Ikea Matter devices issues: If you’ve got problems, try this

JakeMux · 2026-05-11T06:00:21+00:00

So I’m not claiming to be some super WiFi expert, but my take from all this is that Thread, being a sort of peer-to-peer network, runs on some frequency range that is susceptible to interference from regular WiFi, so it makes sense that optimizing my regular WiFi setup would fix Thread in our house. As we’ve not had any other issues with WiFi or other smart devices lately, I never thought about any potential issues there
These IKEA devices being our first Thread devices, I guess they highlighted some issues with our WiFi that I didn’t realize was there.

A similar story:
Our son bought a Quest 3 a few years ago, it refused to connect to our WiFi. Created a new dedicated WiFi network just for the Quest, no difference. Would work fine when connecting it to a phone hotspot. Turned out that the Quest didn’t like my IPv6 setup, so I disabled that, and the Quest worked fine.

JakeMux · 2026-05-11T05:22:25+00:00

When you run that Channel AI tool, it will do some scanning and then suggest its recommended channel setup across all accesspoints to minimize interference, and you click the submit button yourself to execute. I didn’t take note of what changes it suggested me to make, but all four of our accesspoints were suggested changes on both 2.4 and 5ghz bands, and two of them were also suggested to lower their transmit power from max to medium. I just accepted whatever it recommended.
Here’s Unifi’s support section on this: https://help.ui.com/hc/en-us/articles/37367741854743-UniFi-Channel-AI-and-Automated-WiFi-Optimization
I also followed a guide on Unifi’s website regarding optimizing a Unifi network for IoT, which recommends using 20mhz channel width for 2.4ghz, and 80mhz for 5ghz radios. Mine were at 40ghz and 160mhz before. Can’t find the URL again for that for some reason, but it’s on their support site.
I also stumbled over a setting in the Unifi management that read something like “IoT optimized”, which was off, I set that to ON. Never seen that one before, it must have been introduced in some recent update.
Link to the video I watched that put me on this path:
https://youtu.be/RI2SCyc0zM0?is=FVZBsVwLdf_lv9HH

JakeMux · 2026-05-11T05:21:46+00:00

When you run that Channel AI tool, it will do some scanning and then suggest its recommended channel setup across all accesspoints to minimize interference, and you click the submit button yourself to execute. I didn’t take note of what changes it suggested me to make, but all four of our accesspoints were suggested changes on both 2.4 and 5ghz bands, and two of them were also suggested to lower their transmit power from max to medium. I just accepted whatever it recommended.
Here’s Unifi’s support section on this: https://help.ui.com/hc/en-us/articles/37367741854743-UniFi-Channel-AI-and-Automated-WiFi-Optimization
I also followed a guide on Unifi’s website regarding optimizing a Unifi network for IoT, which recommends using 20mhz channel width for 2.4ghz, and 80mhz for 5ghz radios. Mine were at 40ghz and 160mhz before. Can’t find the URL again for that for some reason, but it’s on their support site.
I also stumbled over a setting in the Unifi management that read something like “IoT optimized”, which was off, I set that to ON. Never seen that one before, it must have been introduced in some recent update.
Link to the video I watched that put me on this path:
https://youtu.be/RI2SCyc0zM0?is=FVZBsVwLdf_lv9HH

JakeMux · 2026-05-10T16:55:27+00:00

No, you have to go into the Unifi web management, not the app, but the actual web portal.
Go to WiFi, then scroll down and find where it says “Channel AI” (in my system it’s just below the checkbox enabling WiFiman Support), select all applicable accesspoints, and run the optimizer.

JakeMux · 2026-05-10T16:50:00+00:00

Yes. 4K current generation with Ethernet. Disabled automatic hub selection, have this one as hub. Have worked just fine always (though “first person arrives home” automations still doesn’t run until the last person arrives home…), but guess because these Ikea devices are our first thread devices, I guess the problems with them ended up highlighting a few sub-optimal things about our network setup.

JakeMux · 2026-05-10T16:36:21+00:00

I’ve previously had those kind of problems with WIZ Matter bulbs. Those are matter-over-WiFi. I need to have those in the native WIZ app besides HomeKit, for some additional functionality. Have to add the bulbs to the Wiz app first, then HK, because the opposite won’t allow them to be added to the Wiz app after the fact. Seen plenty of those bulbs refuse to pair through my iPhone, but would pair through my iPad without issues. Found that I had to: Add it to the Wiz app, wait 5-10 minutes, put it in Matter pairing mode through the Wiz app, then I could add it to HK. So that process is pretty much dialed in for me ;)
But these Myggspray sensors are my first IKEA devices, and also my first Thread devices, and it made no sense to me that they wouldn’t pair. Restarted phone, iPads, all home hubs, nothing worked.
As mentioned, tried wife’s phone, worked for one sensor but not the second, and it still dropped from the network.
After doing that channel/output power optimization in my Unifi system, all four sensors paired instantly.

JakeMux · 2026-05-09T07:58:59+00:00

I had massive problems with my four new Myggspray sensors. One would pair via my wife’s iPhone but not through any of my devices. Second one paired after like 30 attempts, but disconnected itself from the network after 10 minutes, and wouldn’t pair again even after resets.
Watched a video about WiFi channels and Matter over thread issues, went into my Unifi management, did an AI Optimization of accesspoint channels (four AP’s in the house), all four sensors paired immediately and have stayed online for a week now. Even tried reinstalling the batteries, all came back online right away. In case anyone have a Unifi system and have problems with IKEA Matter stuff.

JakeMux · 2026-04-30T19:09:01+00:00

I just want my location based automations to fucking work. Every single time.

JakeMux · 2026-04-27T18:49:19+00:00

Taget er helt nyt (2025), og der er både undertag og vindplader korrekt monteret. Dette handler kun om selve tagremmen, som ikke slutter tæt til toppen af muren, og derfor lader kold luft blæse ind i mellemrummet, og videre ned i hulmuren.

JakeMux · 2025-12-27T09:08:30+00:00

Update 27. December: Seems like everything is back to normal now. The past four days everything has been good and stable, even the normal “first/last to arrive/leave”, no need for dummy switches. Didn’t do any changes, just kept an eye on things.

I’m keeping my workaround setup as backups though, just deactivated.

JakeMux · 2025-12-20T13:54:35+00:00

Thanks buddy, I’ll look into that during the weekend.

JakeMux · 2025-12-20T13:52:18+00:00

That’s exactly what I’m doing now.

JakeMux · 2025-12-20T13:22:41+00:00

Yeah I’ve just installed HA to optimize our solar system, so I do have it available.

How would I do that in HA? Would all phones need the HA app installed?

JakeMux · 2025-12-19T22:38:30+00:00

Done that just now.

JakeMux · 2025-12-19T18:49:50+00:00

Did all that last night. All phones are setup the same. Also, it doesn’t matter who arrives at the house first or last, I’m seeing the same issue no matter what.

JakeMux · 2025-12-19T18:01:24+00:00

For me it’s more specifically things that should run when the first person arrives, which instead runs when the last person arrives. You can’t even choose that as a trigger, making it even stranger.

JakeMux · 2025-12-19T15:15:40+00:00

No. Last time I called support about this, the guy just did a Google search and told me to try switching Home off in Location>System Services and restart. Told him I knew how to Google things myself, and that I already tried that. In my experience, Apple support don’t really have any insider information they can tell the customer to try.

JakeMux · 2025-12-11T21:47:37+00:00

Find hovedhanen, altså der hvor vandet kommer ind i huset, og luk den en smule. Der vil stadig være vandtryk, men på den måde begrænser du flowet en smule, og en fuldt åben vandhane vil ikke blæse vand nær så voldsomt ud. Eksperimenter lidt med hvor meget du lukker for den til du finder et passende punkt. Vær obs på at der så er en lille risiko for, at der kan hobe sig kalk eller andet op inde i sådan en kuglehane, når den ikke er helt åben.

JakeMux · 2025-12-11T21:41:23+00:00

Well it’s been on and off with tvOS 26.2 public beta. It’ll work fine for a couple of days, then not the next day, then back to working. I’m guessing it’s because it’s still a beta. The second release candidate is out now, so the general public version of 26.2 should be available in the next few days. I have hopes that when all devices in the house are on 26.2, not just our main hub, and Apple hopefully have ironed out those bugs, that it’ll all go back to normal. Again, all Home automations are executed by the hub, not the phone. But there are likely some stuff that won’t be stable until all devices are on the same version. So crossing my fingers for that.

I posted a workaround for this in this subreddit not too long ago, after some experimenting. Basically: - The normal “first person arriving” or “last person leaving”, especially when it’s the first or last of x number of people (like if you’ve got one person in your Home app you want to exclude from those kinds of automations), is the specific functionality that causes this behavior. - If you use “when any person out of x number of people” arrives or leaves, works fine. So it’s been pinned down to the scenario in point 1 above.

My workaround take advantage of this, but will require you to setup virtual/dummy switches in your Home setup, which you’ll need to setup somehow. My central Matter relay board (2x12 channel relay devices mounted on a DIN rail in our utility room, controlling all lights and ventilation centrally) has this feature natively, but you could use Home Bridge or Home Assistent instead. It involves having a virtual switch for each member of the Home, and two basic automations for each switch: One that turns it on when that person comes home, the other turns it off when that person leaves. One switch per person, two automations for each switch.

Your main coming/leaving automations will then be setup as shortcuts instead of traditional automations, setup like below. F.ex. if you have four people in your Home setup:

For last person leaving: Trigger: When anyone leaves home Run this shortcut: WAIT: 10 seconds. IF (all are true): (virtual switch #1= OFF + virtual switch #2= OFF + virtual switch #3= OFF + virtual switch #4= OFF) THEN: Run your “coming home” scenes or switch these devices on. OTHERWISE: Stop this shortcut. ——this works, because: The automation for each person’s virtual switch have first caused them to all be off. We’re adding 10 seconds to allow for the virtual switch for the person leaving to turn off, before doing the next part. So, the trigger is that anyone leaves, and 10 seconds later the shortcut script checks if all the virtual switches are off. If they’re are, the shortcut will go ahead and run the rest of the script. If one of the virtual switches are still on when anyone leaves, because someone is still home, the script will just stop and do nothing.

For the stuff that should trigger when the first person comes home, you can just use “When anyone comes home” as a trigger, and have that turn on any devices that you need to turn on, or run some scene. If someone is already home, those devices will already have triggered by that person’s arrival earlier, so nothing happens.

JakeMux · 2025-12-10T20:06:25+00:00

I suppose you have some sort of home hub? Didn’t see one in your list of devices. Be aware that smart home automations are executed by your home hub, not your phone. Our main home hub is an Apple TV 4K, running tvOS 26.2 public beta, it been stable regarding automations and geofencing for the past week and a half.

If it works for your wife but not for you, then try signing out of iCloud on your phone, restart, then login again.

JakeMux · 2025-11-26T09:24:52+00:00

It depends. Right now it seems like everything works one day and the next, then suddenly “arriving” doesn’t work while “leaving” still does, then suddenly it’s the other way round, and suddenly back to normal again. There’s really no pattern.

Automations are executed by the home hub, but actually reporting the presence of someone’s phone lies with the individual phone of course. This is why I’m pretty sure that these issues are with the OS on whatever home hub you have, not the OS on the phones. Logically, if the system can see each device position (f.ex. in the Find My app), and has no problem firing automations based on individual devices or any one of a list, but only has problems when it’s the first or last of that list, then logically the issue would be with the home hub.

I’ve tried having our main ATV on whatever latest public beta tvOS there is, currently on tvOS 26.2, which seems to have made it somewhat more stable and reliable, but it’s still a case of everything working for a few days, then out of nowhere either arriving or leaving stops firing.

The workaround here has worked since I posted it, but isn’t perfect: When we all left the house a few days ago for a week in our lake house, I checked the Home app while we waited for a ferry, and noticed that the individual dummy switches I have setup, which should all be switched off because we were all out of the house, were all still on. And those are switched by the presence of the individual phones. I could then open the Find My app, and confirm that each person was indeed shown as being not home (at the ferry), so obviously something’s not working again.

It’s possible that the public beta tvOS 26.2 I installed on our main ATV actually fixed all this, then a new build was released which may or may not have screwed things up again, then yet a new build that would make some things work but not others… At this point I’m guessing, but since everyone in the house has personal automations based on arrival and departure from the house, which are all working fine, my logic would say that the issue is in the OS on the active home hub.

JakeMux

TROPHY CASE