Most people who want to make their home smarter, start with the lighting. When you add the TRÅDFRI gateway, you can make it even smarter. Together with connected lamps you can set different scenes and timers – so you always wake up with a soft, gentle light in the mornings and can call ‘lights out’ when it’s bedtime. “You can connect many different product types to the TRÅDFRI gateway. All to make your life at home more convenient, in more than one way,” says Rebecca Töreman who works with connected products at IKEA.

With the help of the TRÅDFRI gateway, IKEA connected products can be steered through the IKEA Home smart app or a voice assistant like Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri or Google Assistant. Say ‘dinner time’ to dim the lights and play your favourite music in the background. Or flood the room with light so no spot or crumb can hide when it’s time to clean up. “We’re using a standard technology and adapting it to peoples’ needs as home furnishing specialists, not tech specialists. We want our connected products to be easy to use – you shouldn’t have to be an engineer to make them work,” says Rebecca.

From being toys mostly for people interested in new gadgets, connected products have become useful instruments to tackle common everyday inconveniences. It has inspired Rebecca and her colleagues to explore more ways to make the home more comfortable. Blinds that automatically open while you’re still in bed is one example. “We’re continuously adding new products that work with TRÅDFRI gateway and the IKEA Home smart app. You can update your home with new functions and make it as smart as you want, in the pace you prefer.”