* Swedish furniture maker to offer affordable smart home products
* Launching Trådfi Collection (the word means wireless in Swedish)
* Includes LED light bulbs, doors and panels
For years, we’ve known Ikea as a smart choice for budget-friendly and design-focused furniture. Well now, the Swedish furniture giant could also be a smart choice for your smart home.
Ikea launched its first products for the smart home market last week with their Trådfri Collection. The line — which includes lights, sensor triggers for lights, lighting panels and a remote control — is Ikea’s way of introducing new technology to their offerings, while keeping prices low.
The starting point for the collection is the Gateway Kit, which includes two white spectrum LED light bulbs, a remote control and a “gateway” that connects them all together. Download the Trådfri app to control your light settings. You can also purchase bulbs separately and control them all using the app and your phone. Dim the lights when you’re settling in for a movie, set a timer when you’re out, or turn the lights on to wake up the kids in the morning. You never once have to reach for a switch.
The new collection also includes a trio of light doors and panels, which are all compatible with existing Ikea furniture sets to make it easy to swap out for a smart home-enabled piece.
Prices start at around $25 for the light bulbs to $75 for the Gateway Kit. While Ikea is jumping into one of the more successful segments of the market, it remains to be seen whether their customers will embrace the new pieces or stick to their familiar basics. The goal though, is to use the light bulbs, doors and panels to introduce smart home technology to the masses, in hopes of developing larger, more extensive collections in the near future.
