Ikea Myggbett Contact Sensor w/ Matter over Thread (review)

This is the second in our series of reviews covering Ikea’s new Matter over Thread devices, and the product under the spotlight here is the Myggbett Contact Sensor, or door and window sensor, if you prefer.

Contact sensors are simple devices, but they’re easy to install and make particularly good candidates for automations. The Myggbett is no exception. However, as a Matter over Thread device powered by a single AAA battery, it stands out from many alternatives that rely on coin cells or, in some cases, much harder-to-find batteries.

PACKAGING | CONTENTS

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As with the other devices in Ikea’s lineup, the packaging features the product prominently on the front, and in this case you can clearly see that it comes in two parts. There’s a Matter logo present, but as with the other products I’ve tested from this range, there’s no Thread logo, despite these being Matter over Thread devices.

Around the back, Ikea states that the sensor requires a single AAA battery, which is good to see, but there’s not much else of note. The top of the box features the familiar yellow hue found in both Sweden’s flag and the Ikea logo, with the product name clearly printed. It should be easy enough to spot when stacked on a lower shelf in-store.

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Inside the box, you’ll find the two parts of the device, namely the main sensor and the magnet housed in a plastic casing that triggers it. There’s also a small amount of documentation, including a booklet with a Matter QR code and an 11-digit numerical code. If you prefer using the QR code, it’s worth noting that the Myggbett also has two Matter codes printed directly on the sensor itself. One is on the side in numerical form, while a small QR code is located on the back beneath the battery compartment cover.

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The two parts of the sensor are fairly similar in height and width, both measuring 16mm wide and 80mm tall. The difference comes in depth, with the main sensor measuring 18mm deep due to the battery compartment, compared to just 6mm for the magnetic section. Both also comes with double sided 3M adhesive stickers, although there are no spares in the box.

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Both pieces feature a single groove on the front, which is designed to help you align them correctly for reliable operation.

The main sensor includes a pairing button and a small LED, which pulsates orange when you begin the pairing process with your smart home setup. As already mentioned, there’s also a Matter code printed on one side of the sensor, so it’s worth making a note of it, as it may wear off over time.

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Some of the added depth of the main sensor comes from the mounting bracket, which sticks permanently to the surface, allowing the sensor itself to be removed when it’s time to replace the battery. It’s not particularly difficult to remove, but unless you’ve got reasonably long and strong nails, a small flat-headed screwdriver may be needed to prise it off. That said, battery replacement is still a lot easier than it is with Aqara’s P1 and P2 door sensors.

The battery cover itself is very easy to remove, although once again, a small screwdriver may come in handy if, like me, you don’t have much in the way of nails.

IN APPLE HOME

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While I was able to pair all of the Ikea devices I’ve tested first time, I’ve since removed most of them from my Apple Home setup, with the exception of the Alpstuga air quality sensor. When it came time to add the Myggbett, I did run into a small issue.

There aren’t any real setup instructions beyond pressing the pairing button for two seconds, and I suspected the device needed a reset. However, there’s no mention of a reset process in the documentation. After a bit of trial and error, I discovered that in order to factory reset the device you need to press and hold the pairing button until the LED flashes red four times, and then continue holding it until the LED begins pulsating orange. Once I did that, pairing was straightforward.

During setup, Apple Home gives you the option to assign the sensor as one of five device types, even though they’re all contact sensors at their core:

• Blinds
• Contact Sensor
• Door
• Garage Door
• Window

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I’ve set mine up as a contact sensor for now, purely to differentiate it from the existing door sensor in the room it’s currently installed in. As expected, both sensors appear as separate entities in Apple Home.

The settings page is very basic, showing only the current state, open or closed, along with the battery level. From here, you can create automations, with one of the most common being a light turning on when a door is opened. That said, the real appeal of these devices lies in their simplicity, as they can trigger almost anything, and they do so very quickly.

They can also be useful as part of an alarm system. However, since most alarm systems rely on their own proprietary sensors, you’d need to use a few workarounds. Given that Aqara’s M3, G5 Pro, M200, and G410 are all Matter Controllers and Thread Border Routers, you should be able to add the Myggbett to the Aqara ecosystem and make use of their alarm system without too much trouble.

Alternatively, you could create an automation that triggers when the sensor is activated during certain times, such as when you’re away, and turns on an Aqara smart plug. That plug could then be used to trigger the alarm system. In this scenario, the Aqara hub would need to be added to Apple Home via the HomeKit integration, as Matter Bridges still don’t support alarm systems as a category, even though Apple Home itself does.

SIZE COMPARISON

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Sticking with Aqara for a moment, here’s a side-by-side comparison with the P2 sensor to give you a sense of scale. Overall, the two are quite similar in size, although the P2’s shape makes it look a bit more bulbous, for want of a better word. While the P1’s magnet is noticeably smaller, I actually prefer the Myggbett’s approach, where both parts are more closely matched in size.

PERFORMANCE | IN SUMMARY

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It won’t come as much of a surprise that performance is on par with Zigbee equivalents. Even if there were slight differences in speed, we’re talking about fractions of a second in real-world use. So far, the sensor has been 100% reliable, with no instances of it dropping offline, something I did experience with the water leak sensor I reviewed previously.

There’s no customisation to speak of, but only Aqara tends to offer that anyway, and it’s rarely necessary. Ultimately, all you really want from a contact sensor is to know whether a door or window is open or closed, and the Myggbett does exactly that.

At a price of US$7.99, £7.00, or €7.99, there’s very little to complain about. When you compare it to Aqara’s Matter over Thread equivalent, the P2, which costs US$23.99, you’re looking at a saving of US$16, which is genuinely surprising. That said, if you don’t live near an Ikea with stock available, Amazon may work out marginally cheaper once free shipping is taken into account.