It’s been over a year since Ikea’s Dirigera smart hub was updated to support Matter, but until now, its role in the ecosystem was limited to acting as a bridge—exposing Ikea smart home devices to other Matter controllers like the Apple HomePod mini, Amazon Echo, or Google Nest Hub. That’s finally changing. A new firmware update, version 2.805.6, now transforms the Dirigera hub into a full-fledged Matter controller.
With this update, confirmed by an Ikea representative on Reddit, the Dirigera hub can now discover, pair with, and control third-party Matter devices—not just Ikea-branded ones. This turns it into an independent player in your smart home network, capable of coordinating devices across brands and platforms. The Matter controller upgrade marks a significant leap forward for Ikea’s smart home ambitions.
But that’s not all. Alongside Matter controller support, the firmware also activates the Thread radio inside the Dirigera hub. According to Reddit users and Matter Alpha reports, the hub can now operate as a Thread border router, which means it can communicate directly with Thread-only Matter devices and relay their data to the broader internet. This positions Dirigera among a short list of smart home devices—including the Apple HomePod mini, Google Nest Hub, and Amazon Echo—that support both Matter control and Thread networking.
Thread, a low-power mesh networking protocol, is a crucial pillar of Matter. Devices that rely exclusively on Thread have typically needed a separate border router to function effectively within a smart home. With this update, Ikea’s hub eliminates that need by offering integrated support.
Earlier this year, leaks hinted that Ikea was planning more Thread integration, with products like the Timmerflotte temperature and humidity sensor and the Bilresa Dual Button smart switch making quiet appearances in regulatory filings. Their existence seemed to point toward upcoming Thread support, either through a new hub or an expanded Dirigera feature set. This update confirms that Ikea was preparing the Dirigera hub itself to play a much larger role in the Matter ecosystem.
It’s important to note that Matter controller functionality on the Dirigera hub is still in beta, and users will need to update both the hub’s firmware and the Ikea Home app to enable it. But once enabled, this functionality brings Ikea’s platform much closer in capability to those of Apple, Google, and Amazon—marking a key milestone for interoperability in the smart home world.
