I have used a number of IKEA smart home devices over the years, and the experience has been mixed. Some products have been genuinely solid and dependable, while others have felt underdeveloped or limited by older integrations. IKEA has always been ambitious in the smart home space, but execution has not always matched intent. With its newer Matter enabled accessories, however, IKEA is clearly trying to reset that perception, focusing on easier setup, broader platform support, and better long term compatibility. The BILRESA smart remotes sit firmly within that renewed push.
IKEA has been steadily expanding its smart home range, moving from basic lighting into a wider ecosystem of switches, remotes, sensors, and hubs that now integrate with Matter and Apple Home. The BILRESA smart remote is part of that expansion in Matter offering a low cost physical control option designed to complement smart lighting and scenes without relying on voice commands or apps.
BILRESA is available in two versions. A dual button model priced at 3 pound! Yes 3 pounds aimed at simple on off or scene control, and a scroll wheel priced version priced at 4 pound intended to offer more granular adjustment such as dimming. Both models are positioned as affordable accessories rather than premium controllers, and that positioning influences almost every aspect of the experience.
This review looks at both versions, how they differ, how they perform in real world use, and how well they integrate with Apple Home through Matter.
I too am puzzled by the scroll wheel version. In order to try and make sense of it, I set up three RGB bulbs to display 9 unique colours each and linked one of them to the short press, another to the double press and the third to the long press options ( only on switches 3,6&9 ). By rotating the scroll wheel, clicking the wheel and clicking the LEDs I was able to make the bulbs change colour, but it all seemed rather random and I haven’t yet worked out how to make it work in a predictable manner.
One minor irritation is that the magnets to hold it in place are sufficiently strong to draw a loose fitting battery out of the battery holder when you replace the snap-on lid.
The door/window sensor and the occupancy sensors are excellent too and work flawlessly with the Home App.
[…] setup. That device paired successfully on a second attempt, something I also noted in my original review. Beyond that, the remaining devices joined the network quickly and have behaved reliably in daily […]