We often talk about Nanoleaf light bricks: we often met them at the fair (here and here): Nanoleaf Canvas Starter Kit is basically the primary part of the Canvas model kit with square elements, the base from which you start composing your own idea, then embellishing it with other sets, which can also be purchased at a later time.
We too have succumbed to temptation, and here we are to tell you how it is.
Nanoleaf Canvas Starter Kit is a bit like LEGO
For those unfamiliar with them, Nanoleaf wall lights are basically luminous tiles, which can be attached anywhere, from walls to ceramics and even furniture. The tiles are controlled by touch or via Wi-Fi from mobile devices such as iPhone, iPad or Android.
An application of the Nanoleaf Canvas Starter Kit, here for the artistic reproduction of a whale. The rectangular shape makes them suitable for creations of this type, even if at this point the budget goes up
The idea is to offer a basic set, consisting in our case of four tiles, the power supply, the connectors (then we will understand what they are) and the stickers.
Once the Nanoleaf Canvas Starter Kit has been installed, it can be implemented with other sets, drawing from the same family: the sets “fit together” with each other, forming luminous figures which can then be controlled via the App (up to a total of 500 elements if equipped with the correct number of power supplies).
Like the most famous Lego sets, the various sets can also be purchased at different times, and the figure can be composed a little at a time over time, thus allowing to dilute the investment, even if it must be said that the bricks, once glued to the wall, they cannot be detached (in the sense that given the tenacity of the double-sided adhesive it will be difficult not to take away the plaster but you can always use an intermediate surface).
Master and slave
The bricks are all the same and there is extreme freedom in the composition: each of them is composed of a front surface which, in addition to lighting up, is also touch and a lower shaped one for attachment to the wall, with four slots for the connectors.
The latter allow the passage of both the power supply and the signal, offering freedom of composition, as long as the various tiles offer a minimum point of contact with each other.
After trying everything on a table, we decided to attach them to the wall, an operation that requires a little patience but which is not at all difficult, thanks also to the stickers present in the box (which can probably be replaced with simple wall stickers. .
Although the tiles (which have a size of 15 cm per side, for about 8 mm thick) are interchangeable in their position, they are divided into a “master” and other “slaves”: the first has a small push-button panel that offers essential commands such as changing light sets, switching on or off, brightness and music activation (as we will see shortly).
Having said that, being touch in any case, all the tiles allow you to activate some commands, as set in the App, so you only turn to the master tile for specific commands, except that most of the time you can control them remotely.
And there was light
Once connected to the power supply and turned on, you need to download the App for mobile devices and carry out the initialization process, following the instructions of the App, which lasts no more than five minutes under Wi-Fi network.
From this point of view the App is very well done, all the instructions are in Italian and it is not necessary to be an expert to complete the set-up: the system is also compatible with the various Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple HomeKit for those who wants to deepen the automation and integration of the case. From a Windows perspective, Nanoleaf Canvas Starter Kit is also compatible with Razer's Synapse system, in order to have a coordinate between mouse, keyboard, speakers and, if desired, also Thunderbolt 3 HUB.
Through the App it is possible to manage every smallest detail of the set, from color to frequency, program timed and automatic switching on and off, make the lights “listen” to the music of the device that controls them and behave consequently, creating an interesting “strobe” effect and also creating sets to be managed dynamically according to the occasion.
Controls (too much) advanced
If the initial part of managing the lights via the App is simple, as is the control by third party services (such as HomeKit or Alexa), a second part is inside the App which is not at all.
The management of the sets, the lights inside the set and the painstaking customization of the lighting aspects is from a certain point of view very detailed, on the other hand quite complex, so much so that to master everything you need to invest enough time and tests.
Everything is managed by “sets”, which must be activated one at a time: by default there are many and many others are freely downloadable and avoidable, as well as there is ample freedom to create others from scratch.
The pairing phase of the Nanoleaf Canvas Starter Kit, here on the iPhone: very simple and well done, is reach of all
But the point is that the interface is not exactly familiar: the steps inside the editing of a set are many and it often happens to get lost in the options or in the levels and sub-levels of customization of every aspect with the bad habit of asking for confirmation of saving. at each exploration, even if no changes are made in this regard.
What appears is that the system is designed more for ad hoc installers than for end users or, better, that end users are invited to easily use the ready-made sets but that to perform any type of customization, everything is designed for a “Pro” environment. All these controls remain alive only within the proprietary App and are not manageable outside.
Color set management: the App is very powerful and detailed, but for full control you need patience and a lot of attention
Considerations
The writer admits that he is very pleased with the Nanoleaf Canvas Starter Kit, which he proudly flaunts in every webinar and will likely expand with another set in the future.
The final result is very beautiful, the light is clearly ambient and, if perhaps it is not designed to make people read a book, it clearly offers a really interesting impact and in some ways unique in the market, given the variety of lighting and capabilities on the one hand and the refinement of the internal software on the other.
The cost, unfortunately, is not really popular: about one hundred Euros for the basic kit and something more for the extensions, which are an affordable price for those who may decide to insert the budget in a renovation but perhaps high for a user who sees it as a whim to buy. It costs more or less the same as a good lamp, but it does not give as much light, even if it offers infinite customization capabilities compared to a classic lamp with enviable smart control (with which, if you are good, you can really make it do anything).
Our setup: the webcam rendering of the Nanoleaf Canvas Starter Kit requires a lowering of the intensity but the result is very good
Pros:
• Very interesting design • Incredible customization ability • Smart and touch controls • The base set can be expanded indefinitely
Cons:
• Customization becomes complex from a certain point onwards • The price is high
Price:
• 99.99 Euros (Nanoleaf Canvas Starter Kit) • 79.99 Euros (Nanoleaf Canvas Expansion Pack 4) • 182.75 Euros (Nanoleaf Canvas Expansion Pack 9)
Nanoleaf Canvas Starter Kit is available from the website of the parent company but you can also find it more conveniently at Amazon.it
