IKEA Trådfri

Adding IKEA Trådfri to SmartThings

Here are step by step instructions for adding an IKEA Trådfri bulb to SmartThings for the first time. Thanks to EDVALD EYSTEINSSON and others, we now have a wonderful device handler that allows better color temperature control over IKEA Trådfri bulbs than the Ikea Gateway or Steering Remote currently allows.

Once the bulb(s) are added to the SmartThings hub, you can also use up to two IKEA Trådfri devices to control one or more bulbs and still maintain control by the SmartThings Hub. Those instructions follow.

Adding IKEA Trådfri bulb device handler to SmartThings

  1. Sign-in to the SmartThings developer API at https://graph.api.smartthings.com/
  2. Choose My Device Handlers at that top, then click the green Create New Device Handler button on the right
  3. Select the From Code tab and paste the code copied from here - https://github.com/edvaldeysteinsson/IKEA-Tradfri/blob/master/devicetypes/edvaldeysteinsson/ikea-tradfri.src/ikea-tradfri.groovy
  4. Click the green Create button at the bottom
  5. Click Publish and select For Me from the drop-down that appears
  6. Add a Thing to SmartThings using the app
  7. Reset your IKEA Trådfri bulb (Power ON & OFF 6 times) - This will put the bulb in pairing mode.
  8. Trådfri should appear in the app after about 15 seconds
  9. Click Save on the top right.
  10. Repeat for the next bulb

Pairing the Ikea Steering Remote, Steering Wheel (Dimmer) or Motion Sensor with SmartThings hub

  1. Make sure all the bulbs you want to control are first added to SmartThings
  2. Reset the IKEA Trådfri device by pressing the pair button 4 times quickly per Ikea’s instructions. Wait 10 seconds before attempting to pair with the SmartThings hub.
  3. If the device is not unused, and has been paired with an Ikea bulb or Ikea Gateway, then you should also remove the battery for 10 seconds, reinstall it and wait 10 seconds again before attempting the pairing process.
  4. Add a Thing to SmartThings using the app
  5. Hold the Ikea device right against the SmartThings hub and press and hold the pair button on the Ikea device for about 15 seconds. If it doesn’t appear in the SmartThings app as Thing, then release the button, repeat the reset procedure from Step 2 and again hold the button for 15 seconds (be sure to wait 10 seconds after resetting an Ikea device before attempting to pair).
  6. Rename the device according to its type (i.e. Ikea Remote, Ikea Dimmer or Ikea Motion Sensor)
  7. Repeat Steps 2-6 until you have all the devices you want added.
  8. With one of the bulbs you want to control set to ON, hold the device right next to the bulb base and press the pair button until the bulb begins and finishes pulsing per Ikea’s instructions. You will now have control over the bulb by both the Ikea device and the SmartThings hub
  9. Repeat Step 8 for additional bulbs. As long as you do not reset the Ikea device and it remains paired with the SmartThings hub, it will not be “stolen” by pairing it with additional bulbs. However, it you reset the Ikea device, it will pair only to a single bulb. It must remain paired with the SmartThings hub to prevent this from happening.

Note about Ikea Steering device with SmartThings:

ON/OFF and Dim works, but changing bulb color temperature does not work and will need a device handler when available.

Pairing two devices with one or more Ikea bulbs

As long as both devices you wish to use with your bulb(s) are paired to the SmartThings hub using Steps 2-7 under Pairing the Ikea Steering Remote, Steering Wheel (Dimmer) or Motion Sensor with SmartThings hub, then two devices can control one or more Ikea bulbs at once and still allow control of the bulbs with the SmartThings hub

  1. With one of the bulbs you want to control set to ON, hold BOTH devices right next to the bulb base and press BOTH pairing buttons at the exact same time, keeping both buttons held in until the bulb begins and finishes pulsing per Ikea’s instructions. You will now have control over the bulb by BOTH Ikea devices and the SmartThings hub at once
  2. Repeat for additional bulbs.

Notes:

As long as you do not reset the Ikea devices and they remain paired with the SmartThings hub, they will not be “stolen” by pairing them with additional bulbs. However, it you reset an Ikea device, that device will pair only to a single bulb, steal control from all other devices, and will mess up any pairing you have already done with that device to other bulbs. They must not be reset and must remain paired with the SmartThings hub to prevent this from happening, otherwise you’ll have to repeat the process of pairing them to the hub and then pairing them to the bulb(s) again.

If you are trying to pair two devices to one or more bulbs and only one of them pairs with the bulb, DO NOT RESET THEM. Just repeat Step 1. The pairing buttons must be pressed together at the same time. Three Ikea devices on a single or multiple bulb does not seem to be a repeatable option with the SmartThings hub at this time.

Now all we need is a custom SmartApp to allow multiple bulb color temperatures to be adjusted at once. Maybe “Trend Setter” is a good starting point?

A modification to the Alexa skill to allow SmartThings to control bulb color would be nice too.

[GitHub link updated - 5/8/2017]

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