Ikea’s Big CES Debut: Everything I Saw in the Scandi Smart Home Suite

It’s no secret that I’m always on the lookout for reliable and affordable smart home equipment, which often means turning to Ikea whenever I need a new remote or sensor for my home. Ikea’s low price is definitely a major factor, but I also like the wide selection and the ability to control everything locally without an internet connection.

So I jumped at the chance to stop by Ikea’s cozy showroom at the Venetian during CES 2026. Since this is the company’s first foray into CES, I think opting for a private suite rather than a showy booth on the main floor was a good choice to highlight the cozy ambiance (and cozy prices) of its latest technology.

Learn more: Best of CES 2026: 22 winners rewarded by the CNET group

While Ikea announced many of these products last November — including smart home sensors, smart lighting, and Bluetooth speakers — the furniture company also surprised me with updates to the stunning Varmblixt lamp series and a $10 Bluetooth speaker that’s not bad at all. Here’s everything the brand had on display, with a few highlights that caught my attention.

Varmblixt enters the equation of Matter

The most striking items in Ikea’s CES display are the updated Varmblixt donut lamps and pendant lights. Originally launched in 2023 through a collaboration with Rotterdam-based designer Sabine Marcelis, these latest versions of Varmblixt are now compatible with the wider Ikea Home Smart app and Matter ecosystem.

While early iterations of the Varmblixt Donut Lamp featured a fixed color palette, the Matter capabilities of the Varmblixt Smart Donut Lamp support automatic color cycling of 12 preset colors right out of the box using the included Bilresa remote. You can even expand it to 40 colors and access dimming controls by linking it to Ikea’s Dirigera smart home hub.

During my visit, I didn’t think to try the remote with the donut smart lamp to see if it only cycles through a preset color pattern or if you can pause it on a specific color. My Ikea contact confirmed that you can manually cycle through the colors to find your favorite. You don’t need a Dirigera hub for this function, just the included remote control. (The same goes for smart suspension.)

The Varmblixt smart pendant light also features an attractive design. However, it limits its color palette to shades of white, so you can snuggle up with soft, gentle, warm white or focus on cool daylight – and everything in between.

Ikea rarely stands still and has already hinted at other smart lighting products coming out in 2027, including new collaborations with Marcelis. Maybe we’ll see the rest of the Varmblixt series receive Matter compatibility or even new designs?

A suite of Matter-compatible gear for less than $15

Ikea announced its line of Matter-enabled smart homes in late 2025, but my visit to the brand’s CES exhibit was the first time I’d seen many of these products in action. (I have been using Klippbok water leak sensor, Timmerflotte temperature and humidity sensor, Myggbett door and window sensor since November 2025.)

The immediate standout was the Alpstuga air quality sensor, which monitors carbon dioxide, particles, temperature and humidity. You can check the status of your air conditioning at any time on the built-in screen or in the Ikea Home Smart app.

I also like that the new Myggspray motion sensor is weatherproof with an IP67 rating. This is huge because outdoor motion sensors are still relatively rare compared to indoor units – and much more expensive. The previous Ikea Vallhorn motion sensor had some weather resistance – a relatively low IP44 rating – but it’s nice to have a little more protection in bad weather.

Although prices are largely comparable to the previous line of Zigbee-based units, many sensors are more affordable than their predecessors, which were already among the best values ​​for smart home equipment:

• Bilresa remote control, double button: $6 (compared to Rodret at $6 and Somrig at $9)
• Bilresa remote control, scroll wheel: $10
• Myggspray Motion Sensor: $8 (vs. Vallhorn at $9)
• Myggbett Door and Window Sensor: $8 (compared to $10 Parasoll)
• Klippbok water leak sensor: $8 (compared to $9 for the Badring)
• Timmerflotte temperature and humidity sensor: $10
• Alpstuga air quality sensor: $30 (compared to $42 for the Vindstryka)

The above products are available now. Ikea also has a selection of new smart plugs and smart bulbs available in April 2026:

• Grillplats Smart Plug: $8
• Tofsmygga outdoor smart plug: $15
• Kajplats smart bulbs: $6 to $14 (includes various color and brightness options for standard E26 sockets, E12 candelabra sockets and GU10 track lighting)
• Various combo packs with Kajplats bulbs and Bilresa remote control: $10 to $24

I’m looking forward to putting many of Ikea’s latest smart home products to the test this year. Still, I should note that the simple nature of most smart sensors means there’s rarely much to talk about beyond their affordability and reliability.

Samsung SmartThings now supports Ikea’s latest smart home products

Another announcement coming out of CES is Ikea’s new partnership with Samsung SmartThings. One of the fruits of increased SmartThings support is the ability to add Ikea products directly to a SmartThings hub, which generally expands functionality without requiring workarounds.

For example, I use many of Ikea’s discontinued Tradfri remotes in my SmartThings system, but they work differently than those in the Ikea Home Smart app and usually require a custom third-party driver to work properly. Getting them to work isn’t difficult for a smart home enthusiast, but I’m all for a clear setup process that’s much easier for the average person.

According to Samsung’s blog, this update from Ikea is still rolling out, especially remote support for the Bilesa scroll wheel. However, my SmartThings system still struggles to detect new Matter devices on the Ikea hub, although the process works independently for both systems using a Myggspray motion sensor. I suspect these minor compatibility issues will be resolved as the rollout progresses.

The latest Bluetooth speakers from Ikea

Bluetooth speakers aren’t strictly smart home products, but I wanted to mention Ikea’s new Solskydd, Kulglass, and Kallsup speakers. All three speaker models feature collaborations with Ola Wihlborg, including limited edition designs on the Solskydd and Kulglass, created by Swedish Tekla colorist Evelina Severin (Tekla).

The Solskydd speaker comes in three sizes: 8-inch ($80), 11-inch ($100), and 18-inch ($140). Notably, the 8-inch size is portable with a built-in battery, while the two larger sizes require a power cord to operate.

Although the audio quality seemed good during my time with the speakers, I would need to hear them in isolation before making any definitive statements. My favorite part of the Solskydd speakers is the wall-mount option, which gives them a little more flexibility than other Bluetooth speakers I’ve used. The distinctive designs also seem to work well for people who want speakers that don’t distract from a room’s interior design.

I really like the bright green color option, and my demo unit produces surprisingly excellent audio quality for a $10 speaker. For comparison, I tested a cheap $8 speaker from Five Below, which performed significantly worse at maximum volume. That said, you shouldn’t expect audiophile quality, especially in terms of bass, but the mids and highs sound very good.

Interestingly, you can link multiple Kallsup speakers together. Sara Ottosson, senior product developer at Ikea, said the team tested the feature with up to 100 speakers, but hinted that more could be added. I’m skeptical about the usefulness of running 100 Kallsup speakers at once, but even having four or five devices linked together could be a game-changer for a small indoor party. (It’s not waterproof like the $16 Vappeby, launching in 2023.)

Although the Solskydd and Kulglass speakers are available now, you will have to wait until April for the Kallsup.