Swedish furniture giant Ikea has released a new update for its Matter smart home hub, closing API access to its built-in Thread Border Router as of July 15th, 2025.
What’s changed?
The update – version 2.805.7 – refers to closing a “debugging interface.” While Ikea did not specify details, we found that the REST API for its OpenThread Border Router (OTBR) is no longer accessible. A local port scan shows that port 8081, previously used for admin access, is now closed.
If you added the hub to Home Assistant using our previously published steps, it will remain connected to the existing Thread network. However, you’ll no longer be able to assign it to a different network or let it form a new one. You’ll also lose the ability to manually change its radio channel – a useful method when trying to avoid interference from overlapping networks.
We also observed changes to the mDNS broadcast from the hub. Previously, a key named “sb” included a string of values reflecting the Thread role, connection mode, and credential-sharing capabilities (e.g., sb=<00:00:00:31>). It now only reports sb=1, which may indicate that Thread is down or that Ikea’s implementation no longer aligns with Thread 1.4 specifications.
Why the API matters
This API provided a universal, vendor-agnostic method of managing Thread Border Routers. As long as it remained open, users had control over Thread border routers without being locked into vendor ecosystems.
For example, Dirigera may prompt you to share your Apple Home Thread credentials. If that process fails, it will create a separate Thread network instead – one that won’t mesh with your existing devices and may cause interference on overlapping radio channels.
By using the API, you could manually add the hub to an existing Thread network – provided you had the credentials, which can be extracted using tools like the Home Assistant companion app.
You can check if other Thread border routers on your network have open APIs by performing a local scan. First, install nmap, and ensure your terminal has permission to access the local network.
Then run the following command, replacing 192.168.0 with the first three segments of your local gateway’s IP address (you can find it in your system network settings):
for ip in 192.168.0.{1..254}; do
echo "Scanning $ip..."
nmap -p 8080,8081 --open -T4 $ip
done
You can use GPT or another tool to summarize the results. Devices with port 8081 open likely have the API enabled. While the 8080 is a web console for easier management. We’ve found that GL.iNet and Aqara Thread border routers still offer accessible APIs.
Will Ikea bring it back? It’s hard to say. Ikea refers to the interface as a debugging tool – and it’s reasonable if they’ve decided to close it due to potential security concerns, such as abuse by malware. That said, it comes at the cost of openness and user flexibility.
Full logs
15 July 2025
DIRIGERA Hub version 2.805.7
- A big thanks for testing Matter products in your home system. We’re learning a lot and it’s great to be on this journey towards a seamless smart home!
- Our latest debugging interface is now closed – thanks for all the feedback.
- Stay tuned for more exciting updates around Matter support.
(Source: Ikea, Thread Group)
