I hadn’t planned this at all.
The last video about Matter and Thread had barely been online for a week when the same question kept showing up in the comments: What about IKEA? First a few times, then more and more — until I couldn’t ignore it any longer. So I put both systems side by side and took a close look.
Honestly, the result surprised me.
A price difference that calls everything into question
IKEA sells a Matter over Thread window contact for around €8. The comparable Eve Door & Window sensor costs four times as much. And it’s similar for motion sensors.
That means concretely: you could equip your whole home with Thread sensors for under €100. That sounds almost too good. So — where’s the catch?
The answer is more complicated than expected — and depends heavily on what you’re actually trying to do.
What’s in the video
I go through five categories and take an honest look at each one:
Door/window contacts — For low-risk areas, IKEA does its job absolutely solidly. At the front door or combined with an alarm system, I’d personally still stick with proven solutions — not because IKEA is bad, but because Eve and Aqara have years of track record there.
Motion sensors — There’s a clear winner here: Eve. The IKEA sensor reacts noticeably slower and reportedly hangs occasionally according to user reports. For applications where response time matters, this is a real difference.
Smart plugs — Both measure energy consumption, which is far from a given at this price point. But Eve has a decisive advantage: the Eve Energy is a Full Thread Device — it actively strengthens your Thread network. The IKEA plug does not.
Water sensors — IKEA has a simple point sensor for ~€7. Eve delivers a 2-meter sensor cable that can be extended to over 100 meters — and costs accordingly. For simple protection under the kitchen sink, IKEA is perfectly adequate.
Air quality — Here IKEA surprises: the Alp Stuga measures CO2, particulate matter, temperature, and humidity for around €20. Eve currently has nothing comparable in their lineup. In testing, the readings are surprisingly close to much more expensive devices.
Team IKEA or Team Eve? Just write it in the comments — I’m curious who wins the vote.
Products from the video
Eve Systems (Matter over Thread, fully local):
- Eve Door & Window – door and window sensor, Thread, runs forever on one battery (affiliate link)
- Eve Motion – motion sensor, same principle, same philosophy (affiliate link)
- Eve Energy – smart plug with energy monitoring (affiliate link)
- Eve Thermo – radiator thermostat, Thread-based, no account needed (affiliate link)
For Home Assistant (Thread Border Router):
- ZBT-2 Thread Border Router – the stick for Home Assistant to set up your own Thread network (affiliate link)
IKEA – the sensors shown in the video (Mittelpunkt, Mixspray, Clyppa, Alp Stuga) are available directly in the IKEA online shop. No hub needed if you’re using Home Assistant.
A small note: IKEA apparently doesn’t need an affiliate program — I recommend their products here anyway, but earn nothing from it. If you’d still like to support me: just do your next Amazon purchase through this link — whatever you buy, I get a small commission, and the price doesn’t change for you.
Hinweis: Die mit bezahlter Link markierten Links sind Affiliate-Links. Als Amazon-Partner verdiene ich an qualifizierten Verkäufen. Das bedeutet, dass ich eine kleine Provision erhalte, wenn ihr über diese Links einkauft. Für euch entstehen dabei keine zusätzlichen Kosten. Die Einnahmen helfen mir, diesen Blog und meinen YouTube-Kanal zu betreiben und auch in Zukunft Inhalte für euch zu erstellen. Vielen Dank für eure Unterstützung!
― Joachim
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