Ikea TRÅDFRI

Installation hub:

As already mentioned, the hub is the central brain of the system. With this you can really automate things and you can control your lights via the APP. First, you must provide the hub with power via the supplied USB cable and adapter. After this you plug in the UTP cable so that it is connected to your network. There are 3 LEDs on the hub which all have to burn.

After this you go to Google play, in case of an Android device, or if you have an iOS device to the App store to download the APP. After installation, start the APP and scan the code on the back of the gateway. The code is then checked on the servers of Ikea. You can then add a lamp or remote control.

It is striking that you do not have to register or log in anywhere. In itself fine, but in terms of security, I prefer a login and password. I will show the different possibilities of the APP.

Operation APP:

Main screen:

You will see the different lamps on the main screen. You can divide a lamp into groups (rooms), in this way you can have all lamps change color or dim level with 1 click.

Atmosphere:

Nice part is that you can create different atmospheres. There are 3 standard present (Every day, Focus and Relax). You can also create your own atmosphere.

Timers:

It is possible to automate matters via the timers component. In this way you can "wake up", "away from home" and make an ON and OFF rule. It is a shame that these are all fairly simple matters. Making extensive rules is unfortunately not possible. For example, let a lamp turn off / on automatically when you are not at home (as security). There is therefore room for improvement in this area.

Settings:

Through the settings you can manage the devices that have been added. This way you can add, remove and rename a new one. You will also find the option to manage the groups here. You can also change the language and upgrade the firmware here.

Integrations:

Amazon Alexa and Google Home:

The lamps can be operated by speech with the Amazon Alexa and Google Home. Unfortunately I don't have one in my possession so I can't test this.

Homey / Zipato:

The lamps can be controlled directly via the home automation controller from Athom (Homey) and Zipato (ZipaTile with Zigbee). Unfortunately, this does not work 100% perfectly via both systems. For the Homey a firmware upgrade will be released to make this possible. Not all types of lamps can be added to the ZipaTile yet.

Philips HUE:

You can also use these (cheaper) lamps from Ikea if you have a Philips HUE hub.