The IKEA Dirigera is the smart home hub IKEA should have launched years ago. At £70 from IKEA UK stores and ikea.com, it replaces the ageing TRÅDFRI gateway and brings three wireless protocols — Zigbee, Thread, and Matter — into a low-profile disc that sits quietly next to your router. Whether you are starting a fresh IKEA smart home or expanding an existing one to work with Apple Home, Google Home, or Alexa, the Dirigera is the entry point. The question is whether it is worth it in 2026, particularly against alternatives like the Philips Hue starter kit and more capable third-party hubs.
What Is the IKEA Dirigera?
Released in late 2022 and continually updated since, the Dirigera is a cylindrical hub measuring 112 mm in diameter and just 27 mm tall. It connects to your router via a supplied Ethernet cable — an always-on wired connection is required — and provides Zigbee and Thread radios to communicate with IKEA smart devices. Power comes via a USB-C adapter.
The hub runs the IKEA Home smart app (iOS 16.4+ and Android 10+ required) and acts as the bridge between your IKEA kit and the wider smart home. Since firmware 2.615.8, released in September 2024, the Dirigera gained full Matter bridge status, meaning every compatible IKEA device it controls appears as a native device in Apple Home, Google Home, or Amazon Alexa without any additional pairing steps. A further update (firmware 2.805.6) added Matter Controller support, allowing third-party Matter devices to be added directly to the IKEA ecosystem.
The October 2025 firmware (2.866.3) added Matter 1.3 compatibility, expanding supported device types to include water leak sensors and energy-monitoring smart plugs, while also refining Adaptive Lighting so it automatically re-enables after a manual brightness adjustment.
UK Price and Where to Buy
The Dirigera retails at £70 in the UK, up from the original £60 — a price rise that coincided with firmware 2.934.5, which fixed Thread IPv6 routing stability. It is available in all IKEA UK stores and on ikea.com/gb, as well as Amazon UK, though prices at third-party retailers vary. IKEA includes an Ethernet cable, a USB-A power adapter, and a 1.8 m USB-C cable in the box.
For context, a starter smart-lighting bundle of three IKEA E27 colour bulbs plus a Dirigera hub costs roughly £90 — compared with around £180–£220 for the nearest Philips Hue equivalent. If you are already invested in IKEA TRÅDFRI devices, the Dirigera is backward compatible with all of them via Zigbee.
Protocols: Zigbee, Thread, and Matter Explained
Zigbee is the mesh radio IKEA has used since the TRÅDFRI era. All existing IKEA bulbs, motion sensors, remotes, and blind motors communicate over Zigbee. The Dirigera bridges these to Matter so they appear in third-party apps without any additional setup.
Thread is a newer low-power mesh radio built into the Dirigera's chip. As a Thread Border Router, the Dirigera can join a unified Thread network alongside other border routers such as the Apple HomePod mini or Google Nest Hub. Native Thread devices respond noticeably faster, typically 50–200 ms compared with 500 ms–2 s for Zigbee-bridged devices.
Matter is the application layer that sits on top of either Thread or Wi-Fi, allowing devices from different brands to work together. The Dirigera exposes your IKEA devices as Matter accessories, and as a Matter Controller it can pair with devices from other brands. This is the biggest leap over the old TRÅDFRI gateway, which was a closed ecosystem.
For a deeper look at how these protocols compare, see our guide to Matter vs Zigbee vs Z-Wave.
Home Assistant Integration
The Dirigera does not have a native core integration in Home Assistant, but there are two well-supported paths.
Matter (recommended): Enable the Matter integration in Home Assistant, then add the Dirigera as a Matter bridge using the pairing code in the IKEA Home app (Settings > Hub > Matter pairing). All bridged devices appear as entities immediately. This is the most stable method as of 2025 and is actively maintained. A small number of IKEA sensors — notably the Parasoll door sensor and Badring water sensor — are not yet fully exposed via Matter, but support is expanding with each firmware update.
HACS custom integration: The community-maintained dirigera_platform integration (available via HACS from sanjoyg/dirigera_platform) communicates directly with the Dirigera's local API and exposes additional entities not yet available over Matter, including some sensor types. Device changes made in the IKEA Home app — renames, room moves, additions — sync automatically to Home Assistant without a restart. This is the better option if you need full entity coverage today.
Either way, once your IKEA devices are in Home Assistant you can build automations that go well beyond what the IKEA app supports. See our Home Assistant Matter setup guide for step-by-step pairing instructions.
App and Ecosystem
The IKEA Home smart app is the primary control surface. It covers on/off, dimming, colour temperature, scenes, schedules, and shortcut-button assignments. Automations are limited compared with Home Assistant or Apple Shortcuts — you can trigger scenes at set times or on motion, but complex conditional logic requires a third-party platform.
Voice assistant support is strong. Matter means the Dirigera works natively with Alexa, Google Home, and Apple Home without cloud-to-cloud integrations. You can mix IKEA lights with Hue bulbs, Govee strips, or any other Matter-certified hardware in the same app or automation.
What Works Well
- Value: At £70 for a hub that bridges Zigbee, runs Thread, and supports Matter, the price undercuts most rivals at the same capability level.
- Design: The flat disc is unobtrusive and fits any decor. The inclusion of an Ethernet cable and a generous USB-C cable in the box is welcome.
- Firmware cadence: IKEA has updated the Dirigera regularly since launch, adding Matter Controller, Thread Border Router, Matter 1.3, and Adaptive Lighting improvements.
- TRÅDFRI compatibility: All existing IKEA Zigbee devices migrate to Dirigera without re-pairing.
Limitations to Know Before You Buy
- Ethernet required: The hub must stay wired to your router. If your router is in an awkward location, this can be inconvenient.
- Bridged device latency: Zigbee devices bridged to Matter respond in 500 ms–2 s, which is noticeable compared with native Thread or Wi-Fi devices.
- App automation depth: The IKEA Home app is functional but not powerful. Complex automations require Home Assistant or a third-party platform.
- Occasional connectivity drops: Some users report intermittent disconnections in third-party apps, particularly during firmware transitions.
- Limited colour range: IKEA's colour bulbs are competent but lack the breadth and consistency of the Philips Hue range. There are no gradient strips or entertainment sync features.
Verdict
The IKEA Dirigera is the best-value smart home hub for anyone building around IKEA smart products. At £70 it is not cheap, but it delivers Zigbee, Thread, Matter bridge, and Matter Controller in a compact, well-designed package with a solid update track record. If you already own TRÅDFRI devices, it is the obvious upgrade. If you are starting fresh, the IKEA ecosystem is now genuinely open — your Dirigera hub will happily sit alongside Hue bulbs, Eve sensors, or any other Matter-certified hardware.
For Home Assistant users, the Matter integration route is stable and expanding. Those who need full entity coverage today should install the HACS dirigera_platform integration while waiting for official support to mature. Either way, the Dirigera earns its place as the hub of a budget-smart, protocol-forward home.
