Hey everyone! I wanted to share my experience with integrating the Ikea TRADFRI remote control with Homey. For those who might not know, the TRADFRI remote is a sleek, square device that can control Ikea’s smart lighting system. However, like many of you, I faced a challenge when trying to connect it to Homey because it uses Touchlink technology, which isn’t natively supported by Homey. But I didn’t give up, and I’m thrilled to share how I made it work!
First, I did some research and discovered that while Homey doesn’t directly support Touchlink, there’s a workaround by using the Hue Bridge as an intermediary. This means the remote can pair with the Hue Bridge, which then communicates with Homey. It’s a bit of a hack, but it works beautifully!
Here’s what I did:
- Pair the Remote with the Hue Bridge: I followed Ikea’s instructions to pair the TRADFRI remote with my Hue Bridge. This involved pressing the button on the remote and keeping it near the Hue Bridge until it connected.
- Configure Homey: Once the remote was paired with the Hue Bridge, I set up the Hue Bridge integration in Homey. This involved adding the Hue Bridge as a new device and selecting the TRADFRI remote from the list of available devices.
- Assign Commands: Through the Hue integration settings, I assigned specific commands to each button on the remote. For example, pressing the top button turns on the living room lights, while pressing the bottom button dims them.
The best part is that this setup allows me to control both my Hue lights and my Ikea Tradfri lights seamlessly from Homey. It’s like having a universal remote for all my smart lighting!
I also found that using the Hue Bridge integration didn’t interfere with my existing Hue setup. I can still control my Hue lights directly from the Hue app, and the Tradfri remote works alongside it without any issues.
If you’re struggling with integrating the TRADFRI remote, I highly recommend giving this method a try. It’s a bit of a process, but the end result is worth it. Plus, it’s satisfying to find a creative solution to a problem!
Happy automating everyone!