Ikea's Best-Selling Smart 'Donut' Lamp Can Now Be Controlled From Your Phone

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When you want to purchase trendy and inexpensive furniture, one of the most reliable places to shop is Ikea. But the retailer isn't only home to beds, couches, and tables; it's also a great place to nab smart home devices, such as the $100 VARMBLIXT dimmable LED lamp. This iconic device, designed by Sabine Marcelis, is one of Ikea's most popular items, with one being sold every five minutes. Now, it looks like the donut lamp has entered its next generation — you can control it from your phone via the Ikea Home app.

That said, there is a catch: You'll need to provide your own Thread Border Router. That's because the all-new VARMBLIXT lamp uses the open standard, Matter, rather than Wi-Fi. If you don't own a Matter-compatible router already, Ikea sells the DIRIGERA hub for $110, which can also be used to control other smart home devices sold at Ikea. Considering Aqara sells the Smart Home Hub M3 (another Thread-certified router) for $120, the DIRIGERA may not be such a bad deal if you plan on adding other Matter-compatible devices down the line. 

Once online, you can even use ecosystem tools like Alexa, Google Home, Siri, and Samsung SmartThings to control and customize your lighting. Fortunately, the VARMBLIXT LED lamp also comes with a pre-programmed remote for adjusting brightness and switching colors if you don't feel like investing in a standalone hub.

Not only is the VARMBLIXT LED lamp getting the "smart home" treatment, but the latest version of the donut light has a matte-frosted glass finish that accentuates the 12 colors the lamp can produce. Some new hues include yellow, lavender, and various other warm- and cool-toned options. Discussing the donut lamp in a press release, Sabine Marcelis said the following: "What makes this lamp unique is that switching between [colors] is not a sudden change, but a very smooth journey through all the hues to get to the next color. The light slowly moves through color to, in turn, transform the color of a space." One of our favorite features of the lamp is that it can be placed on a table or mounted to the wall, so you won't just be restricted to the flat surfaces in your home.

Measuring 12 inches in diameter and 5 inches tall, the VARMBLIXT also comes with a 6-foot power cord. That last spec is an important consideration for those who may have expected a battery-powered smart light, or another USB-powered Ikea accessory. You'll need to plug it into an AC outlet, so make sure there's one (or several) in the room the lamp will live in.