IKEA Expands in Smart Home Market with Lighting

The smart home market is filled with big name companies like Amazon, Google, Apple, Honeywell, Comcast, Lowe’s, and AT&T, and now another large incumbent is expanding into the smart home space. Traditionally known for its well-designed, inexpensive, and easy-to-assemble furniture, IKEA recently introduced a line of smart lighting products called TRÅDFRI, or “wireless” in Swedish. The TRÅDFRI smart lighting product line includes a ZigBee gateway device, connected bulbs, a remote control, and a motion sensing dimmer switch, as well as LED lighting doors and panels. The dimming kit starts at 749 kr, or about $85. A similar offering from Philips includes a gateway, two Hue bulbs, and a dimming switch and starts at a price of $129.99.

Home Tech Innovation

IKEA claims that this new product line is part of its long-term commitment to its home tech innovation initiative Home Smart. The company first began offering smart products in 2015 with furniture and accessories that include wireless charging for compatible smartphones. The company is furthering this vision not only with its TRÅDFRI lights, but also by integrating the smart lighting products with voice control through Google Home, Apple HomeKit, and Amazon Echo devices. Voice control capabilities will be available beginning this summer. IKEA’s goal is to make smart home products easy to use and affordable for everybody, and its expansion in this space with its smart lighting shows this commitment.

Relative to other various smart home technology markets such as smart thermostats, smart plugs, security cameras, door locks, and smart meters, the smart lighting market is still in its early stages. Guidehouse Insights’ recent Leaderboard Report: Residential Connected Lighting currently pegs Philips as the market leader; however, there is plenty of room for other companies to gain traction in this space, and activity is ramping up. Some lighting incumbents have yet to offer connected lighting products in the residential lighting space, and startup companies never before involved in the lighting are becoming engaged, such as ecobee with its new Alexa-integrated light switch. Thus, big name companies like IKEA can still gain traction and become leaders in the space through more innovative and affordable products.