Ikea’s battery-powered blinds, which can be controlled with a remote control, are now even smarter. Unfortunately not all models of the Swedish furniture store will be supported at the launch. Only the selected blinds with the names Kadrilj and Fyrtur can now be controlled with the Alexa language assistant.
After setting up and activating the appropriate Alexa skill, you can simply ask the language assistant to raise or lower the Ikea blinds. Percentages, such as the prompt “Alexa, close the blinds by 20%”, are also possible.
You can find the Ikea Home Smart Skill here and the two window panels are not the only compatible devices. There are also three more lamps from Ikea with Alexa controllable by voice command. These can be used to set different lighting scenes. They can be dimmed, switched off and on, and changed from warm to cold light.
New Routine Procedures for Smart Home
The now integrated Ikea blinds will soon be able to be integrated into more complex, automated processes. At the command “Alexa, good morning”, the coffee machine could start, the Ikea blinds could be raised and a certain playlist could be played. This feature is intended to further expand the Smart Home.
But that’s not all. In the same breath Amazon Germany announced that the described procedure will soon also be possible via Skill with products from Homematic IP, Schellenberg and Lutron. In addition, integration into the Smart Home via an Echo Plus, Echo Show or Echo Studio (all with integrated Zigbee hub) will soon be possible. The corresponding Echo then assumes the role of the previously required additional base station/bridge/gateway of the respective manufacturer.
