Swedeness and light
Are your ready to lay all your love on Ikea’s user-friendly version of smart lighting?
from £15 / stuff.tv/ikeasmartlights Ikea’s furniture has already colonised the world, so surely this is the perfect company to bring smart lighting to the masses? Its new Tradfri range, which includes everything from wireless bulbs to illuminating furniture panels, has all the hallmarks of its addictive homeware: affordable prices, clean design and user-friendliness.
The bulbs come in two flavours: dimmable white ones, and slightly fancier ‘white spectrum’ bulbs that can move between cooler light and a more warm and cosy glow. Considering they only cost £6 more than the pure white versions, it’s well worth going for these.
Beyond the bulbs, the system consists of a gateway hub for communicating with Ikea’s IOS and Android app, five cabinet panels and a range of controllers, including a motion sensor and a little puck that clings magnetically to your wall. It’s an impressive, well-priced range: one bulb with a simple wireless dimmer is just £15, and the magnetic puck comes bundled in the £29 kit.
If you want the extra features that come with the app, you’ll need to get the £69 kit that includes that hub. This is the only way you can set timers or manage groups of lights – but it will take up one of your router’s Ethernet ports.
Pairing bulbs to the controller is a 30-second process of holding them next to each other while pressing a button. The puck lets you do three things: turn lights on or off, cycle through five levels of brightness and, if you have a white spectrum bulb, choose from three lighting temperatures. It’s very responsive, with a respectable 10-metre range.