Podcast #1253: Are the Low Cost Matter Compatible Devices From Ikea Worth It?

On this week's show we take our first look at the new batch of Ikea smart home products that support matter. Are they worth the money? We also read your emails and take a look at the week's news.

News:

• TCL RGB Mini-LED TV with up to 9,000 nits brightness now available
• AMC Wants To Start Airing Sports Programming to Fight Cord Cutting
• LG ELECTRONICS LAUNCHES 2026 QNED EVO MINI LED TV LINEUP
• Will micro-LED ever really replace OLED?

Other:

• NBC Releases First Look at David Boreanaz in The Rockford Files Reboot

Are the Low Cost Matter Compatible Devices From Ikea Worth It?

On this week's show we take our first look at the new batch of Ikea smart home products that support matter. If you are in the Amazon, Apple, Google, Homey or Samsung ecosystem you can connect these devices directly to your home via matter.

These are some of the lowest cost devices we have seen and they come from a reputable vendor. So how do they work? To answer that, we put the Grillplats plug and two variations of the Bilresa Remote Control (Dual Button and Scroll Wheel) through a two week test. Here is what we found.

GRILLPLATS Plug ($7.99 at Ikea)

What can we say? This is a solidly built matter plug for $8 that never misses.

What we like:

• Extremely affordable — one of the cheapest Matter-over-Thread smart plugs available.
• Energy monitoring — tracks power usage, voltage, current, and accumulated energy (great for automations like "notify when washer finishes").
• Acts as a Thread repeater — helps strengthen and extend your smart home mesh network.
• Compact & sturdy design with manual on/off button.
• Easy setup via QR code.
• Fast, responsive control.

What you should consider:

• Power limits — max 300W for motor loads (e.g., not ideal for fridges, dryers, or high-inductive appliances).
• Energy reporting through matter is not fully supported by all automation ecosystems. .
• Can be physically wide and block adjacent outlets on some power strips.

Excellent value if you already have a Thread network and mainly need basic on/off control. It's a strong budget pick, but not perfect for heavy appliances.

BILRESA remote control kit ($14.99 at Ikea)

These dual-button remotes make it much easier to control your smart products. You can use them to turn devices on and off, dim lights, change colors, or activate groups and preset scenes. And at about $5 a piece they are the best value remote out there!

What we like:

• extremely cheap — one of the most affordable Matter-over-Thread smart remotes available.
• Simple & intuitive — two clearly different buttons (with indentations) for quick on/off, scenes, dimming, or groups. Supports single press, double press, and long press (up to 6 actions total).
• Battery powered (2x AAA) — long life and easy to replace. Can be placed anywhere (magnetic back + adhesive metal plate for wall mounting).
• Compact and unobtrusive design — looks like a simple light switch on the wall.
• Responsive! Almost no delay from button push to device/scene activation.

What you should consider:

• Setup can be finicky — pairing takes too long and fails requiring multiple attempts.Once device in the tree pack would not pair and said it was already in a home. Even a factory reset (done multiple times) would not fix this issue. After a call with Ikea Tech Support. A new three pack was sent out.
• Limited feedback — a small status LED doesn't give much information.

Fantastic budget remote if you want simple physical control for lights and scenes in a Matter smart home. Just be aware that two button actions are required to turn a light on and off. So if you are using it to control lights you may make a single press on the larger button turn a lamp on and a single press on the smaller button turn the lamp off. Hitting the first button does not toggle the state of the controlled device.

BILRESA remote control with Scroll Wheel ($9.99 at Ikea)

Use to turn smart products on/off, dim and change the color of light sources, or operate a group or preset scenes. With this controller you get three sets of buttons which are indicated by a small LED. Each set has a single, double, and long press. In addition there is a scroll wheel that is supposed to dim lights.

The dimmer did not work with homekit over matter but even if it did the action is difficult to uses since the wheel is slick and slippery. Moving between groups is cumbersome as well. You have to wake up the device to see which group you are currently on. Or just dive in and see what happens!

What we like:

• Cheap!
• Versatile controls — Scroll wheel for dimming/brightness or color temp/RGB adjustments (if you can get the wheel to scroll). Up to 9 programmable inputs.
• Compact and portable — Small (about 2.75" x 2" x 1"), easy to hold or mount on walls/fridges.

What you should consider:

• Scroll wheel feel and usability issues — Slippery, hard to rotate (especially on a table), wobbly, or lacking grip/texture.
• Ecosystem limitations — Wheel functionality is poorly supported in some platforms like Apple HomeKit and Google Home.
• Setup and documentation frustrations — Pairing can be tricky

Great concept and price but we recommend waiting for firmware fixes and broader Matter support. Consider the simpler dual-button BILRESA version.