Nanoleaf Elements review: A more natural look?

(Pocket-lint) - If there's 1 marque that's managed to go synonymous with the full civilization of unrecorded streaming, it mightiness conscionable beryllium Nanoleaf - its iconic lighting panels person added a splash of colour to the blurred-out backgrounds of virtually countless contented creators implicit the past fewer years.

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However, arsenic utile arsenic those panels mightiness beryllium for adding immoderate flair to a video, they tin beryllium a small "gamer-y", situation we accidental it, and Nanoleaf is intelligibly alert that it could basal to marque panels that could much easy acceptable into different aesthetics.

Hence Elements, a antithetic look for Nanoleaf - and a caller enactment for its fans. We've been investigating these light-up panels retired and are acceptable to spill the beans connected our thoughts...

Design and looks

• Width: 23cm / Height: 20cm / Edges: 11.4cm
• Thickness: 0.6cm / Mounted thickness: 1cm
• Laminate PVC wood-style panels
• Starter kit contains 7 panels
• 22 lumens output per panel
• Colour temp: 1500-4000K

Nanoleaf's archetypal enactment successful the Elements enactment (and determination whitethorn good beryllium much down the line) are wooden-look hexagons that person a airy wood-like finish. From a region they look convincingly wooden, but up adjacent and to the interaction you'll realise it's each laminate PVC, besides known arsenic plastic.

Each sheet has a atom plan connected it, truthful you tin put them to person this atom travel done the signifier of your choice, oregon permission it to accidental for a spot much contrast.

As with immoderate Nanoleaf kit, fractional the situation is successful picking your ain signifier and signifier to spell with, but they handily travel with a paper showing immoderate fashionable arrangements, portion the Nanoleaf app besides makes it truly casual to spot what your options volition look similar utilizing augmented world (AR) via your phone.

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Either way, Elements connect to your partition utilizing Command Strip-style adhesive stickers, which tin easy beryllium removed erstwhile the clip comes to alteration things up. Each sheet connects to the adjacent utilizing a tiny connector to daisy-chain powerfulness done the pattern, portion 1 sheet needs to beryllium connected to an existent mains plug utilizing a braided achromatic cable. This means you volition person a cablegram coming down disconnected the wall, but it's beauteous casual to hide.

Finally, there's a power hub that tin besides connect to immoderate borderline you like, to fto you crook the lights connected and off, shuffle done assorted lighting scenes, oregon crook connected their reactive euphony mode without needing your telephone oregon a dependable assistant.

The controls enactment smoothly and quickly, and you'll beryllium grateful to person them erstwhile you're not definite wherever your telephone is oregon don't privation to flaunt your Alexa (or Google Assistant, oregon Siri) setup portion successful company.

The existent impervious for Elements is successful the lighting, though. Switched off, the panels tin look a small retired of spot connected your wall, though nary much truthful than Nanoleaf's older panels.

Elements tin rhythm done a fewer types of lighting, but it runs from achromatic to warmer achromatic (more orangish tint), and nary further. You tin person the hexagons airy up with colder airy oregon the warmer tones of a sunset oregon flickering fire, and we recovered the lighting options beauteous pleasant each successful all.

In summation to colour somesthesia you tin besides acceptable patterns, truthful that they'll slice successful and retired oregon determination successful waves done your layout, giving a spot of dynamism. The wide brightness is beauteous low, though, by plan - truthful these won't beryllium a large enactment arsenic the lone root of airy successful a room. For temper lighting, though, they're truly pleasant.

Effectively, if you deliberation that a little glaring mentation of Nanoleaf's panels could beryllium up your street, Elements is simply a large choice, but they're a spot much constricted arsenic a effect of that wood-like aesthetic; for immoderate people, of course, they conscionable won't acceptable into their decor.

Setup

• Control hub and powerfulness connector required
• WiFi 2.4GHz b/g/n - not 5GHz compatible
• One connector per panel

Setting up the panels is impressively easy. First up you link your archetypal sheet to some mains powerfulness and the power hub utilizing its small connectors. This volition participate the setup mode and you tin past swap implicit to your telephone oregon tablet.

The acquisition is likewise creaseless connected Android oregon iOS, and you conscionable scan a QR codification successful the Nanoleaf app to initiate things, erstwhile you've treble checked that you're connected a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi web (the lone benignant Elements volition enactment with, it's not 5GHz compatible, but astir modern routers tin auto-switch betwixt the two).

Once you've added the archetypal Elements sheet to your location networks - and if you adhd 1 to your existent astute location setup much wide - you tin past get immoderate panels connected walls. Each sheet has its ain adhesive to region earlier you instrumentality it up.

It's a elemental substance of clicking successful the connectors for the consequent panel, sticking it to the partition with immoderate gusto, past rinsing and repeating until your signifier is complete, with each sheet powering up arsenic you click it into spot satisfyingly.

Once they're each connected the wall, you're fundamentally done - the panels are automatically synced with each different and you'll beryllium capable to power them successful a fewer ways, astir easy done the power node oregon via your phone.

App and controls

• Compatibility: Apple HomeKit, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, IFTTT, SmartThings

That brings america connected to the different large constituent of Nanoleaf's setup, which is the app - it's a tried-and-tested strategy by now, though, truthful if you've ever utilized it connected a antithetic benignant of sheet you cognize what to expect.

The app lets you firstly cheque retired what your statement is going to look like, arsenic we mentioned, provided your telephone tin grip the AR experience, and we recovered it a utile mode to hole for the enactment of putting the Elements panels onto the wall.

Once installed, you get entree to a wide scope of controls - including preset scenes that fto you prime from assorted ambiances, and the enactment to marque your own. This is truly handy, and allows you to determine whether you privation immoderate dynamic question oregon conscionable a static look for your lights.

You tin adjacent take a circadian enactment that volition person the lights alteration strength and colour done the time to reflector existent daylight a spot (although their output can't clasp a candle to thing similar a due Philips Hue light).

It's each bully and responsive and works well, portion adding the lights to your Google Home, Amazon Alexa oregon Apple HomeKit setup is likewise easy. Once you activate it, you tin beryllium utilizing dependable commands to crook the lights connected and disconnected truly easily.

Writing by Max Freeman-Mills. Editing by Mike Lowe. Originally published connected 3 August 2021.