Then, measure the length and breadth of your design to see if it fits the space you want to install. In addition, I have to fix up everything before I can preview on my wall because the AR feature fails to work in my case. As with the other Nanoleaf products, the Lines come as a starter pack, with a choice of either nine or 15 bar lights. These are essentially plastic covers to easily change the look of the kit. Sure. Theyre quite expensive considering these lights are ambient light only but a great way to liven up a dull wall. Do it. Overall, the entire installation process took only about half an hour. Coming soon are flexible connectors. Nanoleafs light scenes manage to look snazzy and, well, awesome, without ever veering into tacky town, which is quite the feat. Nanoleaf also plans to release Flex Connectors in the future that let you bend your design around corners or onto the ceiling. This means I have to attach the light bar to each connector and fix it in place with the connector cap. Also - does anyone know of a way to sync multiple groups of Lines that each have their own controller but arent physically connected? Available at the end of November for $200 (pre-orders have already begun), the Nanoleaf Lines Smarter Kit contains nine light lines, each of which is roughly 11 inches long, 0.78 inches wide, and about a third of an inch deep. You can link up to 18 Lines per power supply, and control them with the Nanoleaf app, an on-device remote, or voice control using a compatible voice assistant. Is HGTVs Smart Home really that smart? Finally, I snapped the connector caps onto each mounting connector, plugged in the power supply (which is chunky enough to block a neighboring power outlet), and the light lines came to life. Ill discuss the ramifications of that omission in a bit. In reality, it is rather tedious at the preparation stage. official store or the likes of Don't like tiles? Besides the Lines Smarter Kit, theres also a $70 expansion pack that includes three light lines, three mounting connectors, and three mounting plates, but no power connector or PSU. These do things like transition between predefined colours, while others can react to music. The app looks about the same, and if there are more patterns, Im not aware of them there were already so many to begin with that it would be hard to keep track. Nanoleaf is back with yet another form factor, although the smart light specialists latest launch Nanoleaf Lines is a bit different to what has come before. RATINGSFEATURES: 8/10DESIGN: 8/10PERFORMANCE: 8/10VALUE FOR MONEY: 7/10OVERALL: 8/10, Microsoft to buy Activision Blizzard for US$68.7 billion and what it means, Microsofts new 2-in-1 laptop Surface Pro 8 available on Feb 15; pre-orders starts today, 4 Wallet-Friendly Products To Spruce Up Your Home This National Day, PRISM+ Symphony Soundbar Review: Gets the Job Done. Copyright 2022 IDG Communications, Inc. The power connector, in turn, connects to a second cable that terminates in a chunky wall wart. Going back to the light lines themselves, each one has two light zones capable of shining in different colors simultaneously; up to 16 million colors are supported, as well as white color temperatures ranging from a very warm 1200 Kelvin to a cool 6500K. Still, there are plenty of possible combinations, and an expansion kit with three more strips and accompanying connectors is available if you need them. But Nanoleaf dropped a key feature of the Elements and Shapes panels from its new Lines series: touch sensitivity, meaning you wont be able to wow your guests with touch-enabled light games or by tapping a line to trigger a HomeKit smart plug. So many good designs you mean like, arranging them into a line? Everything comes in white. You need one connector at each end of a light bar, and up to six lights can be plugged into one connector. A combination of style and substance means Lines might be the best Nanoleaf smart lighting kit yet, especially if you dont like tiles. That said, its one of the more affordable options for decorative lighting, and it certainly holds up to continued use. Nanoleaf does it again with modular, colorful light lines that work with HomeKit and turn your wall or even a ceiling into a light show. Theyre pricey. You can group the Nanoleaf Lines with other Nanoleaf lights, including Shapes, Elements, and Essentials light, and you can also create lighting schedules; that said, the Nanoleaf app doesnt support a randomized vacation mode for fooling would-be intruders. The Layout Assistant makes it easy to try various designs on for size, and you can see how the Nanoleaf Lines will look on your wall with help from an AR-enabled viewfinder. Theres also SmartThings support, plus Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant support for voice control. Note that you can use a maximum of 18 lines per 42W power supply and in this case, the cable plugs into a slightly annoying in-line section, although you can probably hide it easily enough. U can make something simular to this way cheaper with lightstrips. Currys or If youre not feeling creative, a shuffle button creates random arrangements of the light lines. Ceiling mounting requires screws to be drilled; wall mounting can use the sticky pads on the back of each connector. Furthermore, the Lines come with a built-in Nanoleaf Rhythm module. Nanoleaf has always been brilliant at supporting a wide range of other smart home systems, and that continues with the Lines. Powered by a large plug with a 14.7 foot cable, each Line emits 20 lumens, has a color temperature range of 1200K to 6500K, and can display more than 16 million colors. You can create your own personal scenes with various controls available to you and also download others from the discover section of the app. If youre looking for a snazzy, unique way to decorate your bedroom, office, or game room, the Nanoleaf Lines give you flexibility to choose your own design and color palette. This means the Lines lighting will react and dance to music played in real time. This doesn't affect our editorial independence. Rather than a solid wall of plastic, as you get with Shapes, the design you can build with Lines look good when the lights are turned off. If you want some inspiration, you can use the apps AR layout tool to visualise a design or use our best Nanoleaf designs guide. He also covers a range of topics including home entertainment, phones, laptops, tablets and more. (Nanoleaf Lines is compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant, too.) However, I found the scenes I created to be underwhelming despite the amount of time spent working on it. Theyre not technically as bright as other Nanoleaf products at 20 lumens, but I found them to offer plenty of brightness and often used them a long way off maximum. Nanoleaf marks 10th anniversary with ultra-black Shapes panels, Philips Hue unwraps portable Go table lamp, revamped Tap switch, The best bias lighting for TVs and monitors: Boost contrast and ease eyestrain. Nanoleaf has always prided itself on breaking the mold with its smart lights, from its earliest light panels to its Shapes and recent Elements line. Thread is also one of the major standards of the Matter initiative, and any Thread border routers certified by Matter which Nanoleafs will be will also be able to control Thread devices from other brands. Only small caveats hold it back from getting full marks. That concern is almost a nonissue, as theres rarely any reason to touch the bars once theyre installed. Its odd that this is breaking new ground for you. Theyll do the same job as the existing ones, although they can bend around corners, so you can have a Lines layout wrap around a room rather than being confined to a single wall. Thread is a key technology in the Matter smart home standard, which aims to unite smart home devices and platforms and allow for more interoperability. If you click through using links on the site, we may earn an affiliate commission. But my vote is you use the Lines for a cooler design and just throw up a gradient lightstrip for your current effect. If you want to buy additional lights, you can buy expansion packs of three lights. But theres a learning curve once you start to delve deeper into the settings. The biggest change comes in the form of new hardware. I really like this and Im sure a lot of people who havent been won over by the other Nanoleaf options may find this is more to their taste. Tech Advisor helps you find your tech sweet spot. Compatible with HomeKit, Alexa, and Google Assistant, Backlit color lighting scenes look sensational, Equipped with a built-in Thread border router, As pricey as Nanoleafs other smart lights. best smart lights charts to see what other controllable lighting you can get. The Skins are $20 for a pack of nine, which will cover a standard Nanoleaf Lines kit. As such, it is not as glaring. Exactly, I saw this and thought could be done with more functionality and 1/10 of the cost by using an led strip. Theres a special connector for the power supply that must be used. Its the latest addition to smart lighting maker Nanoleafs ever-growing catalog of modular LED light panels. While the Nanoleaf Lines power connector has its own integrated Thread border router, the unit doesnt use Thread for connectivity; instead, it connects via Wi-Fi (2.4GHz only). Also slated for December are Flex Connectors that will let you bend your Lines designs around a corner, or even up onto the ceiling. The starter kit comes with nine light strips and nine connectors, so there are limits to what you can do. The only limitation is the 60-degree angle that each light bar can be attached to the connector. And you can download thousands more from the apps Discover tab. Because each connector is hexagonal in shape, you can practically attach the light bar in any way you want. Once installed on the wall, everything is smooth sailing. And the Lines work without a hitch on both platforms. Via the Nanoleaf app, you can toggle the lights on and off, adjust the brightness or even set brightness to adjust automatically to the ambient light. In fact, the best part about Lines is its support for multiple smart home platforms, including Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings, and IFTTT. These easily snap into the hexagonal connectors with minimal hassle. Since that time, Ive used them almost every day. It is fun to watch the lighting effects change with the pace of the music. The majority of features around the Nanoleaf Lines are the same. The result is impressive with the RGBW light bars boasting dual color zones, so you can have two colors glowing at once. (Read this article to learn more about Thread, and how its integrated in Nanoleaf products.). The Layout Assistant lets you arrange your light lines using a drag-and-drop interface (you can edit the number of lines you have to work with), and you can see how your design looks on the wall via the magic of AR. Think of these then, as a work of art, only youre not limited to a set of colors and can change scenes when you want. Theres also a wide range of support for smart platforms including Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Razer Chroma, Thread, HomeKit, SmartThings and IFTTT, so theres a large scope of what you can do, from voice control to integration with other gadgets. I havent tested these but a pack of three is priced at 12.99/US$14.99. The Lines are also easy to install, work seamlessly with HomeKit, Alexa, and Google Assistant, and feature a built-in Thread border router for controlling Nanoleafs Thread-enabled Essentials lights, as well as other Thread devices down the road. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. See our ethics statement. Thats pretty much every major smart home system right there, so youll have no problems automating these lights. Colour temperature ranges from 1200-6500K and as usual for Nanoleaf, Lines supports more than 16 million colours. The free accompanying Nanoleaf app (Android and iOS) has a Layout Assistant that offers design ideas. When turned off, the Lines look somewhat meh(as Ive already said); to rectify that issue, Nanoleaf is planning snap-on Skins covers for the line lights themselves, which will be available in December in both black and pink. To connect the Nanoleaf Lines to your home Wi-Fi network, youll need to aim your phones camera at a QR code on the power supply; theres one for Android phones, as well as another for Apples HomeKit platform. You can then either unscrew the plate (if you screwed in into the wall) or (if you used the peel-and-stick method) you can pull straight down on the exposed portion of the pull tape. It looks good. Very. Eventually, Nanoleaf says any Thread-enabled device will connect to a Thread network using a Nanoleaf border router. You probably know Nanoleaf for its tile kits, but Lines takes a different approach. But sometimes, the scene is not downloaded to the device. Black and pink skins to customize the look of the front of the Lines, and flex connectors to bed around corners are coming later this year. This review is part ofTechHives coverage of the best smart light bulbs, where youll find reviews of competing products, plus a buyers guide to the features you should consider when shopping this category. Expansion Pack with three more costs 49.99/US$69.99. In addition to HomeKit, Nanoleaf lines also boast integrations for Alexa, Google Assistant, Samsung SmartThings, and IFTTT. The Nanoleaf Lines kit is one of the cheaper options available from the brand at 179.99/US$199.99, matching the Shapes Hexagons kit which comes with nine panels, although thats also available in a smaller 5-panel kit, too. A Guide to Wireless Headphones You Never Knew You Needed, Enjoy Two Screens in One with the LG DualUp Ergo Monitor, Ultrawide 165Hz gaming monitors is the NOW. First, there were triangles; then there were squares. I dont care what you waste your money on, so yeah, I say you should do every room in the house why not? FOR+ Create your own design with its modular lighting bars+ Beautiful lighting effects+ Easy pairing and setting up+ Reacts to music playing+ Works with plenty of smart home platforms like Apple HomeKit, Google Home and etc, AGAINST Expensive Tedious preparation before set up Nanoleaf app can do better. The Lines only work with 2.4GHz Wi-Fi networks. If you really dont like the white finish, Nanoleaf sells black or pink Skins that clip onto the lights. The Lines have become a part of the decor of my home; they turn on automatically at sunset and turn off at midnight each night. As I do not have such a big table, I end up creating the design on the floor instead. Govee strips are really nice. Copyright 2022 IDG Communications, Inc. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Apple and While Nanoleaf tile kits shine light outwards, Lines has its lighting on the back so it shines against your wall. To hide the joins, each connector gets a Connector Cap, plus theres a special Controller cap that gives you physical controls for when you dont want to whip your phone out. Smarter Kits (9 Lines) are $199.99, and Expansion Packs (3 Lines) are $79.99. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. Installed above my MacBooks external 4K display, the easy-to-install Lines look sensational, and theyre easy to control and schedule using both the Nanoleaf app and Apples HomeKit platform. Elements. With gaps that you can see through, these lights blend in better than the previous models. I first reviewed the Nanoleaf Lines in October 2021 roughly six months ago. Upgrade your lifestyleDigital Trends helps readers keep tabs on the fast-paced world of tech with all the latest news, fun product reviews, insightful editorials, and one-of-a-kind sneak peeks. Nanoleaf provides 19 pre-set dynamic RGBW lighting scenes (meaning they shift colors) in the app, or you can create your own to add ambiance to a home theater or enhance your favorite chill-out space. So, it will match colour with whatever is displayed on your monitor. If you are using Razer products, you can even sync the Lines to Razer Chroma for thematic unity of all your devices. On the back of each strip are 24 LEDs, split into two optional zones. The connectors have covers to hide the inner workings and theres an additional one which serves as a control panel with click buttons for power, brightness, scene selection and more. Well, Nanoleaf Lines might be just the best set of smart lights for you. In the settings menu, you can adjust the auto-brightness, as well as settings like scene transitions which provides a black pulse to notify you that a transition has taken place. BestBuy. This requires the Nanoleaf desktop app, but can also work with a TV using an HDMI connection. Each light line is capable of throwing off up to 20 lumens, which means a nine-piece Smarter Kit will only generate up to 180 lumensnot all that bright, given that a single A19 bulb typically glows at about 800 lumens. Also (and as with Nanoleafs other smart lighting products), the Lines dont come cheap. You can also set use Siri or Google Assistant to power up the Lines. The light bars are easy to put together: just push the lights into the hexagonal Mounting Connectors. This will prevent the light bar from falling out during the preview as well as the actual installation. This looks good, but i would probably go with a big setup on one wall. Where do you plan to install the pole? Explained: What is Thread and why does it matter for your smart home. The backlit look is also a departure from the other shapes, which project light outwards, not back toward the wall. I better stick to discover and download. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. Its super easy and intuitive but still a good idea to lay out your design before sticking everything to the wall to make sure youre happy, it fits and everything works. Once I decided on my own pattern, I began the installation process with one light line with mounting connectors attached at either end. The starter Smarter Kit comes with 9 light bars, 9 connectors, 9 connector caps, 10 mounting plates with tape, a processor/power connector and power adapter. The individual light lines each have two zones, which can display different colors simultaneously. Copyright Wareable Ltd. All rights reserved. After that, you pull down on the exposed pull tape to remove the adhesive backing. Who cares that LED strips (made by the same company, no less) would cost but a fraction of these and very likely easier to link together? The $200 Lines are backlit, dual-color zone LED light bars. SPECSPRICE: S$339 (Smarter Kit), available in Lazada and ShopeeCOMPATIBILITY: Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings, Razer Chroma and IFTTTCOLOUR: Over 16 millions coloursBRIGHTNESS: 20 lumens (each lighting bar)WEIGHT: Lines (39g); Connector (15g). It provides nice ambient lighting whether you mount them on your living room or your study room. The Lines also has a screen mirroring feature. Each strip is 11in in length, including the connections at either end. The Skins are great, but the Flex Connectors will open up the options for designs in a huge way. Backlit, they connect at 60-degree angles to create geometric designs of your choosing, and with dual-color zones, the Lines ($199.99) can add a visual feast to any wall or ceiling. This product line also seems designed with the gamer in mind; especially as the Lines integrates with Nanoleafs screen mirror feature to sync your lights with on-screen colors and animations. As I mentioned earlier, the Nanoleaf Lines arent touch sensitive as the Shapes and Elements are. Manual connection is available as a last resort, but I didnt need that even though it took a couple of attempts to get everything working with Wi-Fi networks etc. In theory, setting up the Lines should be a breeze. It also has an augmented reality (AR) feature, which lets you superimpose your design on your wall. While the monochromatic, wood-look Elements were designed to blend in to your dining room decor, the colorful, eye-catching Lines are practically begging to go with your RGB-equipped gaming rig, where they can jazz up your Twitch stream and even mirror the colors on your screen. You can add on with the expansion pack (S$109) that comes with 3 light bars and corresponding connectors and caps. Nanoleaf recently released Lines Skins snap-on covers that change the colors of the system. You can in fact turn multiple Nanoleaf devices in one room at the same time like toggling power of setting scene/color. Unlike Nanoleafs previous smart lighting product, the Elements light panels, the Lines arent understated or subtle. Like I said before, these arent lights for utility. But you cannot sync them with music, whatsoever, Ok but why when you can just buy an led strip with a frosted channel and it will cost a fraction of what you paid for this, This looks good af man. Apple iPhone users get HomeKit support. buy it directly from Nanoleaf UK or retailers such as Furthermore, you need to design how it looks while accommodating the space you have. Are the Nanoleaf Lines still worth it after this time? Also in the box are nine hexagonal mounting connectors, which act as compact hubs for up to six light lines; nine caps that you snap onto the mounting connectors once youve attached the proper number of light lines; and 10 mounting plates, which each have double-sided pull tape as well as a pair of mounting holes for screws. To remove a mounting connector, you pull it straight out from the wall, leaving the mounting plate (pictured) behind. Digital Trends Media Group may earn a commission when you buy through links on our sites. Tech Advisor's Reviews Editor, Chris has been reviewing all kinds of tech for over 10 years and specialises in audio. That cable connects to a thin power connector, which contains a Thread border router. LED strips don't dance to music, or allow you to program them through a rich open source API. For party lovers, the music visualizer feature uses the Lines built-in microphone to change colors in step with the beat of the music that youre playing. One of these is Screen Mirror which, if you put the lights near your desktop, will mimic whats on the display much like Ambilight does on a Philips TV although it doesnt work quite as well as Ambilight. Plus, as with its current lighting panels, Nanoleafs Lines can act as a Thread border router to connect its Essentials line of bulbs and light strips to your network without a third-party hub. I was impressed by the different lighting effects they have for being so cheap. The Nanoleaf Lines can fit together in 60 degree angle increments, so theres a vast array of shapes on offer and, for the first time ever, Nanoleaf is saying that you can put its lights on the ceiling. You can follow Ben on Twitter. Note that they are designed for indoor use only. As with Nanoleafs Shapes, Canvas, and Elements wall panels, Lines can be installed using pre-affixed, double-sided tape, making it an easy setup although youll want to plan your design before committing. The Nanoleaf Lines are Wi-Fi powered and theres also good news on the smart home front as, like the Nanoleaf Shapes and Elements Controllers, the Nanoleaf Lines setup also acts as a Thread border router, providing a gateway for your Thread smart home devices like the Nanoleaf Essentials bulb - to the internet. This means any other Thread-enabled devices you own are connected to the Lines as well; they act as a relay point to strengthen the overall integrity of your network. Nanoleaf says Lines have been designed with Matter in mind and will work with the new standard via a software update next year. If you dont like the style of the Lines kit, then Nanoleaf also offers Lines Skins in matt black or matt pink for 14.99/US$19.99. We have different ideas, 5 reasons I still use the Echo Show 15 everyday, How smart tech can improve your 4th of July BBQ, With Tesla bleeding money, Elon Musk initiates hardcore spending review, Best wireless router deals for August 2022, Intel could give us Wi-Fi 7 devices long before Apple gets around to it, Best wireless keyboard deals for August 2022, Best Adobe Photoshop deals for August 2022. The first job is to plan your design, which is best done on a table or other large flat surface. For anyone else, the Lines kit provides the same versatility and feature set of more expensive options but, in my opinion, a much more stylish way with a more pleasing result. Once youve figured out your Lines design and have it powered up, its time to connect your phone or PC. You can attach up to six light lines into each mounting connector, and when youre done connecting, you secure the lines with a connector cap. We steer you to products you'll love and show you how to get the most out of them. Before you start installing Nanoleaf Lines on your wall, you should settle on a design. Remember to start with the connector, which doubles as the physical controller, first before branching out the design. Nanoleaf Lines are available now at via go.nanoleaf.me, priced at $199.99 for a starter kit of 9 Lines or $299.99 if you want 15 Lines. TechHive helps you find your tech sweet spot. That means you wont be able to swipe or tap the lines to (for example) change the brightness, switch lighting scenes, play light games, or control other smart home devices. Job done, the Lines looks great on a wall. When the power went out (thanks, Georgia storms), the Lines became unsynced from my smart home system. With six slots on each, you can come up with a wide range of shapes. I might reconfigure the layout once they release and run the lines up the wall and onto the ceiling for effect. Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide, Samsung set to launch Galaxy Home Mini 2 smart speaker, Panorama 3 is B&Ws first soundbar with Dolby Atmos. Check out our You could technically read by them, but it wouldnt be the best experience. Of course, you can also create your own scenes using the apps Scene Creator feature. And while the handsome Elements look pretty good when theyre not glowing, the same cant be said of the Lines, which are a bit of an eyesore when theyre powered off. As with its standard and dynamic lighting scenes, the Lines has a series of Music scenes as well, including Beat Drop, Cotton Candy, Hip Hop, and Jalapeno Heat.. govee rgbic strips can get the gradient effect as well. In comparison, Ive had multiple smart devices simply disappear from the system or lose connection to Wi-Fi, among other annoyances. When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. Unlike some RGB lighting stripes or light stands, each light bar of Lines projects light inward towards the wall or ceiling when mounted. Via Apple Home, you can change the colour and brightness of the light, and choose from your scenes. Get a Govee RGBIC strip off amazon. Similar to the Shapes and Elements, the Nanoleaf Lines has an integrated microphone that allows its lights to pulse along with a nearby music source. Plus, they work in a different way, shining light towards the wall to create a more subtle glow. Easier to install than previous Nanoleaf lights, the Nanoleaf Lines also look better when turned off, plus you get optional Skins to decorate the lights with. Roughly a foot long, the light lines in Nanoleafs Lines Smarter Kit feet incredibly light. Heck, even Nanoleafs 120-sided Essentials A19 bulb dances to its own beat. Unlike the likes of Nanoleaf Shapes or Elements, the new Lines, er, line dont actually light up themselves; they are smart backlit LED light bars that project light onto the wall on which they are mounted. Support for multiple smart home systems is great to see, and the quality of the light is excellent, adding a glowing bit of artwork to any home. Once youre in, the app is fairly easy to use on the whole, at least for the basics. As the Lines is installed above my monitor, it is fun to watch the lights change as I play Diablo III on my desktop PC. If you want more than nine Lines then an Please confirm your subscription to Verge Deals via the verification email we just sent you. The Nanoleaf Lines share many of the features of the Nanoleaf Shapes and Elements lights. As the lights all face the wall, the glow you get off them is different to the light from the Nanoleaf Shapes: wed say its more interesting and more subtle. These may be the smartest smart lights around. Maybe the nanoleaf ones, so u can sync them to the big lines setup.. but u would Not get this gradient effect tho. Nanoleaf provides a lot of scenes in the app, which range from basic static ones to motion scenes that swirl and change in color. In six months of use, Ive only had two problems with the Lines, and both were the fault of a random power outage. That gives a huge amount of variety, and you can connect lights in thousands of different ways. Lines can also pulsate along to music, and you can group your Lines installation with other Nanoleaf lights. The Ambient is reader-powered. Sony 1000XM4 vs 1000XM5: Time to Upgrade Headphones? This is because you need to visualise where you want to place the Lines.