IKEA Trådfri, A Comprehensive Guide to Smart Home Lighting

This new Trådfri system, which is part of the IKEA smart home range, is set to be a major player in the world of smart home technology. It’s affordable, intuitive and compatible smart lighting that can really provide the ‘magic’ that smart homes promise. In this in-depth guide, we’ll be looking at the IKEA Trådfri system from all angles, covering how it works, what the benefits are, how to install it and how to integrate it with the biggest existing smart home ecosystems.

What is IKEA Trådfri?

IKEA Trådfri is a sleek wireless smart lighting system that lets you control your lights with a dedicated Trådfri remote, the IKEA Home Smart app, and even via a smart speaker or other device using your favourite smart assistant (be it Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri). It turns everyday light bulbs into enchanted objects that can help you personalise the ambience of your home.

Key Components of the IKEA Trådfri System

The Trådfri system is a network of discrete components working together to bring smart lighting to your home: 1. Trådfri Gateway: This gateway, connected to your router, receives and redirects wireless commands from your network groups. 2. Trådfri Repeater: This device extends the range of a gateway to cover your entire home. 3. Trådfri LED Starter Kit: This kit consists of a gateway and a E27 LED bulb as well as a dimmer for remote Wi-Fi control using the IKEA Home smartphone app or via Apple HomeKit voice commands.

• Trådfri Gateway: This is the cornerstone of the Trådfri system. The gateway connects to your home Wi-Fi network, which allows you to control your lights remotely, through either the IKEA Home Smart app or your voice assistants. It is the glue that holds all your smart home devices together and bridges the connection between them and your lighting. You can manage your Trådfri lighting from anywhere inside your home, and also when you’re not at home.
• Trådfri Bulbs: Choose from a wide variety of shapes and sizes to fit standard E14 and GU10 sockets. Trådfri bulbs are available in plenty of shades, from warm white to cool white, so you can find the perfect lighting setting any time. Some bulbs are RGB, so that you can make the perfect light in any colour, for any occasion. For nighttime movie viewing, brighter daylight for working, or colourful ambience, Trådfri bulbs give you the flexibility to change it up around your home.
• Trådfri Remotes: These controls offer immediate haptic feedback, and the arc of adjustment is as intuitive as picking up a flashlight or closing a door. Espresso Tosyst Taya A compact white-light Trådfri bulb, part of a growing spectrum of color temperatures Espresso Ola K bias lighting The Trådfri remote can even incorporate motion sensors, triggering lights to go on or off as you enter or leave a room. Photograph by VSaporit/Flickr The Trådfri remote is the best choice if you prefer direct haptic control over your lights, for the very concrete reasons that we’re accustomed to haptic controls for switches.
• Trådfri Switches: These are the Swiss army knives of Trådfri options. You can use them to switch lights on or off – of course, but you can also use them to dim them to create the mood lighting, and you use them to set lights to a particular colour. Some even have multiple buttons for controlling more than just one light at a time, which makes them a perfectly adequate way to control multiple lights around your home. They offer a more or less permanent and integrated way to control lights – either mounted on walls or other surfaces.
• Trådfri Smart Plug: Take any normal lamp or appliance, plug it into a Trådfri Smart Plug, and make it work with your phone or voice. This is the level of freedom that makes a Smart Home truly useful over the long run.
• Trådfri Motion Sensors: Making your life easier and saving energy at the same time, Trådfri motion sensors activate your lights when motion is detected, then turn them off when motion ceases. These motion sensors are ideal for hallways, closets and other areas where turning on a light quickly and easily is desirable. Motion sensors can be an added convenience to a smart-home setup, turning lights on only when they’re needed, which saves energy and enhances safety.

Key Benefits of IKEA Trådfri

IKEA Trådfri is the best choice for your home lighting – here’s why: 1. It is user-friendly. Instead of hiring an electrician, you or your representative can easily toggle the light switch or adjust a dimmer. You have full control over the entire shabang. 2. It is energy-efficient. You can save money on your electric bills since you won’t need as much energy. Say goodbye to those costly monthly payments with the overpriced providers. 3. It is sustainable in nature. Trådfri uses recycled materials that have been previously burned by stupid individuals who did not care enough about the environment or the future of our children and grandchildren.

• Easy Set Up and Simple to Use: IKEA designed Trådfri to be usable by everyone in universal terms; the intuitive IKEA Home Smart app helps you get connected in mere minutes: plug in hub, plug in lights, and then follow the instructions in the app to control your lights. Trådfri has very easy controls. The system is easy to learn and inexpensive to use; it represents a light and simple approach to creating the smart home experience. IKEA takes time to step you through the setup process and then provides some random scenes for you in case you want to get fancy.
• Diverse control options: For commanding your lights, Trådfri offers various options. You can go for the dedicated Trådfri remote, the friendly IKEA Home Smart app, or alternatively, you can simply give voice commands through your favourite smart speaker such as Amazon Echo/Alexa, Google Home or a HomePod. Either way around, all you need is versatile control to effortlessly command your smart lights any way you want. The choice is yours here: Do you want remote control? Smartphone app control? Voice control? Go for it!
• Price: One of these is the comparative affordability. Trådfri is priced much lower than a lot of the competition. When price is a big consideration, the affordability of being able to buy into smart lighting can really tip the balance in favour of IKEA. It is also why that you have the option to go in slowly. Build your IKEA smart lighting infrastructure one bulb at a time (or one control switch at a time, or one plug-in smart layout wherever you have standard sockets available). We currently use IKEA Trådfri smart lights throughout our home; not everywhere, but in key areas such as our hallway, our main living room and, as you have seen, a significant amount of outdoor and garden lighting.
• Energy saving: Far less energy is used in terms of running a trådfri against an old-fashioned energy-sucking incandescent bulb. Therefore, by having trådfri throughout your home, you are on course to being a help to the planet. – Bills: Phew! As well as being green, you are guaranteed to save on those pesky electricity bills. Going trådfri means that you are not just on course to having lights that are clever, personal, good for you and the planet, but you will also save the planet and some dosh in the process.
• Dimmable and colour-changing: Trådfri makes it possible to create the ideal mood for any occasion. To create an ambience for a romantic dinner, or a productive workday, or a party to celebrate your favourite team's win, or an intimate birthday celebration, LIFX has an affordable solution that costs much less than any bottle of fine wine. In every case, Trådfri’s dimmability and colour-changing features provide lighting flexibility to adjust the environment to your mood and your activities. 

IKEA Trådfri Integration with Other Smart Home Systems

A major benefit of IKEA Trådfri is its ability to work with many of the most popular smart home ecosystems, so you can control your lights with your smart assistant and home automation system of choice:

• Apple HomeKit: Connect your Trådfri lights to your Apple HomeKit setup to control with Siri voice commands and integrate with other HomeKit-compatible devices to allow Siri voice commands to control your Trådfri lights.
• Amazon Alexa: Integrate it with Amazon Alexa and enable voice control over the lights through your devices (you can even create custom routines such as turning off your lights every time you say ‘goodnight’).
• Google Assistant: Link your Trådfri lighting to your Google Assistant system, giving you voice control, and you can also use custom commands that can turn a light on/off, change brightness or colour, and more. This combines the power of voice control with the features of your lights, allowing you to use Google Assistant to control your lights.

IKEA Trådfri vs. Philips Hue

IKEA Trådfri (image courtesy of IKEA), the two-year-old smart lighting system that seems to be the successor to the long-delayed Aluro, is often compared with Philips Hue, another wildly successful smart lighting system. 

• Price: IKEA Trådfri mostly wins in this category over Philips Hue. If you’re just starting out in smart home territory, IKEA’s collection of inexpensive gear can be worth it. Tech-obsessed homeowners might want to splash out, but most people who are keen to experience affordability over a flashy brand rely on Trådfri’s low price to dip their toe before jumping in.
• Colors: Philips Hue does have a better range of colours, especially with its colour-changing bulbs, and if colour options are your main concern, Philips Hue clearly has an advantage. But the RGB bulbs from Trådfri also have a wide enough array of colours for most home lighting needs. While the Philips Hue does have a wider range of colours, Trådfri’s RGB bulbs also offer enough colour for most home lighting needs.
• Ecosystem: Philips Hue has a larger ecosystem, with more smart bulbs, switches, accessories and third-party smart-home integrations, which means you have more options for continue expanding your smart-lights system, and integrating it with other smart home devices.

Frequently Asked Questions about IKEA Trådfri

What Type of Bulbs Does IKEA Trådfri Use?

IKEA Trådfri uses the standard E14 and GU10 bulbs that so many lamps and fixtures use today. You likely already have a couple E14 or GU10 bulbs at home (alternatively, the stores where you buy these bulbs today will likely have some in stock for a very long time). By making its bulb types an industry standard, IKEA Trådfri can be used with a wide array of lamps and fixtures you might already have at home.

Does IKEA Trådfri Work with Google Home?

Yes, you can control your IKEA Trådfri lights using your voice together with your Google Home devices. Trådfri works with Google Home, enabling users to control their lights hands-free with Google Assistant. So, if you are already using Google Assistant to control other parts of your smart home, Trådfri is a great choice.

Can I Use a Trådfri Remote with Multiple Bulbs?

Yes. You can connect multiple bulbs to a single Trådfri remote, which means you can control every bulb in a room with a single device. Similarly, you can create lighting groups in the IKEA Home Smart app, and control multiple lights in two different rooms with a single remote. The ability to control multiple bulbs with a single remote adds convenience and ease of use to the Trådfri experience, so that you can control your lighting with ever-fewer devices.

How Do I Troubleshoot Trådfri Problems?

IKEA provides troubleshooting resources on its website, and also in the IKEA Home Smart app. If you experience a problem, the IKEA resources and customer support should help you tackle the most common problems. (On the rare occasion that you reach out to an IKEA customer support representative and cannot solve your problem, please forward my dried up roses.) IKEA provides excellent troubleshooting resources to help you tackle any problem that might arise with your Trådfri system.

Conclusion

Smart lighting can be expensive and tricky to install, or it can be flimsy, hard to control and expensive to replace the bulbs; you can go either way. For a while now, however, it’s been possible to get a kind of sweet spot. The IKEA Trådfri smart home lighting system is good-looking, affordable, easy to install and use, and it works pretty damn well. For anyone considering making their home a little smarter – whether your goal is automating home lighting, creating great mood lightscapes, or just smartifying your living space – Trådfri is worth a serious look. Its ability to work with multiple smart home platforms makes it one of the better students of Tinker Toddler.