It’s been more than a year since Ikea’s smart hub got a Matter update, but up until now, the Dirigea hub could only act as a bridge between Ikea devices and existing Matter networks. That’s about to change thanks to a just-released firmware update.
Dirigea firmware update 2.805.6 gives the Dirigea hub Matter controller capabilities, meaning it can now discover and take charge of Matter devices, including those from third-party manufacturers. The firmware update was confirmed by an Ikea rep on Reddit.
Previously, the Dirigera hub could only expose Ikea devices to other Matter controllers, such as the Apple HomePod mini, the Amazon Echo, and the Google Nest Hub.
The budding Matter standard is a big deal in the smart home world, as it’s designed to unite such competing smart home platforms as Amazon’s Alexa, Apple Home, and Google Home. But while Matter shows promise, it’s a relatively new standard that’s still experiencing growing pains.
The ability to use the Dirigera hub as a Matter controller is great news, but even better is word that the firmware update has activated the hub’s Thread radio.
Specifically, Reddit users and Matter Alpha are reporting that the Dirigera hub can now act as a Thread border router, a feature that allows the hub to directly connect to Thread-only Matter devices as well as expose them to the internet. Thread is a low-power wireless mesh protocol that’s a pillar of the Matter standard.
With its new functionality, the Ikea Dirigera hub joins the Apple HomePod mini, Amazon Echo, and Google Nest Hub as devices that are both Matter controllers and Thread border routers.
A couple of Thread-enabled Ikea smart devices had already been leaked earlier this year: the Ikea Timmerflotte, a temperature and humidity sensor, and the Ikea Bilresa Dual Button, a smart switch.
The revelation of those two Thread devices had previously fueled speculation that Ikea might soon add Thread border router capabilities to the Dirigera hub, or perhaps release an all-new hub with a Thread radio.
Matter controller functionality for the Dirigera hub is still in beta, and you’ll need to update the hub as well as the Ikea Home app to give the feature a try.