Ikea Trådfri Home lighting just got smarter

Ikea has made a global business out of mass-producing home furnishings to make them cheaper, and now it’s applying the same principle to home automation.

This is one of the fastest growing sectors in tech. It lets you control light and heating using apps and software. The Trådfri lighting range – the name is Danish for ‘wireless’ – costs less than established rivals such as Philips Hue. And we were pleased to find it’s not hard to assemble.

Trådfri items start at just £9 for an LED dimmable bulb, which fits a standard screw socket (bayonet adapters cost £1 for two from www.snipca.com/ 24574). It should last years and it costs only £1 more than Ikea’s comparable standard LED bulb.

You’ll also need something to operate the bulb. A dimming kit (with one bulb and a remote control) costs £15, while a £25 motion-sensor kit pairs a bulb with a separate wall-mountable detector that turns it on when anyone approaches. This is rated for indoor use only.

A £29 kit pairs a smarter bulb with a more sophisticated remote that can also change the bulb’s colour. Disappointingly, this is limited to the spectrum between cool white and warm white, but it’s surprising how much this can change the mood of a room. The bulb alone is £15; the dimmer can control up to 10 of these.

Where it really gets interesting is with the £69 Gateway Kit, which comes with two white-spectrum bulbs, the remote, and a little white puck that you plug into your home Wi-fi router. You can then control all your Trådfri lights (as long as they’re not too far from the gateway) from Ikea’s app (pictured left). Bulbs can then be grouped, so you can dim all the lights in a room (or several rooms) at once. You can do this instantly or schedule it to happen at regular times. One important limitation, in common with other smart systems, is that the bulbs may not work with existing dimmers, even if set to maximum. They’re only designed for sockets controlled by on/off switches (then switched on permanently).

Unlike Philips, Ikea offers rectangular LED panels (£55-100), which can be wall- or ceiling-mounted for a futuristic look, and even ‘light doors’ (£70-90) for some of its cabinets.

If you just want bulbs, Philips’ Hue costs £59 from Argos ( www.snipca. com/24577) for a starter kit with a gateway and two plain-white bulbs. However, opt for the white-spectrum ‘Ambiance’ bulbs and a dimmer, and it costs £90 (John Lewis www.snipca. com/24579). The ‘Ambiance’ bulbs on their own are £30. Multi-coloured options are pricier still. We hope to see Ikea compete with them too.

SPECIFICATIONS

A wide range of great lighting options, though the choice of colours is limited

Wireless LED bulbs and light panels • Remote dimmers • Internet gateway • App requires a device running Apple IOS 8.0 or higher or Android 4.1 or higher www.snipca.com/18370 ALTERNATIVE: Philips Hue From £15 This well-established smart lighting system is moreore comprehensive but more expensive