On April 1st, IKEA takes the next step in the smart home journey by releasing its first completely digital home furnishing product. The TRÅDFRI app allows people to design their lighting the way they want through their phone or tablet. The app is part of the new Smart Lighting collection which includes solutions for dimming lighting, switching from warm to cold light, remote steering and personalization of lighting.

IKEA Canada launches an app that allows customers to personalize lighting. (Image: CNW Group/IKEA Canada)

The Smart Lighting collection enables people to create atmosphere and adapt their lighting to the activity they are doing. The technology has been around for some years but has not yet been adopted by many consumers. Through home visits and customer surveys, IKEA identified two key challenges to solve in order to enable smart lighting for the many: the existing technology was perceived as being too expensive and also difficult to understand. With these two challenges in mind, the Smart Lighting collection was created to be affordable and simple to understand.

"We're thrilled to introduce the new TRÅDFRI app as part of the innovative Smart Lighting collection," says Mathias Karlsson, Lighting Sales Leader, IKEA Canada. "With the TRÅDFRI app, customers will be able to personalize their lighting and set it for different moods. For instance they can choose a light setting for early mornings, another for late evenings and a third for cooking or working at home. Just as with our other Smart Lighting products, we've strived to make the app as simple and easy to use as possible. We hope our customers will be excited about the new collection and app."

IKEA's Smart Lighting collection is a plug and play solution, which does not require hardwiring or hiring an electrician. All it takes is replacing a light bulb with a TRÅDFRI LED bulb. As of April 1st, the Smart Lighting collection of bulbs, along with the wireless dimmers, motion sensor and gateway will be available in all IKEA stores across Canada. There will also be panels and doors as part of the collection, which will be launched within Canada in the fall of 2017.

Smart Lighting is IKEA's second step in the smart home business, which started with the launch of wireless charging products for mobile phones in 2015. IKEA sees a great potential in the smart home business. In the years to come, there will be additional launches, enabling people to build onto their smart home solution.