Starting February 24, Lidl will be offering connected objects from its Smart Home range for sale again. An opportunity to equip yourself at a low price with high-performance home automation products compliant with market standards.
For some, Lidl is still a simple chain of discount stores that mainly offer food products. If this was indeed the case when it arrived in France, the brand has changed dramatically in recent years. Completely modernized, the small local supermarkets no longer had anything to do with the ominous warehouses of the beginnings, and their offering diversified greatly during the transition to the upscale market, to the point of competing with the major brands. And if its “DIY” products have already earned a reputation for their excellent value for money, their electronic products follow the same path. Without noting the success of the famous Monsieur Cuisine Connect – a connected kitchen robot three times cheaper than the market standard, which literally sold out when it was introduced – the German brand has developed a wide range of “technological” devices that sometimes have nothing to envy more Of the “prestigious” models, above all, much more expensive. See the Silvercrest STSK 2 E5 Wireless (True Wireless) headphones, selling barely for 17 euros, which sparkle with their sound quality that should not be ashamed of many luxury references, nor insult to the detractors …
Lidl Smart Home: Economy Range
In the coming days, Lidl could attract a number of curious and savvy tech enthusiasts with its Smart Home range, which will be marketed from Thursday, February 24, only in stores – the brand does not sell online in France, unlike what it offers in Belgium – and for a while limited. Launched in 2021, this family includes many home automation products that sell for really low prices, well below that of the competition. Thus, the “centralized” Ethernet network – also called bridge, gateway, bridge or hub – which acts as the heart of the system by connecting all other objects connected to the Internet box or wireless router via Wi-Fi, is available at only € 20 – € 19.99 To be exact… – when the equivalent in the Philips Hue range, market reference, is marketed at around €60. It’s even cheaper than the already inexpensive Trådfi, Ikea’s portal. The same applies to all other connected family members: E27 white LED bulb at €8, E14 RGB LED bulb at €10, multi-color LED strip at €18, single socket at €10, multi-socket at €22 and holder at €40 .
Lidl Smart Home: Simplicity and Quality
At these lower prices, one would think that these are very low cost and barely functional products. It is not. They all run the ZigBee 3.0 protocol, which serves as the standard in the world of connected objects. It is also possible to integrate Smart Home items with Philips, Jeedom, edomus, Osram Lightify or Smart Life devices! As home automation professionals have already verified during the tests, all of these units work perfectly, with voice control using Google Assistant or the Lidl mobile app, providing simple but sufficient functionality. And the build quality is there: a simple classic electrical outlet that supports a load of up to 3840 Watts at 16 A. It is a higher value than the average of similar equipment in other brands. Moreover, if light bulbs can have a useless side, then connected sockets have real advantages for controlling all kinds of electrical and electronic devices remotely.
In short, these are clearly excellent deals, sure to please those who want to learn more about home automation without breaking the bank and who are more connected to jobs than the outward signs of wealth. Not to mention, Lidl also has other connected products in its catalog—marketed at different times of the year—like triggers, remote controls or doorbells—until radiator heat heads are planned. Like Ikea, Lidl is slowly developing its home automation ecosystem in its own way and at its own price. We only regret: these products are not always marketed. So you have to watch the arrivals and go to the store to take advantage of it …