Ikea introduces budget-friendly smart home sensors: A 3-product lineup

Ikea continues its mission to democratize the smart home, announcing the release of three new Zigbee sensors that come at an affordable price point. These new sensors, Parasoll, the door and window sensor; Vallhorn, the motion sensor; and Badring, aimed at detecting water leakage, will all be available for less than $10 when they are launched globally in the first half of the upcoming year.

Parasoll acts as a discreet window and door sensor, capable of triggering automations when an open/close event is detected. It can also be directly paired with an Ikea light bulb without the need for a separate Ikea Home smart hub. Its price in Europe is set at €9.99, with the exact US pricing yet to be confirmed.

Vallhorn, the motion sensor, is versatile in its application, suitable for both indoor and outdoor use with its IP44 splash protection. It is capable of activating lights or other automations upon detecting movement. Priced at just €7.99, the sensor is powered by three AAA batteries and can directly control up to 10 Ikea smart bulbs out of the box.

The Badring water sensor features a built-in siren to alert you upon sensing a leak, providing added security. It is priced at €9.99 and offers the ability to trigger a mobile notification in the Ikea Home smart app for homes with an Ikea Dirigera hub installed. This sensor can potentially save homeowners significant costs by detecting water leaks early.

Note that the Parasoll and Badring sensors are not compatible with older Trådfri Home Smart gateways from Ikea, requiring the newer Dirigera hub. This hub will fully integrate the sensors into Ikea’s smart home ecosystem and app for seamless usage with other smart home ecosystems from Google, Amazon, and Apple.

While Matter support has been delayed, Ikea plans to enable it by activating the Thread radio inside the Dirigera hub, to bridge Zigbee-based devices to the next-generation smart home standard. This delay is attributed to the integration challenges with other platforms and the company’s focus on simplifying smart home usage for its consumers.

The release dates for the sensors are staggered, with Vallhorn available in January 2024, Parasoll launching internationally in January and in the US in April, and Badring retailing in select countries in April and the US in July, due to Ikea’s franchise system.