After losing the original deadline, IKEA started slowly and quietly launching HomeKit support to play FYRTUR and KADRILJ smart blinds. As it continues to launch, HomeKit Authority was given the opportunity to go further with the HomeKit integration of IKEA and it seems worth the wait.
Ecobee HomeKit thermostat
Here are the software versions you need to take advantage of HomeKit support with IKEA blinds. You can upgrade via the IKEA Home Smart app, but the updates have not yet been distributed to everyone who looks.
- Gateway Tradfri running 1.10.28
- Smart people running 2.2.009
- Open / Close Remote running 2.2.010
- Ikea signal repeater running 2.2.005
To use IKEA smart blinds with HomeKit, you must first add TRADFRI Gateway to your Home application. This is accomplished by scanning the HomeKit association code of the gateway, as with any other HomeKit accessory. After TRADFRI is connected to the HomeKit, the blinds should appear in the Home application.
Once you see your IKEA blinds in the Home app, it works much as you would expect. You can touch the tiles to open or close the blinds completely or press long and use the slider for more precise control - such as opening them to 50%. If you have multiple blinds on a window, you can group them in the Home application, just like in several bulbs in a single device.
As for the Siri control, you can say things like "open the kitchen blinds" or "open the blinds for the living room to 40%." It works on iPhone, iPad, Mac, HomePod and Apple Watch.
IKEA smart blinds can also be integrated with HomeKit scenes and automation. For example, you can have the blinds open and closed automatically every day at sunrise and sunset. By integrating IKEA blinds with HomeKit scenes, you can automatically close them during a "movie night" scene, for example.
Fully, HomeKit Authroity praises the intelligent integration of IKEA blinds with HomeKit and says that performance with the Home app is much better than with the Home Smart app for IKEA for iOS. You can read the full post here. The IKEA smart blinds area is available with limited availability at retail stores.
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