IKEA Ditches Zigbee For Thread Going All In On Matter Smart Homes (theverge.com)
- Reference: 0178321492
- News link: https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/25/07/09/2038213/ikea-ditches-zigbee-for-thread-going-all-in-on-matter-smart-homes
- Source link: https://www.theverge.com/smart-home/701697/ikea-matter-thread-new-products-new-smart-home-strategy
> We don't have a lot of details on the over 20 new devices coming next year, but [David Granath of IKEA of Sweden] confirmed that they are replacing existing functions. So, new smart bulbs, plugs, sensors, remotes, buttons, and air-quality devices, including temperature and humidity monitors. They will also come with a new design. Although "not necessarily what's been leaked," says Granath, referring to images of the Bilresa Dual Button that appeared earlier this year. He did confirm that some new product categories will arrive in January, with more to follow in April and beyond, including potentially Matter-over-Wi-Fi products. Pricing will be comparable to or lower than that of previous products, which start under $10. "Affordability remains a key priority for us."
> "The premium to make a product smart is not that high anymore, so you can expect new product types and form factors coming," he says. "Matter unlocks interoperability, ease of use, and affordability for us. The standardization process means more companies are sharing the workload of developing for this." Despite the move away from Zigbee, IKEA is keeping Zigbee's Touchlink functionality. This point-to-point protocol allows devices to be paired directly to each other and work together out of the box, without an app or hub -- such as the bulb and remote bundles IKEA sells. This means older Zigbee remotes can control the newer Thread bulbs and vice versa, retaining backward compatibility with its Tradfri line. "Touchlink and Matter will coexist in new products," says Granath. "It's still very important for IKEA -- not everyone wants an app or hub."
>
> Interestingly, IKEA's new Matter-over-Thread products will also work without the IKEA hub or app, as they can be set up directly in any compatible Matter smart home ecosystem, such as Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, Home Assistant, and others.
[1] https://www.theverge.com/smart-home/701697/ikea-matter-thread-new-products-new-smart-home-strategy
Cheap furniture but quality IOT? (Score:1)
...Unlikely. I don't want Putin controlling my massage chair, Thank You.
Re: (Score:2)
> Putin is not the ruler of Sweden
Yet.
Re: (Score:2)
It's generally pretty good, especially if you want Zigbee devices from a company you've heard of. I've had a couple things not work quite right, but their newer products have been getting better.
Re: (Score:2)
> ...Unlikely. I don't want Putin controlling my massage chair, Thank You.
So don't connect it to the internet! It is right above in the summary - these things can talk directly to one another.
You can even run a server at home, making it easy to add smarts, all isolated from the internet if you like.
Unlike wifi devices such as Tuya which generally require an internet connection and remote server to work.
Perhaps we need to rename in LANoT for you?
Thread good (Score:4, Interesting)
Sounds good. Thread is available for anyone and is a mesh, so the more you deploy, the healthier the network becomes. Matter gives actual security, not "you can't easily get to the network so we assume it's safe". And it all works locally, without needing to talk outside your house. Plus, matter + thread controllers/routers are available in all Amazon/Apple/Google controllers, so you don't need Yet More Random Devices to make things work.
If you don't want smart devices in your house, no worries. Please stop moaning and whining every time they are mentioned; we know. And the world has so many real problems that we don't have the bandwidth to listen to problems solved by "well, I won't install any and I'll shut the fuck up." But if you do want convenient control over your house, and are willing to trade off some security for some functionality, this is an improvement.
Re: (Score:2)
> If you don't want smart devices in your house, no worries. Please stop moaning and whining every time they are mentioned; we know.
Apparently you don't because they are the largest threat on the internet and yet people like you keep buying them.
> But if you do want convenient control over your house, and are willing to trade off some security for some functionality, this is an improvement.
See, there's the problem, you're not just trading your own security, you're also trading away my security as well. You understand this fact and yet you selfishly put people like me in danger because you can't be arsed to show a bit of consideration for the rest of society.
Zigbee sucks... (Score:2)
I have mixed reviews of Zigbee. It sorta works, but doesn't like stucco walls. But at least it's not Internet addressable. Once you've moved to something running IPv6, you might as well just throw things on WiFi.
T
Huh Apple already there? (Score:2)
I remember reading that apple devices already have a thread radio built in to them just not activated yet. Maybe now is the time for Tim Apple to activate the borg within.
Do not do it (Score:2)
All this "smart home" tech has nowhere even remotely the lifetime of an average house.
No (Score:2)
The answer is still - *no*