IKEA has moved quickly to be a major player in the Matter-controlled home automation market, with the Swedish Company, who are currently changing their business model in Australia, rolling out a Matter-controlled indoor air quality monitor.
Called VINDSTYRKA, the new product comes with a large display and works with the Company’s new DIRIGERA smart hub, which they claim will be Matter certified when it goes on sale in stores.
Just don’t try to remember those names.
Matter is a new global, open-source standard that aims to simplify the smart home ecosystem by allowing internet-connected devices from different manufacturers to communicate simply and securely.
This represents an important collaboration between competing companies working towards a common goal: to advance the smart home and make it more consumer-friendly. Until now, Matter has been a buzzword and nebulous vendor promises, but we’re finally starting to see some real movement.
In a statement, the Company say, “Clean indoor air is essential to our wellbeing, and one of the first steps to better air is increased awareness of indoor pollutants. The new VINDSTYRKA air quality sensor allows measuring and monitoring of indoor air pollutant levels, complementing the existing IKEA range of smart solutions that enable better air quality in the home.”
IKEA highlights that it’s easy to forget indoor air can be as polluted as outdoor air, with everyday things like cooking and cleaning creating pollution. “With VINDSTYRKA, our ambition has been to create an affordable high-performing air quality sensor to help our customers become more aware of the quality of the air they breathe in their homes,” says Henrik Telander, Product owner at IKEA of Sweden.
ChannelNews understands that IKEA recently updated their hub to be Matter certified.
Version 1.0 of the Matter smart home standard and certification program was officially launched in October.
At CES 2023 several brands released new Matter-certified products,
This year alone, 190 hardware and software products have received certification, or are in the process of being verified, according to the Connectivity Standard Alliance (CSA), the non-profit organisation that oversees the standard.
That includes door locks, gateways, lighting, motion blinds, occupancy sensors, smart plugs, weather devices, platform components, and software applications.
IKEA say it’s easy to forget indoor air can be as polluted as outdoor air with everyday things like cooking and cleaning creating pollution.
On the front of the device is a large screen that makes it easy to read your home’s air quality metrics at a glance.
You can use the monitor on its own, but if you pair it with the Matter-ready DIRIGERA hub (Matter support still in the works), you can also check your readings on your iPhone or other smartphones.
When connected with the Matter-supported DIRIGERA smart hub, view your home’s air quality in the IKEA Home app, which should work with HomeKit, Google, and Amazon, Alexa.
