IKEA's smart home system now supports scenes

IKEA is filling an important feature gap in its smart home system. The Verge reports that IKEA is adding scene support to Home Smart through a firmware update (1.12.31) for its Tradfri gateways, making it easy to control multiple devices at once without having to rely on other companies’ platforms. You can quickly dim the lights and silence your Symfonisk speakers when you’re getting ready for bed, for instance.

The upgrade also takes advantage of IKEA’s long-in-the-making Shortcut Buttons, which are now expected “shortly” for less than $10 each. As you’d expect, this saves you from having to reach for your phone or bark a command — you can slap a button to open your Fyrtur blinds in the morning.

IKEA first previewed scenes and Shortcut Buttons roughly a year ago. The wait isn’t completely surprising between the pandemic and the retailer’s history of delayed smart home equipment. Nonetheless, it’s good to know that you can invest in the furnishing giant’s technology without feeling like you’re missing an option that’s relatively common elsewhere.