IKEA has taken another step into the smart home market with the release of a completely digital home furnishing product, TRÅDFRI.

The TRÅDFRI app allows users to design the lighting they want through their phone or tablet and is part of IKEA’s smart lighting collection. This collection includes solutions for dimming, switching from warm to cold light, remote steering and personalisation of light.

The company has been piloting a selection of smart lighting products on four markets since October 2016 but it wasn’t until 31 March this year that all smart lighting products became available in stores across Europe and North America. New products including wireless dimmers, a motion sensor, and a gateway and app also became available.

Based on home visits and customer surveys, IKEA had identified two key challenges to solve in order to enable smart lighting for many.

“Our research told us that the existing technology was perceived as being too expensive and difficult to understand. With this in mind, we set out to make our smart lighting solutions easy to use and affordable,” says IKEA home smart business leader Björn Block.

IKEA Smart Lighting is a plug and play solution so there is no need for hardwiring or hiring an electrician. Customers use the gateway and TRÅDFRI app to design their lighting trough dimming, switching from warm to cold light in three steps and setting lights for different moods. Then all it takes is replacing a light bulb with a TRÅDFRI LED bulb.

“With the app you can choose a light for early mornings, another for late evenings and a third for cooking or working at home. Just as with our other smart lighting products, we’ve strived to make the app as simple and easy to use as possible,” says Björn.

Smart lighting is the second IKEA Home Smart solution, which started with the launch of wireless charging products for mobile phones in 2015. The company has indicated there will be additional launches in the future to enable customers to build onto their smart home solution.

“IKEA Home Smart is not about making gadgets. It’s about adding functionality to our entire product range by integrating technology into our home furnishing offer,” says IKEA Home Smart and lighting business area manager Jeanette Skjelmose.