IKEA Prepares Matter Smart-Home Push in China With Cautious, Low-Cost Strategy

The interview was conducted with David Granath, IKEA's global product line head, and product developer Stjepan Begic. IKEA's first Matter products went on sale overseas more than half a year ago. In China, the company is moving cautiously because the market's smart-home ecosystem is unusually fragmented and differs from Europe and the United States.

IKEA has been in smart home for years, mostly with Zigbee devices. It kept those products easy to use: many support Touchlink direct connection, so a consumer can buy a bulb and a wireless remote, hold the remote near the bulb and control lighting without buying a gateway. Gateways such as the original TRÅDFRI and the newer DIRIGERA are still needed for remote phone control, schedules and integration with Apple Home, Google Home and Amazon Alexa. David Granath said IKEA starts from home scenarios and does not want smart features to raise the cost of understanding or buying.

As Matter and Thread matured, IKEA announced it would fully embrace Matter and launched 21 affordable Matter products, including smart bulbs, wireless switches, sensors and smart plugs. Recent additions include a European version of an updated thermostatic valve and a kitchen cabinet driver. Granath said IKEA will gradually migrate its existing smart product line to Matter. Setup improves as well: users can scan a QR code on the device or packaging instead of resetting a bulb by switching power six times. The Home Smart App offers tuned defaults for complex functions such as adaptive lighting and sleep wake-up rather than dense parameter controls.

Early Matter products had problems. Users reported disconnections, failed setup and delayed responses. Granath said the cause was a change in how products are developed and supported. Under Zigbee, IKEA controlled the device, gateway and software end to end. Under Matter, it is one node in a larger ecosystem, dependent on third-party ecosystems, Thread Group networking and CSA standards. IKEA ran joint debugging with major ecosystem vendors in the first half of this year, analyzing logs and capturing packets, and several firmware iterations improved stability and response times. At the time of the interview, IKEA pushed a new test firmware update with newer Matter and Thread versions.

For China, Granath used the words "prudent" and "locally relevant." Xiaomi and Huawei run large closed or semi-closed ecosystems and have been conservative about supporting third-party native Matter devices. OPPO and vivo have many phone users but lack home hub hardware and Thread border routers. Samsung SmartThings has largely left the center of the Chinese market. Apple Home is almost the only mainstream ecosystem in China fully supporting Matter, but Apple TV and HomePod penetration is limited, leaving most homes without Thread infrastructure. Some Chinese Apple Home enthusiasts buy IKEA's overseas Matter sensors through cross-border shopping.

IKEA's first CCC-certified products for China will prioritize kits that include Touchlink remotes, according to Granath. Even without any Thread network, buyers can use them as high-quality wireless remote-controlled lamps. On price, IKEA aims to keep Matter products equal to or lower than its Zigbee products. Granath said global shipment volumes dilute fixed research and certification costs, and an internal cost-control team reviews parts and production steps to pass savings to consumers.

IKEA previously worked with Xiaomi in China, connecting some lights to the Mijia ecosystem when Xiaomi was the most widespread and relevant local smart-home platform. With Matter, Granath said IKEA is re-evaluating local standards and ecosystems and continuing talks with local companies. On hardware, Begic cited the new smart sensors' built-in rechargeable battery instead of a coin cell. The change sacrifices some size but gives longer life, better battery performance and sustainability, and works with IKEA's Ladda nickel-metal hydride batteries and charger. IKEA also contributes features and specifications back to open-source communities and the CSA, and is involved in Matter audio specifications. Granath and Begic said they welcome safe IKEA hacks.

The China launch will test whether IKEA can replicate an approach that has already been proven overseas. Its products combine industrial design, home integration, simple use, prices close to Mijia products, native connection to Apple Home and access through Matter to more open ecosystems. But China's smart-home market is also shaped by large local ecosystems and user habits, while Matter infrastructure and local ecosystem support are still developing. How many Chinese consumers will change their existing choices for design, price and an open ecosystem remains uncertain.

Editor's Summary IKEA is preparing to bring its Matter smart-home line to China after products appeared in CCC certification listings, with a strategy focused on Touchlink kits and low prices. The company says China's fragmented ecosystem and limited Thread infrastructure make a cautious rollout necessary, while its global Matter experience has already gone through early stability problems. The launch will test whether IKEA's design, easy setup and open-ecosystem positioning can compete in a market dominated by local platforms.