A while back, Samsung added the option to join your SmartThings and IKEA smart home networks – but you needed both a SmartThings hub and an IKEA hub. Today, the company announced that you can connect IKEA smart devices directly to your SmartThings hub, which simplifies the setup.
There are 25 compatible IKEA smart devices including: a scroll wheel remote, smart bulbs, plugs, temperature and humidity sensors, air quality sensors, motion sensors, door sensors and water leak sensors.
Here is an example setup. IKEA has an air quality sensor that monitors temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide levels and light intensity. You can set up automation that turns on a Samsung air conditioner’s dehumidification mode if the sensor reports high humidity.
The scroll wheel remote is a standout device, says Samsung. Simple use cases include adjusting the brightness and color temperature of smart lights around the home by rotating the wheel. This works with other devices too, like smart blinds that can be drawn to just the right level using the wheel.
“By connecting IKEA devices to SmartThings, even first-time smart home users can enjoy a familiar and easy connectivity experience without financial burden. SmartThings will continue to expand its ecosystem through partnerships, enabling more consumers to enjoy seamless and convenient smart home experience within the SmartThings ecosystem regardless of brand or communication protocol,” said Jaeyeon Jung, Executive Vice President of SmartThings, AI Platform Center at Samsung Electronics.
By the way, a few years ago, Samsung and Google added support for each other’s smart home ecosystems. This and today’s IKEA announcement show the benefit of industry standards – this is possible thanks to the Matter protocol (which works over Thread mesh networks).
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