HomeKit Ikea Tradfri Question

[bumbo]

Hey guys

Been looking into getting properly into smart equipment to use with HomeKit and the Ikea range looks decent. Question I had was do I need the Tradfri gateway or can I just buy, say, a bunch of bulbs and add them to HomeKit?

Also, what's everyone experiences with the Ikea system?

 

[waw74]

with no gateway it would be like holding a regular lightbulb next to a wall switch and expecting it to light up.

you need the gateway.
It's how you connect to the lights,

 

[ZEEN0j]

For most lightbulbs you need their hubs. With LIFX though you don’t need a hub

 

[bumbo]

For most lightbulbs you need their hubs. With LIFX though you don’t need a hub

Thanks! I'll take a look

 

[ZEEN0j]

To answer your trådfri question. All my light are from IKEA and they work great. I have light inside and outside and non of them have died so far (1 year usage). They are very cheap compared to other brands, even their new ones that can show any color.

There is one thing that’s slightly annoying depending on how you use it. Yes you need their hub to use HomeKit. But you also need a physical remote for each room if you want to use that and control the lights separately. So when adding a light you hold one of the remotes close to the light so it gets added to the IKEA app. Once added there it shows up in the home app. I however stopped using the physical dials as I didn’t need them and they are horrible. I just use one remote and add all light to that one and hide the remote in a drawer. Note though you can only add up to 10 lights per remote. So you need a new remote every 10 lights you add.

 

[SerenaC]

There is one thing that’s slightly annoying depending on how you use it. Yes you need their hub to use HomeKit. But you also need a physical remote for each room if you want to use that and control the lights separately. So when adding a light you hold one of the remotes close to the light so it gets added to the IKEA app. Once added there it shows up in the home app. I however stopped using the physical dials as I didn’t need them and they are horrible. I just use one remote and add all light to that one and hide the remote in a drawer. Note though you can only add up to 10 lights per remote. So you need a new remote every 10 lights you add.

That's not true. Just connect a new bulb to a remote and then move it to the room where you want it to be. All my lights get added to just one remote. Most of them don't have a remote now as there are Hue dimmers connected to them in HomeKit.

 

[ZEEN0j]

That's not true. Just connect a new bulb to a remote and then move it to the room where you want it to be. All my lights get added to just one remote. Most of them don't have a remote now as there are Hue dimmers connected to them in HomeKit.

It says 10 lights per dimmer on IKEAs site. Also I never said you have to place the bulb in the same room as the dimmer.

 

[SerenaC]

It says 10 lights per dimmer on IKEAs site. Also I never said you have to place the bulb in the same room as the dimmer.

You said you need a remote in every room. No you don't. I have a lot of rooms and only two dimmers.
Hello Siri!!!

 

[ZEEN0j]

You said you need a remote in every room. No you don't. I have a lot of rooms and only two dimmers.
Hello Siri!!!

In every room if you want to use the remote. You wouldn’t want to turn the dimmer downstairs and turn on the light in the bedroom upstairs would you?

 

[SerenaC]

In every room if you want to use the remote. You wouldn’t want to turn the dimmer downstairs and turn on the light in the bedroom upstairs would you?

That's why you move the bulb to another room.
But I'm gonna end this discussion…

 

[ZEEN0j]

That's why you move the bulb to another room.
But I'm gonna end this discussion…

Since you have no idea what you are even on about.

 

[SerenaC]

Since you have no idea what you are even on about.

Whahahahaha!!!! That's why I have more than 100 devices, because I don't know what I'm talking about.
YDF

 

[ZEEN0j]

Whahahahaha!!!! That's why I have more than 100 devices, because I don't know what I'm talking about.
YDF

Has nothing todo with reading comprehension but ok.

As I said for everyone else so you don’t keep on confusing people. Of course you can place your bulb in any room you want independent of the Ikea dimmer (never said otherwise) and why would that ever be the case (how would the bulb know?). You can only connect up to 10 bulbs per dimmer. In my case I have three dimmers with 19 bulbs. I don’t use the dimmers but if I want to use them they control downstairs, upstairs and outside. If you only have one dimmer they would turn on all bulbs at the same time.

With Siri and home app you can turn on every bulb separately.

 

[bumbo]

You said you need a remote in every room. No you don't. I have a lot of rooms and only two dimmers.
Hello Siri!!!

I can't see anywhere he said that. Thanks for hijacking and turning it into an argument over nothing though.

 

[SerenaC]

I can't see anywhere he said that. Thanks for hijacking and turning it into an argument over nothing though.

Learn how to read!!!!

But you also need a physical remote for each room if you want to use that and control the lights separately.

Great topic though, just a year old.
I thought I’d let you know you could also different switches. But I guess you don’t wanna know.
My God, this topic is just filled with DF’s…

 

[MrMister111]

You can add the bulbs direct to SmartThings hub if have that, don’t need Ikea hub.

SmartThings hub allows different manufacturers stuff to connect. There is loads of Ikea devices listed in SmartThings.