It has been announced that the recently unveiled range of DIY “Smart Lighting†from IKEA will soon offer support for technologies including Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Apple HomeKit.
IKEA’s “Trådfri” lighting collection built around the ZigBee Light Link standard will be able to work with multiple platforms according to IKEA.
With prices starting as low as £9 ($11.99), the Swedish-based retailer hopes its low cost lighting line can compete with the likes Philips Hue by working with other popular IoT devices in the home – with more integrations reportedly in the pipeline according.
“We think the technology of smart home should be available to all. Therefore, we continue to ensure that our products work together with others on the market,” commented Jeanette Skjelmose, head of lighting and IKEA Home Smart.
After syncing the lights up with the hub plugged into the router, Smart Light users can control lights from their phone, or program them to turn on and off automatically at preset times via a free app. Although users can set personalised presets (e.g. warm or cool light) like with Philips Hue, the product line is currently much more limited in scope, with no coloured lighting options announced as yet.
A gateway device sits at the centre of the system, which uses Ethernet to create a local “Trådfri” network for lights.
Your Echo won’t be able to talk to your lights just yet however, as IKEA has been coy so far – only revealing that support with Amazon, Google and Apple’s platforms will be added to its product line this summer.