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Smart Lighting

Zigbee Home Assistant Automation

Smart lighting is often the first step into smart home. With smart bulbs you can control lights with voice, automate by sunrise/sunset, and create the perfect atmosphere. This guide helps you choose the right system.

🔑 Smart Bulbs vs Smart Switches

Section titled “🔑 Smart Bulbs vs Smart Switches”

What should you choose?

Section titled “What should you choose?”
Smart BulbsSmart Switches/Dimmers
✅ Colors and CCT (warm/cool white)✅ Keep your existing bulbs
✅ Individual control per bulb✅ Always works physically
✅ Easy installation✅ Cheaper in the long run
❌ Doesn’t work if switch is off❌ No colors
❌ More expensive per light point❌ Requires electrician for installation

🏆 Brand Comparison

Section titled “🏆 Brand Comparison”

Overview

Section titled “Overview”
BrandProtocolPriceQualityHA IntegrationScore
IKEA TRÅDFRIZigbee💰⭐⭐⭐⭐✅ Perfect⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Philips HueZigbee💰💰💰⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐✅ Perfect⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
InnrZigbee💰💰⭐⭐⭐⭐✅ Perfect⭐⭐⭐⭐
Lidl/SilvercrestZigbee💰⭐⭐⭐✅ Good⭐⭐⭐⭐
LIFXWiFi💰💰💰⭐⭐⭐⭐⚠️ Cloud⭐⭐⭐
Tuya/Smart LifeWiFi💰⭐⭐⚠️ Cloud⭐⭐

💡 IKEA TRÅDFRI - Best Price

Section titled “💡 IKEA TRÅDFRI - Best Price”

Why IKEA?

Section titled “Why IKEA?”

IKEA TRÅDFRI (now “IKEA Home smart”) is the best choice for most people:

  • ✅ Cheapest Zigbee bulbs on the market
  • ✅ Works without IKEA gateway with ZHA/Zigbee2MQTT
  • ✅ Good light quality and color rendering
  • ✅ 5-year warranty
  • ✅ Easy to buy at IKEA
  • ✅ Function as Zigbee routers

Disadvantages:

  • ❌ Fewer color options than Hue
  • ❌ DIRIGERA gateway required for IKEA app
  • ❌ Slower update frequency

🌈 Philips Hue - Premium Choice

Section titled “🌈 Philips Hue - Premium Choice”

Why Hue?

Section titled “Why Hue?”

Philips Hue is the market leader in smart lighting:

  • ✅ Best color rendering and light quality
  • ✅ Huge product range
  • ✅ Very reliable
  • ✅ Works with many other systems
  • ✅ Hue Sync for movies/gaming
  • ✅ Matter support

Disadvantages:

  • ❌ Expensive - 2-3x the price of IKEA
  • ❌ Hue Bridge recommended (extra cost)
  • ❌ Some features require Hue app

💰 Innr - Hue Alternative

Section titled “💰 Innr - Hue Alternative”

Innr makes Hue-compatible bulbs at lower price. Perfect for expanding a Hue system cheaper.

Products

Section titled “Products”
ProductTypeCompatiblePrice
Innr E27 ColorRGBWHue, ZHA, Z2M$28
Innr E27 WhiteCCTHue, ZHA, Z2M$18
Innr GU10 ColorRGBWHue, ZHA, Z2M$25
Innr Light StripRGBWHue, ZHA, Z2M$56

🎨 LED Strips

Section titled “🎨 LED Strips”

Comparison

Section titled “Comparison”
ProductProtocolPrice/meterQualityHA Integration
WLED (DIY)WiFi~$4⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐✅ Native
Hue GradientZigbee~$70⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐✅ Via Bridge
Hue Lightstrip PlusZigbee~$42⭐⭐⭐⭐✅ Via Bridge
IKEA MYRVARVZigbee~$14⭐⭐⭐✅ ZHA/Z2M
Innr StripZigbee~$21⭐⭐⭐⭐✅ ZHA/Z2M
GoveeWiFi/BT~$11⭐⭐⭐⚠️ Cloud

🥇 WLED - Best DIY Solution

Section titled “🥇 WLED - Best DIY Solution”

WLED is open source firmware for ESP32/ESP8266 that controls addressable LED strips (WS2812B, SK6812, etc.).

Advantages:

  • ✅ Amazing effect library (100+ effects)
  • ✅ Native Home Assistant integration
  • ✅ Segment control
  • ✅ Sync between multiple strips
  • ✅ Extremely cheap

What you need:

  • ESP32 or ESP8266 (~$4)
  • WS2812B LED strip (~$4-7/meter)
  • 5V power supply (2A per meter)

Buy: AliExpress (search “WS2812B 5V”)

🔆 Smart Dimmers

Section titled “🔆 Smart Dimmers”

If you want to keep your existing bulbs, smart dimmers are the solution.

Comparison

Section titled “Comparison”
ProductProtocolNeutralPriceScore
Shelly Dimmer 2WiFiNo$35⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Shelly Plus Wall DimmerWiFiYes$49⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
IKEA TRÅDFRI DriverZigbee-$28⭐⭐⭐⭐
Hue Wall SwitchZigbee-$56⭐⭐⭐⭐
Sonoff D1WiFiNo$21⭐⭐⭐

🥇 Shelly Dimmer 2

Section titled “🥇 Shelly Dimmer 2”

Price: ~$35

The most popular WiFi dimmer for Home Assistant:

  • ✅ No neutral wire required
  • ✅ LED and incandescent compatible
  • ✅ Local control via MQTT/REST
  • ✅ Fits behind existing switch
  • ✅ Min/max calibration

Buy: Shelly.com, Amazon

🏠 Home Assistant Automations

Section titled “🏠 Home Assistant Automations”
Section titled “Popular Lighting Automations”
# Turn on light on motion
automation:
  - alias: "Light on motion"
    trigger:
      - platform: state
        entity_id: binary_sensor.hallway_motion
        to: "on"
    condition:
      - condition: sun
        after: sunset
    action:
      - service: light.turn_on
        target:
          entity_id: light.hallway
        data:
          brightness_pct: 100


# Gradual dimming in evening
  - alias: "Evening lighting"
    trigger:
      - platform: sun
        event: sunset
        offset: "+01:00:00"
    action:
      - service: light.turn_on
        target:
          entity_id: light.living_room
        data:
          color_temp_kelvin: 2700
          brightness_pct: 50

Adaptive Lighting

Section titled “Adaptive Lighting”

Home Assistant has an Adaptive Lighting integration that automatically adjusts:

  • Color temperature based on time of day
  • Brightness based on sunlight
  • Gradual wake-up and sleep modes

Installation:

  1. HACS → Search “Adaptive Lighting”
  2. Install and restart
  3. Configure which lights to control

🛒 Buying Strategy

Section titled “🛒 Buying Strategy”

Budget Start (~$70)

Section titled “Budget Start (~$70)”
  • 4x IKEA TRÅDFRI E27 white ($40)
  • 1x IKEA STYRBAR remote ($21)
  • Use existing Zigbee coordinator
  • Total: ~$61

Mid-range (~$210)

Section titled “Mid-range (~$210)”
  • 6x IKEA TRÅDFRI E27 color ($126)
  • 2x IKEA TRÅDFRI GU10 white ($20)
  • 1x Shelly Dimmer 2 ($35)
  • 1x WLED strip 3m DIY ($28)
  • Total: ~$209

Premium Hue (~$560)

Section titled “Premium Hue (~$560)”
  • 1x Hue Bridge ($60)
  • 4x Hue White & Color E27 ($220)
  • 2x Hue GU10 White ($34)
  • 2x Hue Dimmer Switch ($64)
  • 1x Hue Lightstrip Plus 2m ($84)
  • 1x Hue Motion Sensor ($49)
  • Total: ~$511

🛒 Where to Buy?

Section titled “🛒 Where to Buy?”

IKEA

Section titled “IKEA”
  • IKEA.com - All TRÅDFRI products
  • Physical IKEA stores

Philips Hue

Section titled “Philips Hue”

Innr

Section titled “Innr”

LED Strips (DIY)

Section titled “LED Strips (DIY)”

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Section titled “❓ Frequently Asked Questions”

Ofte stillede spørgsmål

Can I mix IKEA and Hue bulbs?
Yes! All Zigbee bulbs work together with ZHA or Zigbee2MQTT in Home Assistant. You can even add IKEA bulbs to a Philips Hue Bridge (though with limited features).
Do I need a hub for smart bulbs?
For Zigbee bulbs: Yes, you need a Zigbee coordinator (e.g., SkyConnect). WiFi bulbs don't need a hub, but are not recommended due to cloud dependency. With Home Assistant you can use one coordinator for all Zigbee devices.
What if someone turns off the switch?
Smart bulbs don't work if power is cut. Solutions: 1) Replace with smart switch, 2) Use remotes instead, 3) Install switch guard, 4) Hue has 'power-on behavior' to restore last state.
CCT or color bulbs?
CCT (white spectrum) bulbs can switch between warm and cool white - perfect for functional lighting. Color bulbs can do everything including RGB - great for mood and accent. Most choose CCT for main lighting and color for accents.
Do smart bulbs last as long as regular LED?
Yes, most smart LED bulbs last 15,000-25,000 hours like regular LED. IKEA offers 5-year warranty, Philips Hue 2 years.
Can I use smart bulbs outdoors?
Only bulbs rated for outdoor use (IP44+). Most smart bulbs are indoor only. Alternative: Use an outdoor fixture with smart switch/relay.

📚 Next Steps

Section titled “📚 Next Steps”

Last updated: December 2025

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