Ikea’s Cheap Smart Home Tech Will Be Hard to Beat in 2026

I’m a sucker for dependable, inexpensive sensible house tech. These days, that continuously manner turning to Ikea for a brand new faraway or sensor for my house. Ikea’s low costs are a large explanation why, however the Swedish house furnishing emblem, which has been making a larger play for sensible house tech bucks of past due, has a wholesome variety and maximum can also be managed in the neighborhood — no web required.

When I heard Ikea used to be displaying on the global’s biggest client tech display, I jumped on the likelihood to prevent through its comfy suite on the Venetian Hotel right through CES 2026. 

Read extra: Best of CES 2026: 22 Winners Awarded through CNET Group

While Ikea introduced many of those merchandise remaining November — together with sensible house sensors, sensible lighting fixtures and Bluetooth audio system — the house furniture corporate additionally shocked me with updates to the beautiful Varmblixt collection of lamps and a $10 Bluetooth speaker that’s not part dangerous. 

Here’s the whole lot the logo had on show, with a couple of highlights that stuck my consideration.

Varmblixt enters the Matter equation

The maximum hanging parts of Ikea’s CES show are the up to date Varmblixt donut and pendant lamps. Originally debuting in 2023 thru a collaboration with Rotterdam-based clothier Sabine Marcelis, those newest Varmblixt variations are actually like minded with the broader Ikea Home Smart app and Matter ecosystem.

While the primary iterations of the Varmblixt donut lamp boasted a hard and fast colour palette, the Varmblixt sensible donut lamp’s Matter functions improve an automated colour cycle of 12 preset colours proper out of the field the usage of the integrated Bilresa faraway keep an eye on. You will even enlarge it to 40 colours and get admission to dimming controls through linking it with Ikea’s Dirigera sensible house hub.

During my seek advice from, I did not suppose to take a look at the faraway with the sensible donut lamp to look if it simplest cycles thru a preset colour trend or if you’ll pause it on a selected colour. My Ikea touch showed that you’ll manually cycle during the colours to seek out your favourite. You don’t want a Dirigera hub for this serve as, simplest the integrated faraway. (The similar applies to the sensible pendant gentle.)

The Varmblixt sensible pendant gentle additionally options a fascinating design. However, it limits its colour palette to sun shades of white, so you’ll snuggle up with a mellow, comfortable, heat white or lock to your focal point with cool sunlight — and the whole lot in between.

Ikea hardly ever stands nonetheless, and has already hinted at further sensible lighting fixtures merchandise at the horizon in 2027, together with extra collaborations with Marcelis. Perhaps we will see the remainder of the Varmblixt collection receiving Matter compatibility and even some new designs?

A set of Matter-enabled equipment for less than $15

Ikea introduced its Matter-compatible sensible house lineup on the finish of 2025, however my seek advice from to the logo’s CES show off used to be my first time seeing many of those merchandise in motion. (I’ve been the usage of the Klippbok water-leak sensor, Timmerflotte temperature and humidity sensor, Myggbett door and window sensor since Nov. 2025.)

The fast standout used to be the Alpstuga air high quality sensor, which screens carbon dioxide, particulate subject, temperature and humidity. You can test the standing of your air anytime at the integrated show or within the Ikea Home Smart app.

I additionally recognize that the brand new Myggspray movement sensor is weatherproof with an IP67 score. This is massive as a result of outside movement detectors are nonetheless slightly uncommon in comparison to indoor devices — and a lot more dear. The earlier Ikea Vallhorn movement sensor had some weatherproofing — a slightly susceptible IP44 score — however it is great to have a little extra coverage in inclement climate.

While the costs are in large part related to the former lineup of Zigbee-based devices, lots of the sensors are extra inexpensive than their predecessors, which have been already the most effective values for sensible house equipment:

• Bilresa faraway keep an eye on, twin button: $6 (in comparison to the $6 Rodret and $9 Somrig)
• Bilresa faraway keep an eye on, scroll wheel: $10
• Myggspray movement sensor: $8 (in comparison to the $9 Vallhorn)
• Myggbett door and window sensor: $8 (in comparison to the $10 Parasoll)
• Klippbok water leakage sensor: $8 (in comparison to the $9 Badring)
• Timmerflotte temperature and humidity sensor: $10
• Alpstuga air high quality sensor: $30 (in comparison to the $42 Vindstryka)

The above merchandise are to be had now. Ikea additionally has a choice of new sensible plugs and sensible gentle bulbs on deck for availability in April 2026:

• Grillplats sensible plug: $8
• Tofsmygga outside sensible plug: $15
• Kajplats sensible gentle bulbs: $6 to $14 (comprises quite a lot of colour and brightness choices for usual E26 sockets, E12 candelabra sockets and GU10 observe lighting fixtures)
• Various combo packs with Kajplats bulbs and a Bilresa faraway keep an eye on: $10 to $24

I look ahead to placing a lot of Ikea’s newest sensible house merchandise thru their paces this yr. Still, I will have to notice that the straightforward nature of maximum sensible sensors manner there may be hardly ever a lot to mention past noting their affordability and reliability.

Samsung SmartIssues now helps Ikea’s newest sensible house merchandise

Another announcement to come back out of CES is Ikea’s new partnership with Samsung SmartThings. One of the end result of more potent SmartIssues improve is the facility so as to add Ikea merchandise at once to a SmartIssues hub, which in most cases expands capability with out requiring workarounds.

For instance, I take advantage of a lot of Ikea’s discontinued Tradfri remotes in my SmartIssues machine, however they serve as in a different way than within the Ikea Home Smart app and in most cases require a customized third-party driving force to paintings smartly. Getting them running is not tough for a veteran sensible house nerd, however I’m interested by having a transparent setup procedure that is a lot more uncomplicated for the typical individual.

According to Samsung’s weblog put up, this Ikea replace continues to be rolling out — in particular, Bilesa scroll wheel faraway improve. However, my SmartIssues machine nonetheless has bother detecting new Matter units at the Ikea hub, regardless of the method running independently for each programs the usage of a Myggspray movement sensor. I believe that those minor compatibility problems can be resolved because the rollout progresses.

Ikea’s newest Bluetooth audio system

Bluetooth audio system are not strictly sensible house merchandise, however I sought after to say Ikea’s new Solskydd, Kulglass and Kallsup audio system. All 3 speaker designs function collaborations with Ola Wihlborg, together with limited-edition designs at the Solskydd and Kulglass, created through Swedish colorist Tekla Evelina Severin (Tekla).

The Solskydd speaker is available in 3 sizes: 8 inches ($80), 11 inches ($100) and 18 inches ($140). Notably, the 8-inch dimension is moveable with a integrated battery, whilst the 2 higher sizes require an influence twine for operation.

While the audio high quality appeared just right right through my time with the audio system, I’d wish to pay attention them in isolation sooner than making any definitive statements. My favourite part of the Solskydd audio system is the wall-mounting choice, which supplies them just a little extra flexibility than different Bluetooth audio system I’ve used. The unique designs additionally appear to paintings smartly for those who need audio system that do not distract from a room’s inside design.

I in reality like the brilliant inexperienced colour choice, and my demo unit produces strangely nice audio high quality for a $10 speaker. For comparability, I examined an affordable $8 speaker from Five Below, which carried out a lot worse at most quantity. That mentioned, you should not be expecting audiophile high quality, in particular in relation to bass, however the midtones and treble sound superb.

Interestingly, you’ll hyperlink a couple of Kallsup audio system in combination. Sara Ottosson, senior product developer for Ikea, mentioned the workforce examined this serve as with as much as 100 audio system, however hinted at in all probability including greater than that. I’m skeptical in regards to the practicality of operating 100 Kallsup audio system directly, however even having 4 or 5 connected units may exchange the sport for a small indoor social gathering. (It is not water-resistant just like the $16 Vappeby, which introduced in 2023.)

Although the Solskydd and Kulglass audio system are to be had now, you will have to wait till April for the Kallsup.