In an interview, Daniel Rausch, vice president for smart home at Amazon, said the relationship
with Ikea would allow people to outfit a room with smart lighting for just “tens of dollars.”
Currently on Amazon, a smart lighting starter kit from Philips
that includes two bulbs and a hub that enables connecting wirelessly sells for a little less than $70.
By NICK WINGFIELDMAY 23, 2017
SEATTLE — Today, most people know Amazon’s Echo speaker as an easy way to play music using voice commands,
but the device and others like it are catching on as ways to control light switches, thermostats and other smart home appliances.
Now Amazon has a deal with one of the best known purveyors of home furnishings — Ikea
— to make Alexa, the voice assistant inside Echo, more integrated into homes.
Amazon has said there have been “tens of millions of Alexa devices” sold, including various
devices in Amazon’s Echo family of products and others from independent device makers.
While a lot of people use Echo to play music from Spotify or from radio stations, Mr. Rausch said smart home usage of the devices was growing rapidly
Through the integration with Amazon’s products, the bulbs will be wirelessly connected to Alexa so
people can instruct the assistant to turn the lights on or dim them in various rooms of a house.
