IKEA Has A New Solution For Smart Home Control — But Reviewers Are Warning To Avoid It

When you think of IKEA, you probably envision hours spent piecing together inexpensive bookshelves or bed frames. After all, the IKEA effect makes you secretly love assembling your own furniture. So you might be surprised when you stumble upon gadgets like the BILRESA Remote Control Kit. It's a scroll wheel-style remote control designed to connect to smart products for easy device management. It promises easy, smooth smart home coordination.

But the reviews paint a different picture. The device currently has a 2.9 star rating out of 30 reviews. And of those reviews, 10 of them are 1-star ratings. Ouch! Most of the reviews point out poor functionality to the point that the remote isn't really useful at all. According to these reviewers, the BILRESA should probably be an item you avoid buying at IKEA.

Before we jump into the specifics of where this scroll wheel smart device remote goes wrong, let's talk about the details. It's a Matter standard controller, which means it allows you to connect with lots of gadgets. The controller allows for three different profiles or groups of devices that you can manage together. You can choose from different colors for the compact controller, which has a scroll wheel that should, in theory, be easy to use. But before you grab one (along with your other IKEA smart gadgets), keep reading to hear what real users are saying about the remote.

For many people, the remote simply doesn't work or crashes regularly, making it unreliable. One reviewer says, "Every other week they go coma. They don't respond to anything." The only solution seems to be reconnecting them. For some consumers, the remote worked initially but quickly started to fail. Others talk about a delay in response from lights that are connected to the BILRESA. At least it eventually works, but our need for instant gratification could make that quite annoying. Plus, you have to wait to see if it's the normal delay or if it's just not working. Another complaint was that the range of the remote doesn't reach the full home.

Some reviewers also have suggestions for features that could improve functionality. For example, multiple users talk about how the scroll wheel doesn't turn well and could use an indent or knob to grip it better. One person mentioned that they even added a self-adhesive circle to help with that. Others note that connecting and setting up devices is often complicated and requires a lot of patience.

You can find some 5-star reviews from overall happy customers who also enjoy the design. It's worthwhile noting that one reviewer shares success with other IKEA Matter gadgets, not just the remote. For now, the reviews seem to suggest that the BILRESA won't be the convenience that you expect. Instead, before your next visit to the retailer, learn about other IKEA finds worth checking out this year.