The Swedish furniture giant has had a (timid) foot in the connected home for a few years. After small tables integrating a wireless charger, different types of light control (sockets, bulbs, remote controls) and music (in collaboration with Sonos in particular), Ikea is launching into home “protection” with its Smart Safety range.
Ikea continues to grope its way into the delicate connected home market, whose limitations are well-known for the general public. And this time, the Swedish brand is focusing on home security with its new range Smart Safety. Running water, a door or window opening, movements: these sensors can be integrated into your Ikea connected home (or into compatible systems using the same standards, it’s generally quite open), and trigger different actions depending on the scenarios.
Basic and inexpensive
Ikea does not intend to compete with the tech giants: the company offers basic smart home devices, but therefore affordable and easy to configure. The easiest way is to run everything through the Ikea Smart Home application, and therefore have the Dirigera hub at home (€60, can be integrated into Google Home, Apple HomeKit and Amazon Alexa) , in order to create tailor-made scenarios (notifications, activation of other device types, etc.). But Ikea has provided simpler options: a direct connection between a sensor (movements in the hallway) and lamps (connected Ikea bulbs in the hallway).
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Parasoll, the door/window sensorcosts €9.99. Small, discreet and easy to install, it simply lets you know when a door or window is open. It can send notifications via the Ikea Home Smart app (on your smartphone). But if you don’t have a hub, and this sensor is therefore not connected “to the internet”, you can connect it directly to an Ikea smart bulb (which will light up, for example, when opened) .
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Vallhorn is a wireless motion sensor, sold at €7.99. A very small amount compared to what other players in the market are asking (notably Philips Hue). In short, it allows hands-free lighting for dark or risky areas, such as entrances or staircases. It can control up to 10 IKEA smart bulbs, allowing you to choose the color and intensity of the light. And again, if you connect it to the hub, the interconnection options between all the connected devices multiply.
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Badring, the third, is the water leak sensor. For €9.99, placed on the floor next to a washing machine, it alerts you if it detects water, potentially reducing the risk of major damage if you are at home when the leak occurs. It can send a mobile notification or trigger a built-in alarm if you haven’t connected it to the hub. So it’s pretty cool of Ikea to have provided “offline” options, for those who don’t want to configure a smart home…
Conclusion
If Ikea does not revolutionize anything in 2024 with basic sensors allowing basic scenarios, we must leave to the Nordic company this desire to offer affordable solutions to the very general public. At €8 per sensor, a little more for bulbs, a connection hub or speakers, Ikea stands out in a market that is struggling to find its audience, by playing the price card, as it usually does. If you are tempted by the adventure of the connected home, this is undoubtedly a good entry point, without breaking the bank.
Mathieu’s tests IKEA smarthome connected home
