Your IKEA smart home, running locally with Gladys
Control your IKEA Tradfri and Dirigera devices from one local, open-source dashboard, with real automations and no cloud.
IKEA makes some of the best value smart home hardware out there: Tradfri bulbs, motion and door sensors, smart plugs, remotes and Fyrtur blinds. On their own, they rely on the IKEA app and the Dirigera (or older Tradfri) gateway.
With Gladys Assistant you can bring all of these devices into a single local dashboard, mix them freely with other brands, and build automations that actually react to your home. There are two ways to connect IKEA to Gladys, and you can even skip the IKEA hub entirely.
Two ways to use IKEA devices with Gladys
IKEA smart devices are Zigbee devices, so you have two options depending on whether you want to keep the IKEA hub or not:
IKEA Tradfri devices are standard Zigbee, so you can pair them straight to Gladys with a Zigbee USB dongle through Zigbee2MQTT, no Dirigera or Tradfri gateway required. This is the most local option: your bulbs, sensors and remotes talk directly to Gladys, and you can mix them with Philips Hue, Aqara, Sonoff and any other Zigbee brand on the same network.
The newer IKEA DIRIGERA hub acts as a Matter bridge. If you want to keep managing your devices in the IKEA app, you can expose them to Gladys over Matter: the hub is already on your Wi-Fi or Ethernet, so Gladys can control the connected devices directly, locally, without the IKEA cloud.
Not sure which to pick? If you want the most local, brand-agnostic setup, go with Zigbee2MQTT and a dongle. If you already own a Dirigera hub and like the IKEA app, the Matter route is the quickest.
Which IKEA devices work with Gladys
Paired over Zigbee2MQTT, the vast majority of the IKEA Tradfri range works with Gladys, including:
- Tradfri LED bulbs (E27, E14, GU10), white spectrum and colour
- Smart plugs (Tradfri control outlet)
- Motion sensors and door/window sensors
- Tradfri and Styrbar remotes and dimmers
- Fyrtur and Kadrilj smart blinds
- Vindstyrka and other Zigbee air quality sensors
A Zigbee USB dongle is all you need to pair them. See our guide to picking the right one.
Why run your IKEA devices through Gladys
The IKEA app is fine for basic control, but it keeps your devices in a silo and leans on the cloud. With Gladys, your IKEA lights and sensors live in the same place as every other device in your home, and everything runs locally on your own hardware.
From there you can build real automations: turn on the Tradfri lights when an IKEA motion sensor fires, close the Fyrtur blinds at sunset, or trigger a whole scene from a Styrbar remote, combining IKEA gear with any other brand you own.
Go further
Connecting your IKEA devices is part of building a local smart home:
The step-by-step guide to pairing Zigbee devices, including IKEA Tradfri, with Zigbee2MQTT.
Which Zigbee coordinator to buy to pair your IKEA and other Zigbee devices locally.
Measure temperature and humidity locally with Zigbee and Matter sensors.
How to use Matter bridges like the IKEA Dirigera hub with Gladys.
Why local-first matters and how to build a home that runs without the cloud.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use IKEA smart home devices without the Dirigera hub?
Yes. IKEA Tradfri devices are standard Zigbee, so you can pair them directly to Gladys with a Zigbee USB dongle through Zigbee2MQTT, without any Dirigera or Tradfri gateway. Your bulbs, sensors and remotes then talk straight to Gladys, fully locally.
Does Gladys work with the IKEA Dirigera hub?
Yes. The Dirigera hub acts as a Matter bridge, so you can expose the devices connected to it to Gladys over Matter. The hub is already on your local network, which lets Gladys control them locally without the IKEA cloud. You can also skip the hub entirely and pair the devices directly over Zigbee2MQTT.
Which IKEA devices are compatible with Gladys?
Paired over Zigbee2MQTT, most of the IKEA Tradfri range works: LED bulbs (E27, E14, GU10), smart plugs, motion and door sensors, Styrbar and Tradfri remotes, and Fyrtur or Kadrilj blinds. Anything that speaks standard Zigbee can be added.
Do I still need the IKEA app?
No. If you pair your devices directly over Zigbee2MQTT, you control everything from Gladys and don't need the IKEA app at all. If you keep the Dirigera hub and use Matter, you can still manage devices in the IKEA app while also controlling them in Gladys.
Can I mix IKEA devices with other brands?
Yes, and that is one of the main reasons to use Gladys. Over Zigbee2MQTT you can freely combine IKEA Tradfri with Philips Hue, Aqara, Sonoff and other Zigbee brands, all on the same network and in the same automations.
Bring your IKEA devices home
Gladys is free, open-source, and installs in a single Docker command. Pair your Tradfri devices locally and automate your whole home, IKEA and beyond.