Although it was founded in the 1940s, IKEA saw massive expansion in the United States throughout the ‘90s. Consumers loved the unique layouts of the multi-level stores, which included fully set-up, family-friendly rooms, and design aesthetics that always felt fresh — not to mention the in-store cafes! In 2008, the Swedish outfit became the biggest furniture retailer in the world, and a few years later it began its foray into the smart home market with smart lighting and furniture with built-in wireless charging.
Today, the company announced big plans to further that push and become a major player in a burgeoning industry. This October, IKEA is set to debut the DIRIGERA, a hub for all of its smart devices, be it bookshelf speakers or desklamps. DIRIGERA utilizes Google Matter, an upcoming smart home industry standard co-developed with Apple, Amazon, and others, that will aid you in establishing a fully connected home, with quick device pairing and access to all major virtual assistants.
The DIRIGERA rollout also comes with the debut of the new IKEA Home smart app for optimization of all your smart devices directly from your phone. This includes personalized preferences and presets that will allow you to tailor your home to your and your family’s liking depending on each scenario. Both the DIRIGERA and the IKEA Home smart app will be user-friendly thanks to all the feedback gathered from customers using the already-existing TRÅDFRI app over the last several years.
The DIRIGERA hub and IKEA Home app are set to launch this October, with IKEA also announcing that it has plans to let users control their devices away from home sometime in the first half of 2023.
