IKEA plans to launch smart blinds in 2019 and the price will start around US$113. The new lineup could be compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple HomeKit.
IKEA is launching a smart blinds lineup and the price will start around €99.95 (about US$113), according to media sources.
The new smart blinds lineup will be launched under the smart home brand TRÅDFRI, which currently only offers smart lighting products. The blinds will have a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and homeowners will be able to control them via the TRÅDFRI app.
Since IKEA’s smart lighting products support all major voice control platforms, including Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple HomeKit, the smart blinds could have the same voice assistant compatibility. This product details, however, remain unknown.
The smart blinds have two models: Kadrilj for ordinary blinds and Fyrtur for blackout blinds. The former will start at €99.95 (about US$113), depending on the size, and the pricing for the latter is still unknown.
If the price information is correct, IKEA’s smart blinds will have a great advantage in the market. Lutron’s smart blinds system, for instance, costs at least US$350 per blind and requires a US$150 bridge device to enable Apple HomeKit support.
IKEA is planning to launch the smart blinds lineup in 2019. According to previous reports, the company will also introduce a US$10 smart plug and a home speaker co-developed with Sonos to its smart home offerings next year.
The smart blinds launch news went public in September, first from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission filing and then further confirmed by the Swedish furniture giant. Price and other product related information were furthered revealed by Teknikveckan recently.