Immersive Illumination: Nanoleaf Light Strips Create Magic

After thoroughly enjoying the Nanoleaf Skylight, I was pretty pumped to get my hands on Nanoleaf’s new Essentials Matter Smart Multicolour HD Light Strip. As a dad who’s been dabbling in smart home gadgets for a short while now, this seemed like a promising addition to my setup.

 

First impressions

Unboxing the 5-meter light strip was a pleasant surprise—it looked and felt like a quality product right from the start. Nano Leaf has really made a name for itself with their innovative RGB lighting, from their cool light panels to traditional bulbs and even ceiling-mounted skylights. They’ve become a go-to for smart home lighting, and this latest light strip didn’t disappoint.

 

Features

One of the coolest features is its ability to display multiple colours at once along the strip. Unlike the older version that only showed one colour at a time, this new strip lets each LED shine in different hues. The result? Stunning gradients and motion effects that are downright mesmerizing. With 60 LEDs per meter, the strip offers a dense array of lights, creating smooth, high-resolution effects—especially great for patterns like the rainbow wave.

Another big upgrade is the switch to Matter over Wi-Fi instead of Matter over Thread. This means you don’t need a Thread border router anymore, making it way easier to integrate with various smart home hubs. I use the Google Nest Hub Max, and connecting it was a breeze.

 

 

Set Up

Setting it up was straightforward. After cleaning the surface where I wanted to place the strip, I peeled off the adhesive backing and pressed it firmly in place. Pairing it with the Nanoleaf app was just as easy using the provided pairing code. The app has a ton of pre-set scenes, including sound-reactive options that sync with music. You can also customize your own scenes or pick colours using a colour wheel. The range of white colour temperatures, from warm to cool, is a nice touch for different moods and settings.

I attached the Nanoleaf light strip to my living room TV without any issues, and the adhesive strip held on nice and solid without any problems. I decided to run the same scenes as my Nanoleaf Skylight, creating an amazing visual effect throughout the entire room. The colours are so vivid that I found myself constantly looking into them in amazement.

 

One feature that really stood out to me is the desktop app compatibility, which syncs the strip’s colours with your monitor or TV display. This Screen Mirror function amps up the viewing experience by matching the strip’s colours with what’s on screen. Watching movies or playing games becomes way more immersive. Although it’s currently limited to Windows and Mac PCs, Nanoleaf also offers a 4D Screen Mirror + Lightstrip Kit with a camera for replicating this effect from any source, though this kit doesn’t support Matter and has fewer LEDs per meter.

 

Gripes

There are a few minor gripes, like the lack of scheduling support in the Nanoleaf app and the exposed LEDs which might look a bit off if placed in visible areas. But overall, the HD Light Strip is a winner. It’s trimmable, responds to music, dims, and offers extensive customization options. Plus, it integrates smoothly with other Nano Leaf devices, making it a seamless part of my home’s lighting setup.

 

Conclusion

All in all, the Nano Leaf Essentials Matter Smart Multicolour HD Light Strip is a fantastic product. Retailing around $119.99 AUD, its versatility, ease of setup, and Matter over Wi-Fi compatibility make it a great addition to any smart home. Whether you’re a seasoned smart home enthusiast or just starting out, this light strip offers a range of features that can really transform your living space in creative and beautiful ways.

A big thanks to our friends out there at Nanoleaf, they keep coming up with these amazing products.

 

Specs

• Dimensions & Weight
  • Controller Dimensions – 37 x 95.7 x 19.53 mm
  • Lightstrip Length – 5m
  • Lightstrip Width – 10mm
  • Lightstrip Height – 2.65mm
  • Cable Length – 1.5m
  • Weight – Lightstrip 178g, PSU 120g, Controller 40g
  • Spacing between LEDs – 16.66mm
• General
  • LEDs/m – 60
  • Colour Zones – 60 zones per metre
  • Total LEDs in 5m length – 300
  • Trimmable – Yes, follow cut marks
  • Extendable – no
  • Usage – Indoors
  • IP Rating – IP20
  • Brightness – 550 lumens
  • Mounting Type – Lightstrip: Tape at the back of the Lightstrip. Controller: Tape at the bottom.
• Colour
  • Colour Channel Configuration – RGBIC
  • Colour Capability – More than 16 million
  • Total number of zones in 5m length – 300
  • Colour Temp Range – 2700 – 6500K
• Power
  • Input Voltage (US/CA) – 100V-240V,50/60Hz
  • Input Voltage (EU/UK/SG/SA/UAE/IL/HK/MO) – 200V-240V,50/60Hz
  • PSU Output Voltage – 5V3A
  • Max Power Supply Power – 15W
  • Standby Power Consumption -0 ≤1W
  • Lifetime – 25,000 hours
  • Working Temperature – 0℃ to 45℃
  • Operating Humidity – 10% to 90%
• Control
  • Communication Protocol – WiFi (2.4 GHz b/g/n), NOTE: 5 GHz networks are not compatible with Nanoleaf products
  • Dimmability – Yes (via Nanoleaf App, Voice, Controller)
  • Dimming Range – 1% – 100%
• The Nanoleaf App – Control via Nanoleaf App (Android & iOS) for mobile/tablet or the Nanoleaf Desktop App (Windows & Mac).
  • Compatibitility – Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Razer Chroma
• Warranty – 2 Years