IKEA, the Swedish company recently announced in a press release (in Swedish language) that its smart light bulbs will be able to answer the voice commands, starting this summer. IKEA has a smart lightning product line, known as Tradfri. The IKEA smart light bulbs will work with voice assisting systems like the Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, and Google Assistant. The press release mentions that IKEA takes the next step towards the smart home during the summer and autumn. This increased functionality will mean that you will be able to control its lightning via voice commands..
The Swedish company says that they challenge everything which is complicated and expensive with IKEA Home Smart. IKEA also makes sure that its products work well with others in the market. By doing this, the company takes another step towards meeting people’s needs. This step also makes the interaction with other products for a smart home easier, says Bjorn Block. Block is the Product Manager for IKEA Home Smart.
Currently, IKEA smart light bulbs range, Tradfri, can be controlled only through an app or a remote control. So, what makes it’s appealing for smart home lovers? Well, its ability to integrate into any kind of digital assistant used by the home owners. IKEA’s smart home system, integrating for voice commands is a great add-on for the smart home lovers.
TechCrunch reports that IKEA is one of the biggest furniture sellers in the world having 340 stores across 28 countries. This gives the Swedish company an advantage of introducing the smart lighting concept to hundreds and thousands of users.
IKEA Smart Light Bulbs to Integrate with Major Voice Assistants
On integration with major voice command assistants, we can say that it will be easier to connect the smart lightings with Amazon Alexa, given the open developer tools of the assistant that is specially designed to build personal skills for this voice assistant. On the other hand, Apple has some strict hardware and software demands from its device partners as a part of its security measures. This may make the integration with the HomeKit a bit tough.
Noticeably, in the press release, the company has mentioned that users will able to ‘connect’ (simply connect) their IKEA smart light bulbs with Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. But for the Apple Home app, users will have to ‘install and adjust’ (not simply connect) their IKEA smart lightning. So obviously, connection of the IKEA smart light bulbs will be a tad bit lengthy, if not a hurdle, for Apple’s HomeKit.
IKEA stepped into the smart home systems in 2015 with the launch of its wireless charging products for smartphones. The company states that its lighting is a simple plug and play solution that does not require any electrician or any kind of new electric wiring.
Expansion into the Smart Home Technology
IKEA has a way to lure potential customers into buying its products and given the comparatively low pricing of its Tradfri range, the purchase ratio may see a major increase. Tradfri gateway that controls its smart light bulbs costs around $29.99 i.e. $30 as a round-off figure. While, the Philips Hue’s cost ranges around $59.99 i.e. $60 as a round-off figure. This is significantly double the cost of the Tradfri’s gateway.
On a positive note, the company believes that the smart home technology will be available to everyone. Jeanette Skjelmose, the head of lightning and IKEA Home Smart says that they continue to ensure that IKEA’s products work together with other products in the market.
Regarding the smart home technology, the furniture making company; also famous for its Swedish meatballs, sees a huge potential in the market. There will also be more launches in the coming years; allowing IKEA to expand its solutions for smart and connected homes.
