RGB Your Life with Nanoleaf

Written by Cheryl Tan

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So you might have seen these before, especially if you’re into gaming. But we’ve finally got our hands on a few of these Nanoleaf light panels and set them up at our studio in Funan. Here’s how it all works.

Create Design On Nanoleaf App

We need to have a design in mind first, so use the built-in layout assistant feature in the Nanoleaf app to create a design that supports up to 30 light panels. The panels automatically snap to grid and rotate according to your design, which is super cool.

Test Out Design By Using AR

You can also test out your design by using AR. Just download, print out the QR code and paste it on the wall and you’ll be able to see your design come to life. If you want to have a rough idea of how it looks before you actually put the panels up, this is a great way to do it.

Nanoleaf was super cautious about making sure you get the design right before putting the panels up. They included transparent filter paper that users can paste on walls first and test the required measurements, wiring, positioning of panels and more. Do note the panel linkers are located in the middle of each side of a panel, making three connections per panel possible.

What’s In The Starter Pack?

The starter pack comes with nine panels, while each expansion pack comes in a set of three. The panels feel light, but still sturdy. The actual setting up is pretty easy, just use the included 3M double sided tape and stick away.

There’s a power hub included that can be connected to any panel, but some creativity will come into play here since you would most likely prefer the wiring to be hidden away out of sight! We stuck the power hub at the bottom of the design and ran the cable under our table to a power socket for a clean look.

Connecting Nanoleaf Panels To The App

Now for the tricky part, connecting the Nanoleaf panels to the app. You’ll have to wait for it to detect the Nanoleaf, and it took us quite a while for the app to detect it. The “Refresh” button on the top right was a little small, and there wasn’t any feedback that we were pressing the button. Nanoleaf might want to consider making the app interface a little more responsive.

Once that’s done, set up your Wi-Fi and then key in your pairing code that comes in the box. After which, you can name the device and match the orientation of the design to the app.

There are four setup options in the app, Basic, Colour, Rhythm and Group. Basic is the most basic solid lighting option, with slides for Warm Light, Reading Light and Daylight.

For Colour, you can set up with presets or choose your own colour palette. Rhythm mode is only applicable if you have the add-on Nanoleaf Rhythm module that will transform the Nanoleaf panels into a real-time music visualiser, with the panels reacting to surrounding sound. You can also plug your phone in for a more responsive output.

If you have multiple Nanoleaf setups, you can control all of them through the Group mode. Create new groups and get to control them individually through the group scene setup.

The panels are super vibrant and designing the layout was fun, but the app could definitely be improved on. It took us way too long to pair the panels to the app. The Rhythm module is a must-get in our opinion, allowing for some really cool lighting options.

Colour and Rhythm scenes can be downloaded from the community gallery as well, but with over 16 million colours available, why not try to create something unique to you?

The Nanoleaf Smarter Kit (S$359) is available through the official distributor, Brex International.