Phillips Hue and IKEA Tradfri

gar

Hi

Have a query that seems to straddle a few threads.
Looking at getting the Floalt light panel from IKEA https://www.ikea.com/ie/en/products/lighting/ceiling-lights/floalt-led-light-panel-w-wireless-control-dimmable-white-spectrum-art-10302969/
Before I go head first and buy some stuff I have seen that most of the IKEA lights seem to be compatible with the Hue. Should I get a hue starter kit and them top up with the IKEA bits and pieces or just stay with the IKEA ecosystem. I will be integrating with echos.

Are IKEA dimmers compatible with Hue?
Have people tried both? Have a mix working together?

Thanks

Gar

shanec1928

Just the bulbs are as far as I know. Have one ikea bulb with my hue set. Firstly it was a pain to set up! I had to have the hue hub and the ikea bulb right up to it wouldn’t work being 6 or 7 ft away, it then took several goes to get it to pair. It then randomly flashes when on which other users have said happens to them too. I’ll eventually replace it with another hue bulb in the next few months

bk

I had two Ikea bulbs €7 GU10's working with Hue.

I found them to be poor compared to my Hue bulbs, I had various issues and in the end I've replaced both with Hue bulbs that have worked perfect since.

The Ikea stuff might be slightly cheaper, but it definitely isn't as good IME.

Nelbert

I've just done this. Picked up a Hue starter kit and then bought 3 x GU10s and 1 x E27 from Ikea.

The dimmers do work (youtube videos showing how to add them to Hue hub) however they don't work as well as the Hue dimmers (i.e. they are purely dimmers i.e. on/off and dimming, no scene activation or anything fancy).

The bulbs work very well - my gu10s added straight away with hub in searching mode and flicking the switch on, didn't require a reset of bulb or anything. E27 I reset the bulb before searching to add it so not sure if it would have worked as easily but I'd assume so.

My E27 was batch 1747 and gu10s were 1804 from memory.

I've more interest in dimmer functionality as opposed to light temp or colour (e27s are all in lamps with shades and gu10s are in bathroom) so can't comment on that front but I got exactly what I wanted and expected.

stesaurus

I just bought an IKEA Surte door panel for a unit I had. My hope was to integrate it into my Hue setup without the need for a separate remote.
https://www.ikea.com/ie/en/products/lighting/smart-lighting/surte-led-light-door-w-wireless-control-dimmable-white-spectrum-art-80316086/

It seems to be possible but nothing I've tried has recognised this new 'bulb'.
I'm thinking it may need the IKEA gateway so that I can update the firmware and then add to my Hue hub. I don't want another IKEA trip and to spend €30 to update the firmware. Would anyone have a loan or be willing to add to their gateway to check/update the firmware?

R.O.R

stesaurus wrote: »

I just bought an IKEA Surte door panel for a unit I had. My hope was to integrate it into my Hue setup without the need for a separate remote.
https://www.ikea.com/ie/en/products/lighting/smart-lighting/surte-led-light-door-w-wireless-control-dimmable-white-spectrum-art-80316086/

It seems to be possible but nothing I've tried has recognised this new 'bulb'.
I'm thinking it may need the IKEA gateway so that I can update the firmware and then add to my Hue hub. I don't want another IKEA trip and to spend €30 to update the firmware. Would anyone have a loan or be willing to add to their gateway to check/update the firmware?

Whereabouts are you? If you are close enough to Drogheda, I'd have no issue with you pairing up to my gateway.

Stoner

stesaurus wrote:

It seems to be possible but nothing I've tried has recognised this new 'bulb'. I'm thinking it may need the IKEA gateway so that I can update the firmware and then add to my Hue hub. I don't want another IKEA trip and to spend €30 to update the firmware. Would anyone have a loan or be willing to add to their gateway to check/update the firmware?

Try the hue essentials app. It simulated the hue bridge, gave me the link button on my phone

It worked for me,

stesaurus

R.O.R wrote: »

Whereabouts are you? If you are close enough to Drogheda, I'd have no issue with you pairing up to my gateway.

Thanks for the offer but I'm down in Wexford so too long a spin really.

The Megaphone

Stoner wrote: »

Try the hue essentials app. It simulated the hue bridge, gave me the link button on my phone

It worked for me,

Also good is the Hue Lights app - paired my IKEA bulbs with the bridge straight away!

stesaurus

Stoner wrote: »

Try the hue essentials app. It simulated the hue bridge, gave me the link button on my phone

It worked for me,

Tried this and something is clearly going on as when you press the touch link button it starts to pulse but no pairing unfortunately.

It's also not as easy as bringing a lamp to where my Hue hub is either. I have to screw off the entire door/wiring and bring it all to the Hub

stesaurus

The Megaphone wrote: »

Also good is the Hue Lights app - paired my IKEA bulbs with the bridge straight away!

I'm android, don't think it's available

Mylow

R.O.R wrote: »

stesaurus wrote: »

I just bought an IKEA Surte door panel for a unit I had. My hope was to integrate it into my Hue setup without the need for a separate remote.
https://www.ikea.com/ie/en/products/lighting/smart-lighting/surte-led-light-door-w-wireless-control-dimmable-white-spectrum-art-80316086/

It seems to be possible but nothing I've tried has recognised this new 'bulb'.
I'm thinking it may need the IKEA gateway so that I can update the firmware and then add to my Hue hub. I don't want another IKEA trip and to spend €30 to update the firmware. Would anyone have a loan or be willing to add to their gateway to check/update the firmware?

Whereabouts are you? If you are close enough to Drogheda, I'd have no issue with you pairing up to my gateway.

I am also in Drogheda and have an Ikea gateway, though not much good to you if you are in Wexford.

TitianGerm

Stoner wrote: »

Try the hue essentials app. It simulated the hue bridge, gave me the link button on my phone

It worked for me,

I'd an IKEA Tradfi I bought ages ago that I could never get to link. Essentials app (on Android) worked first time!!

stesaurus

Ok so a quick follow up on this. I found a Gateway on Adverts for €15 so I took a punt. Updated the firmware this morning and all good, recognized the door panel with Hue.

Firmware was originally 1.1.1.1 on the panel so obviously not as much turnaround with these as the bulbs so anyone buying will likely need to update their firmware.

So I now have an IKEA Gateway and Remote that I don't need.

Anyone need help with updating firmware I'm happy to loan my Gateway.

stesaurus

Another handy bonus that works. The Tradfri remotes can be linked to your Hue/Ikea bulbs also. Might be a cheaper alternative to the Hue dimmer switch. €18 for Tradfri remote or £20 for the Hue Dimmer.

thecivvie

I had to move and gave my mother the Philips HUE setup. I am slowly buying tradfri bulbs to use with my Smartthings hub as I found a good device handler for them. Seems to be good. I have a generic motion sensor and bulb linked on a smart app in the ST, only problem is no luminaries checking

bk

stesaurus wrote: »

Another handy bonus that works. The Tradfri remotes can be linked to your Hue/Ikea bulbs also. Might be a cheaper alternative to the Hue dimmer switch. €18 for Tradfri remote or £20 for the Hue Dimmer.

Though it should be noted that doing this you lose out on the programmability and flexibility of the Hue Dimmer. A Hue dimmer switch hooked up to Hue hub can be programmed to do pretty much anything you want. Each button can be programmed with 1, 2, 3 or 4 button presses + hold to control anything you have connected to you Hue Hub.

You lose that with the Ikea switch (though I do really like the design of it, very clever IMO), but for the sake of the €3 to €4 difference I'd stick with the Hue ones.

Stoner

stesaurus wrote:

I'm android, don't think it's available

stesaurus wrote:

I'm android, don't think it's available

I made an error in my post.

The hue essential app simulated the Ikea hub for me, or the Ikea remote. Not the hue hub as obviously I had that.

It worked straight away for me.

The Megaphone

Anyone have issue with their IKEA Tradfri lights randomly flashing when off?

Rew

The Megaphone wrote: »

Anyone have issue with their IKEA Tradfri lights randomly flashing when off?

1 bulb was doing that but its stopped since. I only put mine in last weekend so all brand new.

Stillnotworking

Hi all, Just bought some Ikea TRÅDFRI bulbs, do I need an Ikea Gateway to get them to work with my Philips Hue? Thanks.

bk

Stillnotworking wrote: »

Hi all, Just bought some Ikea TRÅDFRI bulbs, do I need an Ikea Gateway to get them to work with my Philips Hue? Thanks.

No, not if you already have a Philips Hue Bridge, they can be synced with that.

Stillnotworking

bk wrote: »

No, not if you already have a Philips Hue Bridge, they can be synced with that.

Thanks for the quick reply. Is it just a case of retrying until they sync or is there a knack? Tried a load of times to search for new bulbs but no joy. Any tips or advice appreciated. Thanks again.

A320

Stillnotworking wrote: »

Thanks for the quick reply. Is it just a case of retrying until they sync or is there a knack? Tried a load of times to search for new bulbs but no joy. Any tips or advice appreciated. Thanks again.

I synced mine using the touchlink in the hue essentials app, it can be a bit tricky...I had to plug in hub in kitchen using powerline adaptor and hold hub up to each spot light...they're only ok,I'd prefer the hue gu10s

Stillnotworking

A320 wrote: »

I synced mine using the touchlink in the hue essentials app, it can be a bit tricky...I had to plug in hub in kitchen using powerline adaptor and hold hub up to each spot light...they're only ok,I'd prefer the hue gu10s

Got sorted, thanks a million for the help. The touchlink worked a treat. Really appreciate the quick reply. Couldn’t find hue essentials in the App Store......... took a few mins to think of google play!

wawaman

Has anyone had any experience of using the ikea alternative to hue?

Newtown90

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057881710

Thread here about them.

I've bought some GU10s but haven't got my kitchen working finished yet to try them out!


Mod edit: Threads now merged.

niallb

I've been using them as my main lights in the kitchen and hallways for a year now.

Good light and the remote dimmer control is very good. Everyone in the house is happy to use them. I have the tradfri hub as well for remote use and timers, but for simple use the remotes are fine. The remote controls colour temperature too, but has limited effect on their colour bulbs. You really need the hub if you're using colour and it's required for voice control with Google Home or Alexa.

I also have Philips Hue bulbs for lightstrips, and a pair of yeelights in the sitting room. They all work well, and the Hue bulbs are the most versatile. The IKEA ones are better value though.

Trying to pair IKEA bulbs to an existing Philips Hue hub is possible, but the bulbs tended to flash once every couple of hours when I did it - I think @bk had a similar experience.
That was a little annoying, but I put my IKEA bulbs back on the Tradfri (Ikea) hub mainly because I wanted the remote back and it didn't pair with the Hue system. They've worked flawlessly since.

L1011

The GU10 bulbs are about to be replaced with a revised version it seems, so if you want those I'd hold off. There's also a new motion sensor coming apparently, the current one has some issues to say the least - still trying to find the best location for it.

I have the whole house done now more or less. The basic wheel controllers are awful so avoid entirely. One bulb is very unreliable at noticing power on commands, need to return it - it also took about twenty goes to pair.

Stock levels in Dublin are very poor usually which is an issue if you want to do the house in one go; or live far away.

niallb

L1011 wrote: »

The basic wheel controllers are awful so avoid entirely. One bulb is very unreliable at noticing power on commands, need to return it - it also took about twenty goes to pair.

Absolutely agree with all of that. I have a basic wheel controller and I thought I had broken it on day one checking the battery and reset button. Because of that I never used it much.
It's handy to have a controller you don't use though as you can bring it to new bulbs to pair them to your hub. Much handier than having to move the hub itself and keeps your main controller only running the bulbs you want it to.

Unreliable at power and also at pairing sounds like a problem with the antenna.
Maybe post up here if they change it for you without any problems.

mx5ire

I have a bunch of their GU10's in the kitchen and hallway - paired to a Hue hub. Very happy with them, though pairing them initially was frustrating in the extreme, though we got there in the end. I do not have a Tradfri hub and dont need one at this point.

I bought the 15 euro ones, so i can change the white ambience etc from warm to sheet white, i find the light from them is really good, and voice commands to turn them on/off, dim them, change colours etc all works fine with Google Home. Once they were paired to the Hue hub, they operate exactly as Hue bulbs do, i dont see any difference.

As L1011 says, there is a newer version coming soon, so i have held off buying more.

Rew

Have the whole house done in them for about 8 months inc 6 GU10s. I find I need to reboot the hub every so often as it goes unresponsive and occasionally have to power cycle a light to get it working again. Haven't had many issues with the lights once they were setup, setup was a bit tedious. The little dimmers are awful and should be avoided at all costs, they die very quickly. The round one with actual buttons has been good and no issues. I have Hue also and its def more solid and less hassle.

jmBuildExt

I have about 20 of them. I use Alexa to control them almost exclusively.
On the little wheel things I think they work better when you have it in a fixed position. I have one stuck down to the counter and it worked well, but I never really used it. More of a gimmick to show people who came round. As above I went to use it a few weeks ago and noticed it was dead. Lasted ten months at most.
As above, ive noticed that some lights become unresponsive after a while. At which point I have to reboot my hub. Seems to fix it every time though. It's necessary maybe every couple of months.
Overall, for the price, I'm happy.

... What is the new hardware revision of the GU10 bulb addressing? I've noticed they get amazingly hot!!

Tails142

Have 2 colour change bulbs in one room and another room with a colour bulb in a floor lamp and three white spectrum candle style bulbs in a chandelier.

I find they can flash briefly a few seconds after being turned on at the wall. The chandelier is controlled by a wheel style controller and is a bit hit and miss, some times only two bulbs will come on instead of all three and have to give it a few turns to get them on. Find the same happens with the colour bulbs changing/dimming, sometimes one bulb will not change and they go out of sync.

I have the hub, which occasionally seems to hang and has to be plugged out and back in to bring it back to life. I usually use an app on my phone called Hue Essentials to change colours/set moods as I find the controllers only good for dimming.

With the white spectrum bulbs I never really use the cool white, only the warm white so it's a bit pointless. Maybe I will use the cool white more in the summer.

I will be redoing lighting in the kitchen and dining soon and thinking of going with phillips hue setup, just find the ikea stuff a bit flaky. Having never tried Hue though I can't really compare yet and price might be a factor when it comes to it.

Also my wife has taken zero interest and mostly gives out about the lights being too dark, although I think they're fine.

Alkers

Tails142 wrote:

Have 2 colour change bulbs in one room and another room with a colour bulb in a floor lamp and three white spectrum candle style bulbs in a chandelier.

Are the colour change bulbs available here? How are they?

Rew

Simona1986 wrote: »

Are the colour change bulbs available here? How are they?

They have series of set colours (variations of white, orange, blue purple and red) you you can only have those exact colours. With Hue you can pick any colour.

lawred2

Can they be ordered online?

Tails142

Rew wrote: »

They have series of set colours (variations of white, orange, blue purple and red) you you can only have those exact colours. With Hue you can pick any colour.

No they do a full colour spectrum bulb just like Hue where you can choose any colour light.

https://www.ikea.com/ie/en/products/lighting/smart-lighting/trådfri-dimming-kit-colour-and-white-spectrum-grey-white-art-70338951/

It is fine although having a hub to command it through a phone app gives you better control over the colours I find.

Ikea do online ordering now and delivery via An Post, think its €7

lawred2

Can only see white bulbs online

Tails142

lawred2 wrote: »

Can only see white bulbs online

The one I linked for €40 is their colour bulb "Colour and white spectrum grey/white" - I agree the image of the bulb doesn't give much away that is what it looks like when it's turned off to be fair, lol

lawred2

Tails142 wrote: »

The one I linked for €40 is their colour bulb "Colour and white spectrum grey/white" - I agree the image of the bulb doesn't give much away that is what it looks like when it's turned off to be fair, lol

ah yeah - I see they're still being sold in 'kits'

I was told down in Ikea about 18 months ago that they'd be sold individually in a few months :rolleyes:

Rew

Tails142 wrote: »

No they do a full colour spectrum bulb just like Hue where you can choose any colour light.

https://www.ikea.com/ie/en/products/lighting/smart-lighting/trådfri-dimming-kit-colour-and-white-spectrum-grey-white-art-70338951/

It is fine although having a hub to command it through a phone app gives you better control over the colours I find.

Ikea do online ordering now and delivery via An Post, think its €7

Had a play with it there, the wall controller limits the colours to a few and the app lets you pick more (25 diff shades). Its still not like Hue though, even if I use the colour wheel in HomeKit seems to be limited to those 25. With Hue you can make tiny adjustments. Form a practical perspective there is no diff though those 25 are plenty.

L1011

Rew wrote: »

They have series of set colours (variations of white, orange, blue purple and red) you you can only have those exact colours. With Hue you can pick any colour.

You can pick other colours with the app or Google/Alexa.

However their colours do not match Hues ideas of the same colours so you get hideous clashes if you mix them

Someone put up a list of 60 or so colours that Google Home can command it to do on reddit

L1011

Everything is in stock again finally in Ballymun

2011

Form my experience:
1) Pairing is easier if all smart builds are powered off with the exception of the one that you are trying to pair. This should be as close to the bridge as possible.
2) Only use Philips Hue bridge, switches and motion detectors.
3) One in ten IKEA lamp will fail prematurely. IKEA are very good with returns.
4) It is not possible to dim the E14 lamps as low as the Philips Hue equivalent.
5) Despite the above they are great value for money. Not as good quality as the Philips Hue but plenty good for most areas in the house.

Rew

2011 wrote: »

3) One in ten IKEA lamp will fail prematurely. IKEA are very good with returns.

Had my first one fail this week, all bought back at the end of July. Just stopped working entirely one day.

2011

Rew wrote: »

Had my first one fail this week, all bought back at the end of July. Just stopped working entirely one day.

Bring it back, they will replace it no problem.
Buy a few more while you are there.

Rew

2011 wrote: »

Bring it back, they will replace it no problem.
Buy a few more while you are there.

Yeah I will at some point soon, the whole house is already done, I even had a spare for it so going out there means ill only come back with some flat pack furniture ill have to build...

super_sweeney

I got give a few of the Ikea styrbar remote controls. Anyone tried to pair these with philips hue? I cant seem to figure it out. There is a few posts online but they are of the older remote

niallb

They're not directly supported but you can add them to your hue network using Hue Essentials on a phone.

I've only done this with the older one, but the process should be the same. Look for "Touchlink" in the "Hue Essentials" app. You need to be almost touching the hub with the remote when you join them. I didn't use it for long as I now use the remote as a media controller using Home Assistant.

Once paired with the Hue bridge it will stop working with any bulbs you had paired with it in the Tradfri system. You need to pair any tradfri bulbs directly with the Hue bridge too - and they need to be really close to it while you do it too.