Last week, we told you how you can protect your home using technology, and now Ikea is helping you light it up the smart way.

Starting from just €10, shoppers can get their hands on smart LED bulbs from Ikea. The Tradfri range varies in price and features, but all will smarten your home. 

What's most impressive about these bulbs is the lack of hassle associated with the set-up. 

It's simply a case of installing the bulbs, as normal and then adding them onto your home network. The lights are controlled by a smartphone app, or you can purchase a remote control. 

The Tradfri Dimming Kit costs €35 and is a good place to start out. For that money, you're getting a remote control and one E27 LED light bulb. This allows users to manage the mood lighting. It's also possible to control when the lights are on and off from a smartphone app. 

Alternatives

If you're looking for some alternatives to the Ikea offering, check out the Belkin WeMo Bayonet. This starter kit costs €99. 

The WeMo LED Lighting Starter Set allows to you access and control your WeMo Smart LED Bulbs from anywhere, using your existing home Wi-Fi network and mobile internet. You can also set your lights to turn on automatically at sunset, dim them to watch a movie, or turn them off after you leave home, all from your smart device.

It's possible to create custom lighting schedules for your home using the WeMo App. You can ensure the lights are always on when you come home from work or turn specific bulbs off every day to reduce power consumption. The WeMo App also lets you control each light individually or as a group according to room or area of the house.

The free WeMo App is available for Android and iOS and works on multiple smart devices simultaneously.