
The DIRIGERA already did plenty. It connected via Ethernet to your router, talked to all your IKEA smart gadgets through Zigbee, and let you control everything through their app. Remote monitoring, custom scenes, scheduled automations – standard smart home fare. The hub even supports control through voice commands, integrating seamlessly with Amazon Alexa, Apple Home, or Google Home.
The hub even worked as a Matter Bridge, exposing IKEA devices to other ecosystems. Decent enough.
But this update changes the game entirely. The Thread radio that sat dormant inside the hub? It’s alive now. Fully operational. The DIRIGERA can now add Matter-certified devices from any brand. Samsung. Philips. Eve. Nanoleaf. Doesn’t matter who made it – if it speaks Matter, the DIRIGERA speaks its language.
This puts a $60 IKEA hub on equal footing with Apple Home, Google Home, and Amazon Alexa. Let that sink in. The same company that sells meatballs and flat-pack furniture just crashed the smart home party. Hard.
The technical specs remain unchanged. Still needs that USB-C power connection. Still requires an Ethernet cable to your router. The 10-meter wireless range hasn’t magically improved.
But none of that matters when you realize what IKEA just released. The beta update rolls out through the Home Smart app, though not everyone will see it immediately.
Setup remains simple. Download the app, plug it in, follow the prompts. The status lights tell you what’s happening – pulsing white during startup, solid white when operational, double-blink when it loses internet but maintains local control. The hub also provides local connectivity so your devices continue working even during internet outages.
IKEA just weaponized affordability. Every other smart home platform should be terrified. The Swedes aren’t playing around anymore. Your smart home ecosystem just became dangerously democratic.
