Swedish home appliances giant, IKEA, has announced its second smart home product line – a smart LED bulb which supports remote control.
Smart lighting in the smart home market is nothing new. There are already many players in the market making smart lighting products that let users control them via smartphone apps. IKEA's product, however, will make it more affordable and brings out the opportunity for these products become mainstream.
Before, smart light bulbs or smart lighting devices are considered high-end and costly for general consumers. Also, users probably need to re-adjust their home electrical system to fit the device, which sets up a barrier for the acceptance from the mass market.
The IKEA system is easier. The IKEA TRÅDFRI LED bulb works accompanied with a tiny transmitter on it, which connects to a remote control. And each remote control is able to control maximum ten light bulbs in the house.
Users can switch the light from the full white brightness to a warm yellow glare.
IKEA's home tech department, Home Smart, has conducted a research about lighting in people's everyday lives. According to the result, people's intellectual capabilities and health conditions can be influenced by lighting. Also, different lights fit into different contexts, such as cold lights apply to studying while warm lights are best for relaxing and social activities.
The smart light bulb product line is expected to launch first in pilot markets, including Sweden, Czech Republic, Italy and Belgium. While in April 2017, all other European and North American countries will see the products in store. The collection will come with LED light bulbs, lighting panels, doors and the remote control. According to IKEA, the light bulb is able to work with any standard socket sizes for charging the light is designed inside the bulb itself.
The IKEA TRÅDFRI LED is noticed by the market because IKEA might makes remote-controlled lighting more affordable and accessible, just as how they have changed the furniture and home decoration markets. Users not only pay for a less expensive device, but also save the money to re-wire their home.
This collection will be IKEA's second smart home product line. At Mobile World Conference 2015 (MWC), the company has launched a series of wireless charging products for mobile phones, including nightstands, LED lamps, stand lamps and wireless charging pads.