IKEA may be best known for their flat-pack furniture and delicious meatballs, but in the new year, the Swedish brand will be launching into home security and maintenance via their soon-to-be-released smart sensors.
They might not be the first retailer that springs to mind when it comes to smart technology, but IKEA have been branching out into the world of smart tech in recent years – for example, via their smart home hub, and even things like smart blinds.
Now, shoppers will soon be able to look forward to their smart home sensors, designed to detect intruders and to prevent damage to the home. Here's everything you need to know about them...
IKEA's new smart sensors
In a couple of months, IKEA will be adding three new products to their smart home range; the PARASOLL, VALLHORN and BADRING smart sensors.
Both PARASOLL and VALLHORN are designed to add an extra layer of security to your home, acting as motion sensors to easily alert you to any unwanted attention your property may receive.
The VALLHORN is essentially a wireless motion sensor that is designed to capture any movement, and can be placed either indoors or outdoors depending on your needs. But don't panic; you won't hear a piercing or disruptive sound if motion is detected. Instead, it will emit an alert light beam, which can be customised for both colour and intensity.
This may be a handy deterrent for front or back gardens, or even within your home if you are going to be away from the property for a couple of hours, days or weeks.
The PARASOLL smart sensor is also a motion detector, but is designed for mounting onto doors and windows, in order to deter intruders from entering. If either of these areas are breached, you'll receive a notification altering you.
You can pair up these new smart sensors to IKEA's smart home hub DIRIGERA for a fully integrated system, or you can set the alert to come up on another device instead, be it your mobile phone or iPad, for example.
Finally, IKEA will also soon release the BADRING, which is different to the other smart sensors, in that it is designed to sense leaks. The device should be placed near areas where water might leak, such as under sinks, near pipes, close to kitchen appliances such as dishwasher or washing machines, or in basements.
If it does in fact detect a water leak, it is designed to emit an alarm sound, and will also notify you, either via your smart phone or the DIRIGERA home hub.
When it comes to the design of the sensors, we were pleasantly surprised to see that they are discreet, sleek, and dare we say it, stylish (for home sensors, anyway). They're pretty inconspicuous so shouldn't be noticed by yourself, guests or, thankfully, intruders, and come in a simple white colour to allow them to blend seamlessly into your home.
It's not yet clear how the VALLHORN, PARASOLL, or the BADRING will stick to vertical surfaces, but we'd imagine there to be something like a sticky back that will secure them into place.
Both the PARASOLL and the VALLHORN are set to be launched in January 2024, though the BADRING's release is delayed a little further, until April 2024 – so sadly there's a little longer to wait for your water sensor needs.
IKEA haven't yet confirmed UK pricing for the smart sensors either, but if the US pricing of $10 each is anything to go by, there are set to be incredibly affordable, and likely available for under £10.
As soon as we have more information available about these new smart sensors, we'll let you know right here.
We know the first thing going in our basket come January/April next year!
