Following in the footsteps of GE, Phillips, and a host of others, IKEA is now officially offering its own line of smart lights scheduled to be available in the U.S. by the end of April.
The line is called Trådfri, or “wire free,” and includes a dimming kit, motion sensor, bulbs, a gateway to network the whole thing, and a remote to control it all (though, you can also control it via a mobile app). A starter package, which includes the gateway and two bulbs, will run customers 749 Krona (that is, a little over $80 US).
IKEA’s aggressive entry into the smart lighting market comes at a good moment, as home automation is poised to grow at unprecedented rates.
Smart light bulb shipments are expected to reach 50 million by 2021, according to BI Intelligence. And a separate report from Markets and Markets projects that home automation will grow into a $78 billion-plus market over the next five years. That would be an increase of more than $40 billion from 2015.