The lights at home have long ceased to be just lights to become decorative elements that change the atmosphere of your home depending on the moment, and These Nanoleaf Hexagons also allow you to control your HomeKit environments.
Nanoleaf launches its new Shapes category with hexagonal-shaped luminous panels that allow you to illuminate a room by creating different environments ideal to enjoy your favorite movies, support light to work with your computer, make them "dance" to the rhythm of the music or simply to decorate with its almost infinite animations. But in addition, Nanoleaf has equipped each panel with sensors so that by touching them you can execute actions that allow you to control the panels themselves or any other accessory compatible with HomeKit in addition to playing with the panels, thus becoming smart lights in the broadest of definitions. . We show you its installation, configuration and management process in this video and in this article.
Starter Kit, everything you need to get started
We tested the most basic kit that Nanoleaf offers us: Starter Kit. The box contains nine light panels, a controller that allows you to add up to 500 hexagonal panels, and a charger that allows you to power 21 panels. We also find the adhesive tape with which we can place them on any smooth surface, and the pieces that join each panel and allow electricity to be transmitted to each one of them.
These are independent light panels made of plastic, very light and with a hexagonal design. The idea is to combine them creating the shape we want, and of course We can expand the kit by buying other accessories in case we want a larger shape or even "upholster" an entire wall. The connection is made via WiFi to our home network, being compatible only with 2,4GHz networks. Although in this article we are going to focus on their compatibility with HomeKit, they are also compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
Installation and configuration
When you see this type of accessory, the first thing you think is that the installation must be complicated, but nothing is further from the truth. Nanoleaf has greatly simplified the installation process thanks to the double-sided adhesives that are included and its simulator that uses Augmented Reality to see how our design will look and thus be sure of where and how to place them.
To see how the panels are installed, it is best to watch the video, and I also recommend it so that you do not make any mistake that you later regret. I just want to highlight two tips that I give you in the video: first do not worry about placing the first piece well aligned, because that piece can then be rotated to leave it in the perfect position, but once you place the second one, the position will already be fixed and you will not be able to modify it; Second, put the power supply as soon as possible, so that when you place a panel you can see that the connection is correct when it lights up, because if you place it and then check that it does not light up, you will have to remove it and that implies a high risk that you from problems.
Once we have placed the panels with the design we wanted, it is time to add it to HomeKit, which is as simple as ever. We scan the code that is included in the instructions inside the box or that is on the plug and we wait for it to be added to our network, specifying the room in which we want to configure it. Once this is done, we can go to the Nanoleaf application to install the environments and configure the touch actions.
A complete and well thought out app
Nanoleaf offers us a free application (link) with which we can control our light panels and download all kinds of designs for our smart lights. If you are very clear about a design, you can create it yourself, give it animation and configure it to your liking, but if your imagination is more limited, you have a list of designs that is endless and that with a single click (and completely free) you can download to enjoy it in your Hexagons. And if you want to modify them to give them a more personal touch, no problem.
With Hexagons you can create fixed designs or have them change with a totally customizable speed. As well you can install games that you can interact with using the touch panels, or put designs that vary depending on the music to liven up your parties at home. The 16 million colors of these panels give you endless possibilities to create the color combinations you want.
One of the most spectacular effects that these Hexagons offer us is the Screen Mirror mode. With an application that you install on your computer you can make the lights show the colors that appear on the computer screen. Spectacular to enjoy multimedia content, you will not need any additional hardware to use it. The intensity of the panels is high, they can even be used to illuminate a room, and the 16 million colors are intense and vibrant. It can only be put as a defect that in the corners of the hexagons there are dead zones that do not bother me, but that are noticeable.
As is usually the case, the Home application is much simpler, it will only allow you to control the on and off, and change the color of the whole set, without the possibility of combining colors. But Nanoleaf has come up with a very clever way to solve this problem, and that is Each design you install on your Nanoleaf Hexagons will automatically create a Home environment, so you can activate it from the Home app, create automations or use Siri.
Editor's opinion
It is easy to fall into the error of thinking that luminous panels do not add more than a touch of decoration to your room, but the reality is that this type of lighting hooks you once you try it. Reading a book, enjoying a series or movie, working on your computer or listening to music are activities that are carried out on a day-to-day basis and are enjoyed even more with adequate lighting. Hexagons offers us the best possible experience when it comes to light panels, with a very well made application, a total integration with HomeKit and a very simple mounting system, with surprising functions such as the Screen Mirror or the animations controlled by the sound of the music. Its price is € 201 on Amazon (link)