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Check out Ikea's Tradfri smart lights

Ikea's new smart lighting platform wants a place in your connected home.

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Ryan_Crist2.jpg
Ry Crist
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1 of 9 Tyler Lizenby/CNET

Ikea's selling Tradfri smart lights now, and we decided to take the $80 starter kit (£69 in the UK) for a spin.

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2 of 9 Tyler Lizenby/CNET

Different kits

You've actually got a couple of different ways into the Tradfri ecosystem. In addition to the $80 starter kit on the bottom there, you could also try a $20 wireless dimming bundle (top right) or a $25 bulb-and-motion-sensor bundle (top left).

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3 of 9 Tyler Lizenby/CNET

Click it

The main $80 bundle comes with two bulbs, a gateway hub to let you control things on your phone and this wireless remote for dimming things up and down.

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4 of 9 Screenshots by Ry Crist/CNET

Scan it

The Tradfri app makes you scan a device-specific pairing code during setup -- a smart way to help keep things secure.

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5 of 9 Tyler Lizenby/CNET

Tunable

The bulbs in that $80 kit are nice and bright, clocking in at well over 900 lumens at their default setting -- noticeably brighter than a 60W incandescent. They also offer three distinct color temperature settings that you can switch between in the app.

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6 of 9 Tyler Lizenby/CNET

Dimming kit

The $20 dimming kit comes with a single, fixed color temperature smart bulb and a wireless dimming knob. There's no gateway hub here -- you'll pair the knob directly with the bulb and skip the app altogether.

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7 of 9 Tyler Lizenby/CNET

Wireless knob

The knob features two separate halves that sit together magnetically. Twist the yellow part to turn your lights on and off or dim them up and down. Each knob can control up to 10 bulbs.

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8 of 9 Tyler Lizenby/CNET

Motion detection kit

Another option: This $25 bulb-and-motion-detector bundle. Like the knob, you'll pair the motion detector directly with the bulb.

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9 of 9 Tyler Lizenby/CNET

Simple sensor

When the motion detector detects motion, it will turn the bulbs it's paired with on (again, up to 10 of them). You can turn a dial on the back to adjust how long without motion before it turns the lights back off.

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