Using IKEA Tradfri remote or dimmer with Hue

Submitted by Andy Jenkinson on Sat, 11/04/2017 - 19:17

There are a number of articles around the web about how to use the (cheaper) IKEA Tradfri bulbs with the Philips Hue hub after a firmware update. However, after doing this they will no longer be controllable by any Tradfri equipment. I have not come across anybody who has been able to use Tradfri remotes and dimmers with the Hue hub (or any lights paired with it). I have however discovered that it is possible to use an IKEA Tradfri remote or dimmer with the Hue system. This means you can use the cheap and well-designed Tradfri steering devices at the same time as the Hue app, motions sensors etc.

Step 1 - pair the Tradfri remote/dimmer with the Hue network

In this step, you must reset the remote, and then pair to the Hue hub via TouchLink. This joins the remote to the Hue's ZigBee network. There are a few different ways to do a a TouchLink search, which is not the same type of search that the Hue app uses. You can use the Hue Essentials iOS/Android app, Hue and Me Android app, LampFinder Mac/PC/Linux app, or Hue Developers' API (the method I used).

Here's what you need to do in this step:

  1. Reset the remote or dimmer by pressing the pair button 4 times quickly.
  2. Wait 10 seconds.
  3. Hold the remote directly next to the Hue hub (as close as possible).
  4. Hold the pair button.
  5. Immediately initiate a TouchLink search.

The light (on the front for Tradfri remote and next to the button for a Tradfri dimmer) will glow a steady red, then turn out after a couple of seconds when paired. If it doesn't go out repeat steps 4-5.

If you have trouble, check that the TouchLink is not finding other ZigBee devices further away (e.g. bulbs - they will flash). During my many attempts to get this working I found that the Hue hub always preferred to steal a lamp further away (even ones registered on the Tradfri gateway) than register my remotes, but am not sure if this is because I wasn't timing the button presses properly.

Step 2 - pair the Tradfri remote/dimmer with the lights

Note that this works with any lights that are already connected to the Hue hub - I have done it with both Hue bulbs and Tradfri bulbs.

  1. Turn on the bulb at the mains.
  2. Position the remote immediately next to the bulb.
  3. Hold the pair button on the remote. The red light will come on and the bulb will start flashing.
  4. Keep the remote next to the bulb until it stops flashing, then release the button.

Repeat this process for any more lights you want the remote to control.

Success!

Check that you can control the bulb using the Hue app, and with the dimmer/remote. By comparison, here are a couple of examples of how mine are set up:

  • Two warm white Hue bulbs in the hallway, controlled by the app, Hue schedules, Hue motion sensor and a Tradfri dimmer
  • White spectrum Tradfri bulb in the bedroom, controlled by the app and a Tradfri remote. The remote supports on/off, brighten/dim, and colour temperature cycling.

Caveats

It's important to understand that the IKEA remotes work differently from Hue remotes. Hue remotes send their commands to the hub, and the hub then instructs the bulbs to take certain actions. This means the remotes can be configured to take more complex actions, a feature that 3rd party apps make good use of to allow different scenes to be programmed for 1st, 2nd, 3rd button presses etc. By contrast, the Tradfri remotes communicate directly with one or more bulbs (albeit whilst remaining part of the Hue ZigBee network). This means:

  • The buttons are not configurable - they work exactly like they work in the Tradfri system.
  • The remotes are not visible in the Hue app or any 3rd party apps.
  • The remotes do not take up any space on the Hub.

Update 2017-11-05: Unfortunately it appears with Tradfri RGBW bulbs, the remote will only control on/off and brightness; the side buttons do not cycle colours. I have put mine (bulb firmware 1.3.002) back on the Tradfri gateway.

Lutron and Osram systems

I expect this also works with the Lutron Connected Bulb Remote (though I don't have one) and Osram Lightify/Smart+ switches. I have successfully paired the Lightify four-button switch, but it is not very useful because I have not foound a way to configure the buttons to do sensible things - pairing it to the hub makes the top-left and bottom-left buttons turn ALL lights on and off respectively. I have yet to try applying the logic above to this switch; it may work but if I remember correctly, the switch only goes into pairing mode after it is reset (which wouldn't work). I don't know about the other Lightify/Smart+ switches.

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Comments

Kjell Roar (not verified)

Tue, 11/14/2017 - 10:22

Have you any experience with Tradfri motion sensor and connection to hue ecosystem?

P. Rutkowski (not verified)

Tue, 09/18/2018 - 09:12

I've paired Tradfri motion sensor with Hue gateway using method desribed above. Next, I've paired sensor with IKEA light. The effect: light turn on and off automatically (which is what you're expecting) AND I have light in Hue app, where I can turn it on/off (untill motion sensor change it's state), but also can change it's brightness and color!

To sum up: you can have automatic light (on steps for example) which you can set as you like using Hue app. For me it's all I need in this particular case.

JM (not verified)

Tue, 10/09/2018 - 13:24

Hi,

can you set time range for IKEA motion senzor when it should be active? Let say I would like to set that morion sensor detection will work from 22:00-06:00 but not earlier... Is that possible to set with this sensor via Hue bridge ? Many thanks

Andy Jenkinson

Tue, 01/29/2019 - 19:57

I very much doubt it, it certainly will not be possible to change this from the Hue app. Hue itself has no integration with 3rd party control devices (remotes, sensors) and Hue control devices are configured on the hub - when Hue motion sensors trigger, they trigger the hub and then the hub sends the messages to the bulbs. The process of pairing Tradfri control devices doesn't do this - when you pair 3rd party control devices to the Hue hub all you are doing is configuring them to join the same ZigBee network as the hub. Then you pair them to the bulbs, and the remotes then send their messages directly to the bulbs.

Andy Jenkinson

Wed, 11/15/2017 - 00:32

I'm afraid I don't have one, but it wouldn't be as useful as the Hue one (which I do have) without the ability to configure it in the app. I doubt that will be possible, though you never know. Maybe you only want a simple trigger behaviour, which may work, but for me being able to configure it is important - the Hue one allows you to set it so that it only triggers the light when ambient light is below a configurable brightness, and also to set different bulb brightness for different times of day (i.e. evening vs nightlight). What options are available in the Tradfri app?

Hue stuff will be reduced for Black Friday (Philips emailed me to say so) which hopefully will bring the prices a bit closer together.

irvo (not verified)

Thu, 11/16/2017 - 20:01

Firstly, congrats - great workaround. Before I attempt it though, two questions please:

- does the remote retain the ability to control white light temperature on white bulbs?

- I assume with this trick you also retain the ability to control the lights via alexa?

Andy Jenkinson

Thu, 11/23/2017 - 20:50

Yes the colour temperature control works fine. Sadly the colour control on the RGBW bulbs does not work however. I don't use Alexa but yea I should imagine it works fine, the hue hub shouldn't care. Alexa via the tradfri hub obviously won't work though.

Victor (not verified)

Thu, 11/23/2017 - 19:49

Hi, thank you for this guide!
However, when I pair the remote to the bulbs they become Unreachable in the Hue system, could it be that the pairing of the remote to the bridge was unsuccesful?

Thanks!

Andy Jenkinson

Thu, 11/23/2017 - 20:52

Yes it sounds like you have not paired the remote to the hub. If you don't get the timing right the touchlink process can often be applied to another device like a bulb. Make sure the red light on the remote goes out fairly quickly.

Victor (not verified)

Thu, 11/23/2017 - 20:58

Yes this was it. Got everything up and running now! The IKEA bulb that was incorrectly paired with the remote seems broken now however, won't pair with the bridge again.
Just a warning, luckly for me I had a spare e14.

Thank you once again

Stef (not verified)

Mon, 02/19/2018 - 14:58

You can reset Ikea bulbs if you turn on/off 6 times quickly. Got that tip from the Innr bulbs I got and seems to work on Ikea as well. 

Andy Jenkinson

Mon, 02/19/2018 - 20:09

Indeed. I discovered this can also be a bit annoying if you happen to have a 3 year old who likes turning the floor lamp on and off... Only just around to re pairing that one just now by coincidence.

David Dam (not verified)

Tue, 02/26/2019 - 17:23

Hi! I Got the Same problem, did u get a solution?!

J.Santos (not verified)

Sat, 12/02/2017 - 15:36

Hi

I think my Hue bulbs also paired with the IKEA remote and are now unreachable by Hue bridge. Any workaround to make them reachable again?

Thanks

Joao

Andy Jenkinson

Sun, 12/03/2017 - 12:11

Your hue bulbs would only pair with the remote if you held the remote next to them, so I assume you meant for them to be controllable by the remote. This would happen if you have not bound the remote to the Hue hub first - the remote is telling the bulb to join its separate network. I would reset the bulbs (if I remember correctly by turning on and off 6 times) and remote and re add to the hue hub.

Joao (not verified)

Mon, 12/04/2017 - 17:25

Hi Andy

 

Many thanks for your quick reply. Yes, I've paired them with the remote but I think I didn't pair the remote correctly with the Hue Bridge first.

I've tried to reset the Hue lamps with the 6X On/Off, but that didn't work. Probably only work for the IKEA lamps. Interstingly, I can connect them in the IKEA Bridge...

JS

Andy Jenkinson

Mon, 12/04/2017 - 19:32

Yes so that means the remote wasn't reset and paired with the hue hub, so it is joining your bulbs to the IKEA network. I think the IKEA hub does a reset of bulbs when you remove them using the IKEA app, maybe that will work with the hue bulbs. I can't remember what the reset procedure is for hue bulbs, I'm sure it's documented online somewhere.

stuart M (not verified)

Sat, 12/02/2017 - 19:17

Thanks for this got puck dimmers workin with a hue and three tradfi gu10 , hue app, and google home

 

bytat (not verified)

Wed, 01/17/2018 - 11:57

Will the hue lamps still work with homekit and siri after they've been paired with the trådfri dimmer?

Andy Jenkinson

Wed, 01/17/2018 - 16:27

Hue lamps will yes, they are unaffected. IKEA lamps on hue hubs are not made available in home kit, or so I'm told.

bytat (not verified)

Thu, 01/18/2018 - 11:15

Thanks, great! Trådfri puck dimmers here I come =)

Kobe (not verified)

Sun, 02/04/2018 - 21:11

Hi. Thanks to your guide I was able to connect my IKEA remote to my Hue system. I’ve only one question. I can on/off and dimm the light correctly while I can’t use the two side button to change between the color (I use a hue light and color bulb). I be to setup the remote or the bulb in a specific way? Ciao

Andy Jenkinson

Mon, 02/05/2018 - 00:44

As I mentioned in the Caveats, I tried a RGBW bulb and found that the side buttons do not control the colour. It's a shame if that is true also of the hue bulbs but I am afraid I know of no way to make it work.

Robert Crissman (not verified)

Wed, 03/28/2018 - 06:35

I have two Tradfri white spectrum bulbs on the hue hub, and I paired the remote (the five button one). On/off and dim works, but white temp does not, contrary to some of the comments. Did I do something wrong? :(

Andy Jenkinson

Wed, 03/28/2018 - 20:04

That is odd, I can only suggest something to do with firmware versions. The colour ones don't work but my white spectrum ones definitely do.

Maikel B. (not verified)

Thu, 06/21/2018 - 13:48

I have the same problem, white temp isn't working..

Sophie Desjardins (not verified)

Tue, 05/01/2018 - 06:01

Thanks for the tips! 

I was able to use the iOS Hue Lights app to pair 5 GU10 with the Hue bridge, but I am having trouble pairing the Tradfri remote to the bridge.  Is there a way to confirm that the remote is successfully paired with the bridget?

I followed the above instruction with the Hue Lights iOS app. The red light on the remote did swtich off after 2 seconds or so. Should I continue to hold the pair button for the entire 1:30 of the touchlink search in the app? I tried either way multiple times each, but the search doesn't seem to be able to find the remote. I switched off all my Hue lights and the Tradfri gateway before I tried pairing each time.

It's a pain to re-pair the GU10 (I had to pair them one by one, while holding up the bridget standing on the counter looking like an idiot to my cats)... is there a way to confirm the pairing is successful before I tried pairing the remote with the Tradfri lights again?

PS. I bought the GU10 from a Canadian Ikea a few days ago; they had the old firmware that requires the Tradfri Gateway + a steering device to update these bulbs. I would keep the Tradfri remote if I am able to get it to work. Otherwise, I will probably return it along with the gateway.

Andy Jenkinson

Mon, 05/07/2018 - 10:37

Hi Sophie, sorry for the delay in replying. I'm afraid I don't know of an easy way to test whether it worked. For me, if the light switches off then it indicates success. I can't recall if the hub LEDs give any indication or not. I do have one dimmer switch that refuses to pair, but I'm pretty sure it's due to a failed firmware update (it stopped working with the Tradfri bridge too). I can only suggest that maybe the remote isn't being reset properly before the TouchLink?

Mozillafi (not verified)

Sun, 05/20/2018 - 19:27

I have successfully set up the system with ikea Floalt ver 1.2.217. The remote only works for on/off/brightness, can't change temperature. Anyone can confirm this?

mozillafi (not verified)

Fri, 05/25/2018 - 15:19

Hello, thanks for your website. I've successfully set up 2 IKEA FLOALT lights with remote to Hue hub, all working fine but the remote can only change ON/OFF and Brightness, not color temperature. Can anyone confirm this or did I do something wrong? Thanks

Tereza (not verified)

Mon, 05/28/2018 - 08:53

If you want to control the same lights with multiple switches, there’s an undocumented way to clone the switches: 1. Set up the first switch 2. Reset the other switch 3. Keep the switches close together and pres and hold their pairing buttons. https://reddit.com/r/tradfri/comments/8lrk8f/several_remotemotion_sensor_in_one_group/

Andy Jenkinson

Thu, 08/30/2018 - 02:43

great tip thanks

Maikel B. (not verified)

Thu, 06/21/2018 - 13:49

Anybody knows if (and how) it's possible to connect two Tradfri remotes to eachother so that it is possible two control the same Tradfri lights, connected to Hue, with two different Tradfri remotes?

Alex (not verified)

Sat, 06/23/2018 - 06:02

Hi, I just paired a IKEA lighbulb and remote with a hue, using your guide. Thanks!

Ian Williamson (not verified)

Tue, 06/26/2018 - 06:30

Thanks for posting this! How do you initiate a TouchLink search? I’ve searched over the iOS app UI, and google for instructions, but am none the wiser.

Andy Jenkinson

Thu, 08/30/2018 - 02:47

I do it via the API:

https://developers.meethue.com/philips-hue-api

But I understand many 3rd party Hue apps have this option, e.g. iConnectHue (I don't use any myself).

aross1976 (not verified)

Sun, 08/11/2019 - 19:06

these thing will not reset or pair

 i think they changed the reset  procedure in the FW or something

i just bought 3 of the dimmers , when i press the  pair button 4 times within 4 seconds  the light will pulse and then  it goes out but like 2 seconds later  the light always will come right  back on but  dim and flickery  and then it just stays on and doesn't go out

after  reading this and watching a video on this it seems like this is not supposed to happen , it looks like in the video i saw that the light should pulse and then just  turn off and stay off after you press the  link button 4 times within 5 seconds but none of mine do that , the light always comes back on so i don't know how long to wait to start holding the button and  to press the touchlink

i got one working ,i successfully paired it to my gen 1 HUE bridge and then to 3  HUE A19 white bulbs and  everything is is working great

i can control  the 3 bulbs with the dimmer and with HUE,ST,google home

but now i can't get the other 2 dimmers to pair to the  HUE bridge

i can not tell  if it is even reset ,  i hold the link button but nothing happens

did they  push a FW update that   changed the reset procedure? because   the light keeps on coming back on like 2 or 3 seconds after it pulses and goes out  after pressing the button 4 times  ,and it is really pissing me off to no end

this is extremely frustrating  especially since the 1st time i thought it was paired and now my hue bulbs have become unpaired from the  bridge and can not be controlled at all now

 

what is it supposed to do EXACTLY after you pres the  link button 4 times? this is very poorly explained here and everywhere else , is this light supposed to  go out and stay out after it pulses because it doesn't  if i wait  10 seconds after clicking the link button 4 times  then the light would be on when i press and hold the link button and the touchlink , do i wait for it to go out for the second time  and then press and  hold for touchlink  as soon as it goes out  or do i wait for it to go out the second time and then wait 10 seconds after that? or something else? poorly explained

i got one  to work but now  i can't repeat it

Andy Jenkinson

Sun, 08/11/2019 - 22:38

This has started happening on mine too for the small dimmers. I find that the light eventually does go out and they can then be connected. But it's taken me quite a while and several tries to pair some of them. I suggest to just persevere. If the bulb has been removed from the hub it means the dimmer was not joined to the ZigBee network of the hub first.

Andreas (not verified)

Sat, 10/12/2019 - 06:29

I get the feeling Touchlink only works in the new app, and thus only with Hue V2 hubs (square).

Erwin van den Broek (not verified)

Sun, 07/08/2018 - 07:13

This procedure also works for connecting a Tradfri dimmer to Busch Jäger ZLL dimmers such as model 6737. (Note that this dimmer also enables a dumb bulb to be controlled using zigbee and thus it can be added as a lamp to your Hue Bridge) However, you need to put the BJ dimmer in programming mode first. Do this by pressing and holding the both top rocker buttons. The indicator leds will start flahing in alternating order. Keep holding the buttons untill they both turn solid. Now, initiate pairing from the Tradfri dimmer.

samiam (not verified)

Mon, 01/28/2019 - 15:30

so can the ikea remotes only be linked to one hue bulb or is there a way to make them work with more? I have a chandelier with 4 bulbs that I would like to switch on with a remote.

Andy Jenkinson

Tue, 01/29/2019 - 19:51

They work with any number, just bind the remote to each bulb in turn.

aross1976 (not verified)

Sun, 08/11/2019 - 19:03

these thing will not reset or the changed the reset  procedure in the FW or something

i just bought 3 of the dimmers , when i press the  pair button 4 times within 4 seconds  the light will pulse and then  it goes out but like 2 seconds later  the light always will come  back on  dim and then it just stays on and doesn't go out

 reading this and watching a video on this it seems liek this is not supposed to happen , it look like in the video i saw that the light should pulse and then  turn off and stay off after you press the  link button 4 times withing 5 seconds but none mine do that , the light always comes back on so don't know how long to wait to start holding the button to press the touchlink

i got one working ,i successfully paired it to my gen 1 HUE bridge and then to 3  HUE A19 white bulbs and  everyhting is is working great

but now i can't get the other 2 to pair to the  HUE bridge

i can not tell  if it is even reset ,  i hold the link button but nothing happens

did they  push a FW update that   changed the reset procedure? because   th elight keeps on comming back on like 2 or 3 seconds after it pulses and goes out  after pressingt he button 4 times  ,

this si extremly frustrating  especially since the 1st time i thought it was paired and now my hue bulbs have become unpaired from the  bridge and can not be controlled at all now

Andy Jenkinson

Sun, 08/11/2019 - 22:43

See the reply above. After resetting, holding the link button doesn't by itself do anything, only whilst the hub is also in touchlink pairing mode will the LED light up and attempt to join. It also has to go out by itself after a few seconds whilst still holding the button. If it doesn't do this and only goes out when you let go, try again.

Anonymous (not verified)

Mon, 08/12/2019 - 03:37

yes i got that part fine

but i watched a video on  pairing the dimmer to  the HUE hub and in the video whcih is  from 2017 he presses the link button 4 times to reset it and then he waits  10 seconds , 

when he presses the link button 4 times the red light pulses and then it goes out and it stays out  the whole time , all ten seconds before he presses and holds the link button and the touchlink button in the app he is using(HUE essentials Android app) to pair it to the HUE  bridge

 

but whenever i go to do  the reset  on any of my  dimmers the light doesn't stay out

i press the link button 4 times ,  then the red light pulses  and then it goes out , but then  3 or 4 seconds after that the light comes back on but it is dim and flickery looking and it stay on quite awhile like 30 seconds maybe more

i am in the US and i think the guy in the video  is from sewden or EU somewhere

maybe it is different for different regions i don't know or maybe since it ws 2017 when the video was made the new FW  makes it behave differently

 

i ended up getting the 2nd dimmer paired to 2 HUE BR 30's but it took me several tries

 

i wonder if you know  if any of the other apps mention here can give you some feedback if the   dimmer pairing to the hub was successful or not

the HUE essentials doesn't and it is not really easy to tell by the light because mine is not behaving predictably

so i often think it is paired to the HUE bridge and then proceed to pair it to my bulbs only  to find out it is not paired to the  bridge and now my bulbs have come unpaired

then i have to pair   the bulbs all over again and then resetthe dimmer and start all over  , 

 

is there a better  description of the reset procedure and what the light is supposed to be doing  because the videos i watched have the light not coming back on again like mine are doing

Andy Jenkinson

Mon, 08/12/2019 - 08:26

Check my earlier reply about the reset procedure, it happens to mine too now you just have to wait for it to reset. The pairing is only at the ZigBee level, the Hue API does not expose any information about the dimmer so no app can tell if it has bound. It is quite obvious though once you've done a couple: the light will come on when touchlink is initiated, and will go off by itself after only a few seconds while you're still holding the button. If this doesn't happen then it is not bound.

Anonymous (not verified)

Fri, 08/16/2019 - 20:16

no you are still not answering my question

i don't how much cleared i can ask it

i am asking  you about  what the red  ligh tis supposed to do when you reset the dimmer

becasue i watched a video and in the video after he presses the link button 4 times the light  on his goes out and it stay out the whole ten seconds ,until the time he is ready to press and hold the link button and tap the touchlink  button in the HUE essential app

 but my dimmer does not behave like this , after i press th elink  button 4 times to reset it the red light  comes right back on and it will stay on  for a long time much longer than     30 seconds  

so why does his  red light go out after pulsing and then stay off where mine  will pulse and then  go off and then come back on,   why does the  damn light keeep on comming back on , it is really pissing e off, the one in the video does ont  ever come back on  so i  do ont know whe to start the touchlink

 

 

 

Andy Jenkinson

Sat, 08/17/2019 - 10:59

Please watch your attitude. I have told you already twice now, you just aren't rearding what I am writing and you seem to think a video you have seen is more important than what I am telling you here. The behaviour is normal, they have released new firmware since that video was made (it's not my video so I'm not responsible for it). What you are describing happens for me too now after updating the firmware, that is just what the dimmers do now. It goes out, comes back on, pulses, and eventually goes out again. Just wait longer. It is not a fool proof process, sometimes it takes a few tries to get right, eventually you will get to recognise when it has worked and the next ones will be easier.

Brandon (not verified)

Wed, 11/20/2019 - 19:48

Hi Andy,

This sequence does seem to work for me, but when I then pair it to my hue bulbs, they become inaccessible from the hue app.

I have tried multiple times.

Each time the tradfri dimmer gives me four red light pulses on resetting, and then when I initiate a touchlink pairing, it glows solid red for a few seconds and goes out.

Any ideas on what I could be doing wrong?
I am using the small on/off dimmer, not the hockey puck style. Could this be the issue? Is the new hue firmware an issue?
Could it be because my hue bulbs are in a different room to my hub?

Andy Jenkinson

Wed, 11/20/2019 - 23:05

It could be that the on/off button works differently, though it apparently should work and I am fairly sure that I did bind one myself a while back as a test. Have you seen this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYLDtL7YmZw

I also noticed on the dimmers that the reset procedure has changed after a firmware update, after the four presses and the light goes out, it now comes back on immediately for quite a long time before finally going out (like, after a minute). I am not sure what it is doing, it could be that it automatically puts itself in binding mode after resetting without needing to push the button, or it could be that it is still resetting and you have to wait longer before attempting to touchlink. If the on/off button is doing this too, all I can suggest is try it twice, once after reset while the light is still on, and again after the light goes out.

Can't rule out firmware differences but seems unlikely, as touchlink is an aspect of the zigbee standard and Hue are quite good with that, they always get the devices certified. More likely it's tradfri firmware; is yours up to date?

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