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Great review, but could you in future videos proide some more shots of the general area of, where the device was applied. It is hard to discern the general lighting it provides (is it to warm, to dim etc.) I could see this one applied in the bedroom under a shelf over the bed board as a reading light late at night etc.
@@TheCodeTinkerer Hi, I don't know if you checked out the written review, but there are a couple of extra images there that might be of use, although Ikea's own images probably do a better job than I could, and I would say their images are pretty accurate. The issue at hand is that the larger the room, the less overall brightness you'll get, so in the case of the small and narrow wash room I placed it in, it may seem fairly bright, compared to a much larger room, where the light loses some of its power. The colour temperature of the strip is on the warm end of the spectrum, but it doesn't go anywhere near as orange as a Hue bulb might do, so it feels more natural in that respect. I would gladly take some additional pictures for you if you like.
thank you for the straightforward explanation, even though I had already a few tradfri stuff, I couldn't really understand the workflow, but with these visuals, now I do.
thank you so much for making this video!!! I have a couple questions and hopefully you can answer them!!! On the Ikea website for the actual product page for these lights (on the Canadian site anyway) they have a lookbook bedroom shot where they use FOUR lights placed diagonally on a wall and then it bends at 90 degrees to go along the ceiling, from which the cords of the myrvarv individual LED strips all seem connect to a Tradfri driver (off screen). In your pros and cons section of your video you said it can power up to THREE myrvarv strips on one Tradfri driver so does that mean any more than 3 and it might overload the driver? I'm basically wondering how they created that 4 strip 90 degree look used in the promo shot on the product page. Would that mean I need to buy TWO tradfri drivers if i wanted to place 4-6 strips all powered together?? Or I can use more than 3 myrvarv strips simultaneously on 1 tradfri? Also I'm not that knowledgeable with voltages. How many myrvarv strips do you think one power socket with two outlets can generally handle to be safe and avoid an outlet short circuiting? Lastly, if I was to cut a myrvarv strip's length, does that mean the section I cut off won't be usable anymore since it won't have access to a power supply? I'm assuming yes?
Hi, I know the image you're referring to, and I would suggest they're probably using two 30W drivers for this promo image. The 30w driver has a total of 9 ports for connecting lights, but as the strip uses 12w, in theory, you should only use 2 of these strips (totalling 24w) per driver, leaving another 6w to play with. In practice, I'm not so sure it makes much difference if you connected a third strip (36w total), but the recommendation would be to keep within the numbers. It's hard for me to say for certain if you could plug two Tradfri drivers into one socket, as I don't know your setup, but looking at the specs on the driver, and it seems it would be fine. It's always best to consult someone more qualified though of course. Once you cut a section off the strip, it can't be used again.
Great video, thanks for sharing. Might get one of these! As a heads-up, you can normally pair Trådfri devices directly to the gateway by holding the pairing button (got to take cover shell off) and setting the light into pairing mode (usually turning it on and off a few times in quick succession until it pulses).
Maybe if you’re proficient with Soldering and know how these things can be wired up, but under normal circumstances, for most people, the answer would be no.
Do you think I could use this strip for kitchen countertop lighting? I read that warmwhite light isn't ideal for that, but maybe 2700K would work.. What do you think?
I personally don’t think warm white would be a problem in the kitchen, but I guess it’s down to preferences as much as anything else. I think one of these strips may be bright enough, but once again it would depend on placement and size of the area you want covered, as this is 2m long and is 1100lm in total.
The LED strip connects to the driver with cable. How long is *that* cable? The online manual only supplies the length of the strip itself, not the power cable though.
Great video.. trying to sort exactly what I need.. so I have a bbq cabin.. I want to put the lights inside across the 5 indoor panels.. based on this I will need 5 x M strips.. but then do I need 5 drivers for each strip and then 5 power cords?
Hi, each strip requires 12W, and the driver used in the video is capable of 30w, so you would need a total of 3 drivers, along with power cords, assuming you are using 5 separate strips and cutting them down to 1m each. I’m not an electrician and have little experience of this kind of subject in all honesty, so please consult someone to be sure, but it ‘might’ be the case that if you’re halving each strip cut to just 1m, you may find one driver can power all five strips. Please do check first though. I wouldn’t want your cabin to burn to the ground!
Great video Simon! I also have not tried IKEA smart home products yet. This could be a good option for my kids bedrooms. Appreciate the thorough review!
Thanks Brad. I wasn’t sure I wanted yet another Zigbee setup (already have Aqara, Hue, Xiaoyan), but now that they’re in Taiwan it was hard to not be tempted to try some out - all in the name of science of course….
You said that up to three of these strips can be linked to one driver. It says 12 W on the box of the strip. I thought the max wattage for one driver was 10 or 30 W depending on the driver?
Yes, you’re correct. The strip is only capable of powering devices totalling 30w, although powering more than that can work, but it’s down to the individual as to whether they feel it’s safe to do so. If you plug three strips in, you may well just get less overall brightness.
For some reason myrvarv is no longer available in UK. I have a spare tradfri driver and would like to get a led strip that uses the same connector… but I don’t know where to look! Any ideas what I should be searching for?
Hi, I’m not sure where you might find other lights to fit the driver, but if you read this discussion on Reddit, it might help - www.reddit.com/r/tradfri/s/DtpkGZu9ws
I was wondering why my device wouldnt work. Looks like I need the Driver which I dont have the long piece. I only have the short piece although it will still work with out the long piece. Yours is the only video in English for the Myrvarv.
Hi, the driver is necessary for function with or without smart functionality, but I’m not sure what you mean by ‘short piece’ and ‘long piece’ - do you mean the smaller driver?
@@homekitnews I have the short piece but not the long piece. The long piece I have from other lights though. Currently the light will work with the short piece but is not smart controllable. So I need that long piece to have it smart controllable like my other lights and like your video and all the diagrams are showing
@@homekitnews I finally got it to work. If anyone is wondering tell them to have all the components you showed to make it smart controlled. I got the "dumb" driver which was not smart controlled. The long grey piece is the "smart" version
Hi, thank you for this video. I have the Myrvarv strip LED and the driver Trådfri. I also bought the remote (Styrbar) but it won't pair with the driver. Do you have any ideas why? It seems like is not responding at all
Hi, do you have the Tradfri Gateway? I’m not sure if it’s necessary, as you should be able to pair the Styrbar directly to the driver, but I’m still a bit of a novice with Ikea’s products.
@@michabuona that’s right as I understand it, as long as you don’t want smart control or HomeKit integration. Did you make sure the styrbar very close to the light when trying to pair it? They have to be really close. 2-5cm.
@@homekitnews yes, I've tried everything! But nothing. The remote doesn't respond. I'm using new batteries, I've reset the driver, I've tried close, very close... nothing.
@@michabuona I’m not sure what the problem could be unfortunately. If you use Reddit, you might find someone who knows the answer on the Tradfri Subreddit.
Hi i am thinking of installing these into a wardrobe, but wanted to ask is there anyway to control these lights by a sensor which i can place near to the doors so when i open them they can switch on and off auto.
I’m not using this strip in my wardrobe, but I am using the IKEA Omlopp spotlights with the 10w Tradfri driver. I have an Aqara contact sensor on the inside of the wardrobe to turn the lights on when the door is opened. You can also use a motion sensor, and if you’re not using HomeKit, you can just use the IKEA motion sensor to do the same thing.
@@xXHassan786Xx I can give you a link, but it depends on where you live, as th place I'd recommend might not ship to your location. Additionally, the Aqara contact sensor requires the Aqara hub, so you may want to think about the Ikea route if you want to save money.
Do you have a remote that it can work with? I think it can work directly with a remote without a hub, but then you can’t automate it or control it via either the IKEA app or HomeKit without the ikea gateway. Your only other option is possibly to try adding it to a Philips Hue Bridge if you have one, but in this case you still can’t get it into HomeKit.
Yes, at a minimum you’ll need the driver, power cord for the driver, and the remote. If you want HomeKit integration or you want the strip to work with other IKEA devices, then you need the gateway too.
The links are all listed in the description below the video. The links are only for IKEA USA, but you can search for them by the same name using your regional IKEA.
i used it in our kitchen en wanted 240 cm length , so i bought 2 strips and soldered the 2 together(200cm +40 cm ) and it works ( hope it keeps working )
It’s actually a pretty standard warm white when I compare it to other warm white lighting products I have here. The video probably doesn’t quite capture it well enough unfortunately. It’s certainly not as orange as some warm white bulbs I’ve had though, which I think is a good thing.
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Great review, but could you in future videos proide some more shots of the general area of, where the device was applied. It is hard to discern the general lighting it provides (is it to warm, to dim etc.)
I could see this one applied in the bedroom under a shelf over the bed board as a reading light late at night etc.
@@TheCodeTinkerer Hi, I don't know if you checked out the written review, but there are a couple of extra images there that might be of use, although Ikea's own images probably do a better job than I could, and I would say their images are pretty accurate. The issue at hand is that the larger the room, the less overall brightness you'll get, so in the case of the small and narrow wash room I placed it in, it may seem fairly bright, compared to a much larger room, where the light loses some of its power. The colour temperature of the strip is on the warm end of the spectrum, but it doesn't go anywhere near as orange as a Hue bulb might do, so it feels more natural in that respect. I would gladly take some additional pictures for you if you like.
thank you for the straightforward explanation, even though I had already a few tradfri stuff, I couldn't really understand the workflow, but with these visuals, now I do.
thank you so much for making this video!!! I have a couple questions and hopefully you can answer them!!!
On the Ikea website for the actual product page for these lights (on the Canadian site anyway) they have a lookbook bedroom shot where they use FOUR lights placed diagonally on a wall and then it bends at 90 degrees to go along the ceiling, from which the cords of the myrvarv individual LED strips all seem connect to a Tradfri driver (off screen). In your pros and cons section of your video you said it can power up to THREE myrvarv strips on one Tradfri driver so does that mean any more than 3 and it might overload the driver? I'm basically wondering how they created that 4 strip 90 degree look used in the promo shot on the product page. Would that mean I need to buy TWO tradfri drivers if i wanted to place 4-6 strips all powered together?? Or I can use more than 3 myrvarv strips simultaneously on 1 tradfri?
Also I'm not that knowledgeable with voltages. How many myrvarv strips do you think one power socket with two outlets can generally handle to be safe and avoid an outlet short circuiting?
Lastly, if I was to cut a myrvarv strip's length, does that mean the section I cut off won't be usable anymore since it won't have access to a power supply? I'm assuming yes?
Hi, I know the image you're referring to, and I would suggest they're probably using two 30W drivers for this promo image. The 30w driver has a total of 9 ports for connecting lights, but as the strip uses 12w, in theory, you should only use 2 of these strips (totalling 24w) per driver, leaving another 6w to play with. In practice, I'm not so sure it makes much difference if you connected a third strip (36w total), but the recommendation would be to keep within the numbers.
It's hard for me to say for certain if you could plug two Tradfri drivers into one socket, as I don't know your setup, but looking at the specs on the driver, and it seems it would be fine. It's always best to consult someone more qualified though of course.
Once you cut a section off the strip, it can't be used again.
Great video, thanks for sharing. Might get one of these!
As a heads-up, you can normally pair Trådfri devices directly to the gateway by holding the pairing button (got to take cover shell off) and setting the light into pairing mode (usually turning it on and off a few times in quick succession until it pulses).
Hi, thanks for the tip, I’m a bit new to the Trådfri line, so I may try this on the next setup.
Is it possible to make use of the led strips after cutting? I need two strips 2m in total, and wonder if you can reuse the cut strips.
Maybe if you’re proficient with Soldering and know how these things can be wired up, but under normal circumstances, for most people, the answer would be no.
@@homekitnews thanks for the quick response!
Do you think I could use this strip for kitchen countertop lighting? I read that warmwhite light isn't ideal for that, but maybe 2700K would work.. What do you think?
I personally don’t think warm white would be a problem in the kitchen, but I guess it’s down to preferences as much as anything else. I think one of these strips may be bright enough, but once again it would depend on placement and size of the area you want covered, as this is 2m long and is 1100lm in total.
I used it in our kitchen and it looks great
The LED strip connects to the driver with cable. How long is *that* cable? The online manual only supplies the length of the strip itself, not the power cable though.
Never mind. Cord length: 3.5 m
Great video.. trying to sort exactly what I need.. so I have a bbq cabin.. I want to put the lights inside across the 5 indoor panels.. based on this I will need 5 x M strips.. but then do I need 5 drivers for each strip and then 5 power cords?
Hi, each strip requires 12W, and the driver used in the video is capable of 30w, so you would need a total of 3 drivers, along with power cords, assuming you are using 5 separate strips and cutting them down to 1m each. I’m not an electrician and have little experience of this kind of subject in all honesty, so please consult someone to be sure, but it ‘might’ be the case that if you’re halving each strip cut to just 1m, you may find one driver can power all five strips. Please do check first though. I wouldn’t want your cabin to burn to the ground!
Great video Simon! I also have not tried IKEA smart home products yet. This could be a good option for my kids bedrooms. Appreciate the thorough review!
Thanks Brad. I wasn’t sure I wanted yet another Zigbee setup (already have Aqara, Hue, Xiaoyan), but now that they’re in Taiwan it was hard to not be tempted to try some out - all in the name of science of course….
They are great for the price, but Philips Hue have become more affordable since Ikea began offering their solutions.
Could it be connected with the Phillips hue app ?
Yes, I believe you can add Ikea Zigbee devices to the Hue Bridge, although they won’t be exposed to HomeKit, if that’s something you required.
wonder if it's compatible with philiphs hue 🤔
It should be, but if it goes through the Hue bridge, it won’t be exposed to HomeKit - if that’s a requirement.
You said that up to three of these strips can be linked to one driver. It says 12 W on the box of the strip. I thought the max wattage for one driver was 10 or 30 W depending on the driver?
Yes, you’re correct. The strip is only capable of powering devices totalling 30w, although powering more than that can work, but it’s down to the individual as to whether they feel it’s safe to do so. If you plug three strips in, you may well just get less overall brightness.
For some reason myrvarv is no longer available in UK. I have a spare tradfri driver and would like to get a led strip that uses the same connector… but I don’t know where to look! Any ideas what I should be searching for?
Hi, I’m not sure where you might find other lights to fit the driver, but if you read this discussion on Reddit, it might help - www.reddit.com/r/tradfri/s/DtpkGZu9ws
Is the gateway hub thing connected to your home wifi?🤔
The IKEA gateway is connected directly to my router via an Ethernet cable. I’m not sure if the hub is capable of a wireless connection though.
Do i really need a gateway or i can use led strip with only driver?
I believe you don’t need the gateway, as long as you don’t need integration with Apple HomeKit.
Wish Ikea offered a cooler white version. At least in the 4500k range.
I’m wondering if I can cut this to make it smaller.
You can cut it shorter, you just can’t extend it.
I was wondering why my device wouldnt work. Looks like I need the Driver which I dont have the long piece. I only have the short piece although it will still work with out the long piece. Yours is the only video in English for the Myrvarv.
Hi, the driver is necessary for function with or without smart functionality, but I’m not sure what you mean by ‘short piece’ and ‘long piece’ - do you mean the smaller driver?
@@homekitnews I have the short piece but not the long piece. The long piece I have from other lights though. Currently the light will work with the short piece but is not smart controllable. So I need that long piece to have it smart controllable like my other lights and like your video and all the diagrams are showing
@@homekitnews I finally got it to work. If anyone is wondering tell them to have all the components you showed to make it smart controlled. I got the "dumb" driver which was not smart controlled. The long grey piece is the "smart" version
Hi, thank you for this video. I have the Myrvarv strip LED and the driver Trådfri. I also bought the remote (Styrbar) but it won't pair with the driver. Do you have any ideas why? It seems like is not responding at all
Hi, do you have the Tradfri Gateway? I’m not sure if it’s necessary, as you should be able to pair the Styrbar directly to the driver, but I’m still a bit of a novice with Ikea’s products.
@@homekitnews no I don't have the gateway. I asked if I needed when I bought everything else, and I was said it wasn't necessary
@@michabuona that’s right as I understand it, as long as you don’t want smart control or HomeKit integration. Did you make sure the styrbar very close to the light when trying to pair it? They have to be really close. 2-5cm.
@@homekitnews yes, I've tried everything! But nothing. The remote doesn't respond. I'm using new batteries, I've reset the driver, I've tried close, very close... nothing.
@@michabuona I’m not sure what the problem could be unfortunately. If you use Reddit, you might find someone who knows the answer on the Tradfri Subreddit.
Thanks for that. I have some other ikea smart lights controlled by Alexa and wouldn’t mind trying these
Super easy to set up if you already have a hub and a driver.
While you can put the led stripe together with omlop for example, it has not the same colortemperature.
Why not mentioning the high CRI? That seems like an important pro to me.
Because it only does warm white, I personally don’t consider it a bonus.
Hi i am thinking of installing these into a wardrobe, but wanted to ask is there anyway to control these lights by a sensor which i can place near to the doors so when i open them they can switch on and off auto.
I’m not using this strip in my wardrobe, but I am using the IKEA Omlopp spotlights with the 10w Tradfri driver. I have an Aqara contact sensor on the inside of the wardrobe to turn the lights on when the door is opened. You can also use a motion sensor, and if you’re not using HomeKit, you can just use the IKEA motion sensor to do the same thing.
@@homekitnews thanks for getting back to me, could you please send a link for the sensor which I can use to control these lights
@@xXHassan786Xx I can give you a link, but it depends on where you live, as th place I'd recommend might not ship to your location. Additionally, the Aqara contact sensor requires the Aqara hub, so you may want to think about the Ikea route if you want to save money.
Is it possible to change the colour in the Ikea App?
No, it’s fixed at warm white, so you can only adjust the brightness.
hi i plugged mine in and the strip just flashed on and off, any ideas?
i don’t have the gateway it’s useful for me to say, do you really need it for it to work?
Do you have a remote that it can work with? I think it can work directly with a remote without a hub, but then you can’t automate it or control it via either the IKEA app or HomeKit without the ikea gateway. Your only other option is possibly to try adding it to a Philips Hue Bridge if you have one, but in this case you still can’t get it into HomeKit.
I have nothing from Ikea, so if i buy the Myrvarv do i have to buy something extra?
Yes, at a minimum you’ll need the driver, power cord for the driver, and the remote. If you want HomeKit integration or you want the strip to work with other IKEA devices, then you need the gateway too.
@@homekitnews okay do you have the links of them? I dont need any other devices to connect, only the myrvarv
The links are all listed in the description below the video. The links are only for IKEA USA, but you can search for them by the same name using your regional IKEA.
@@homekitnews okay thanks and do i have to connect the ledstrip cable with the powercord?
The strip plugs into the square box called the Tradfri Driver, and the driver uses the power cord to provide power to the driver and the strip.
which ikea led strip can be extended?
I don’t think they make one. The Ledberg strip comes in different sizes though, including a 5m version. They can all be cut to size.
i used it in our kitchen en wanted 240 cm length , so i bought 2 strips and soldered the 2 together(200cm +40 cm ) and it works ( hope it keeps working )
The light looks very white considering that its 2700k. Should be much warmer
It’s actually a pretty standard warm white when I compare it to other warm white lighting products I have here. The video probably doesn’t quite capture it well enough unfortunately. It’s certainly not as orange as some warm white bulbs I’ve had though, which I think is a good thing.