I spent two weeks with IKEA’s £5 smart bulb – and it’s way better than you’d expect

It’s no secret that I’m fully in my Ikea era at the moment. If you’re unsure what that means, I’m basically on a personal mission to fill my house with as much IKEA smart home tech as possible, and it's going very well so far.

The main reasons behind this is simply because I’m constantly amazed at how much these very affordable devices can do. After trying the Timmerflotte temperature and humidity sensor last week, I couldn’t wait to get started on the biggest range within Ikea's new Matter-compatible lineup – the Kajplats smart bulbs.

IKEA Kajplats review: price and availability

For this review, I’ve been testing the Kajplats LED smart bulb with an E14 fitting, as that’s what works with my chosen lamp. However, there are loads of options in the range. You’ll also find E27 and GU10 fittings, brightness levels from 470 lumens right up to 1521 lumens, plus various starter kits that bundle multiple bulbs or pair one with the Bilresa smart button.

To be specific, I’ve been using the Kajplats LED bulb E14 with 470 lumens. It costs just £5 from Ikea online or in store, making it one of the cheapest smart bulbs you can buy right now.

IKEA Kajplats review: unboxing and setup

Setting up the bulb is simple – you just screw it into your chosen fitting and switch it on. For smart control, I connected mine to my Echo Show 8, which involves pairing it through the Alexa app rather than the Ikea Home app.

I’ve already covered how to set up Ikea gadgets with Amazon Alexa in a separate guide, but just like when I was installing the Timmerflotte, the app prompted me to enter a Thread network password during setup. As I mentioned in my guide, this actually isn’t necessary, so you can just exit and try again, and it should connect straight away. I still don’t know why it does this, but at least it's quick and painless to amend.

Once connected, the Alexa app shows all the controls and lets you create automations, which I’ll get into next.

IKEA Kajplats review: design and features

The Kajplats E14 470 uses clear glass with a visible filament-style LED, so it’s really meant to be seen rather than hidden away. It’s ideal for open shades, wall lights or pendant fittings where the bulb is on show, and the compact E14 screw base means it fits neatly into smaller fixtures. I’ve been using mine in my main living room lamp during testing, and I personally think it looks far more premium than the price suggests.

At 470 lumens, the brightness is gentle and cosy, and roughly equivalent to a traditional 40W incandescent bulb. It sits in the warm-white range (around 2700 K), so the glow feels soft, and because you can see the LED filament through the clear glass, the light also has a decorative feel that you don’t get with frosted bulbs.

As you know, Kajplats bulbs are part of Ikea’s Matter-compatible range, so they can be connected and controlled via the Ikea Home smart app using the Dirigera hub or any compatible Matter smart home hub. Through this, you can dim brightness remotely, select the chosen light colour and create schedules and scenes.

IKEA Kajplats review: performance

I’ve had a positive time testing the Ikea Kajplats smart bulb, and it’s slotted really nicely into my existing smart home setup. The ease of setup and control mirrors the simplicity of the product itself, but for the price and Matter compatibility, it’s up there with some of the best smart bulbs around.

Within the Alexa app I can adjust brightness and choose from 10 different white-light options, ranging from soft warm tones through to cooler whites. You can either tap the preset shades or slide along a colour wheel-style control to amend it.

This particular bulb doesn’t offer colour lighting, but there are colour versions in the Kajplats range if that’s what you’re after.

You can also build routines in the Alexa app. I’ve set mine to turn on at sunset, but depending on what other devices you have, you could also trigger it via motion sensors or inactivity. Voice control worked flawlessly too, and the bulb responded instantly to commands every time I tried it.

One thing I did notice, unlike the Timmerflotte, the Kajplats did disconnect from Alexa a few times during testing. I’m not entirely sure why, but it may be related to the fact we’ve also been switching the lamp manually as well as via Alexa. Over two weeks, I had to reconnect it three times, and whilst that only takes seconds in the grand scheme of things, it’s still three more times than I’d ideally like.

For comparison, my Philips Hue bulbs – which I also use manually – don’t do this, so it’s definitely something worth noting.

Image 1 of 3

IKEA Kajplats review: verdict

The Ikea Kajplats E14 470 lumen smart bulb is a brilliant and affordable way to expand your smart lighting setup. It’s simple to set up, integrates well with Alexa and other smart home systems, and offers adjustable white tones that feel cosy and decorative. Whilst it occasionally disconnects and it's a shame there's no colour lighting options with this model in particular, it's still hard to beat when it comes to how budget-friendly it is.

IKEA Kajplats review: alternatives to consider

If you’d prefer to stay within Ikea’s ecosystem but don’t think you’ll use Matter or a third-party hub, the older Trådfri range is still a great option. Those bulbs are also smart and affordable, but they’re designed specifically for control via the Ikea Home app and Dirigera hub only. There are still plenty of fittings and brightness levels available, so it’s easy to find one that suits your space.

If you’re after a smart bulb that goes beyond what Ikea offers, I’d point you toward Philips Hue. There’s a huge selection of fittings, brightness levels and designs, plus more advanced features, especially if you pair them with a Hue Bridge.