Nanoleaf Blocks - A New Dimension In Smart Lighting

When Nanoleaf launched its first range of light panels in 2016, many of us, especially the geeks among us, could see they were onto a winner.

By that stage, RGB lighting for gaming rigs and accessories was already a thing and it didn't take a genius to figure out there'd be a receptive market if you took that same kind of customisable lighting and attached it to the walls, plugged it into lamps and eventually, stuck it to the ceiling.

Combined with the on-demand ability to change theme at a simple button press - or even a voice command - Nanoleaf's various shapes, bulbs and strips began popping up everywhere.

Then, as more and more people started integrating more and more IoT devices into their homes, Nanoleaf was right there too - responding to automated routines to turn on, off or change colour.

I still have a set of Hexagons in the garage that's set to light up whenever the Domestic Manager gets home. That's because she usually spends the next five minutes sitting in her car checking her phone, then the light on the garage door opener goes out and she can't see anymore. Thanks to Nanoleaf, we've fixed that. Ain't technology grand?

But perhaps the most important thing about setting up and using Nanoleaf products is, it's fun.

And now they've made it more fun.

Nanoleaf Blocks are pretty self explanatory; essentially the square light panels we've seen before but now... with depth. About 29mm of depth, to be precise.

Not only does this make your bespoke smart-panel installation look more appealing - especially from an angle - but it also opens the door to a whole new range of accessories and add-ons that wouldn't have been practical with the previously flat shapes.

I'm reviewing the Blocks Combo XL Smarter kit here, which means four large squares, four small squares, a light pegboard, two pegboard hooks and a shelf.

The kit also includes a swag of hardware for installation including numerous mounting plates, stick-on tapes, a power supply, a control panel and just enough rigid linkers to join everything together electronically.

If you haven't had a play with Nanoleaf Shapes before, the rigid linkers click into place at the back of each panel, connecting them in whatever configuration you choose. This overall layout is then automatically detected so different coloured themes can be applied using the Nanoleaf app, or via any other smart-home ecosystem. And I mean all of them; Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings, Google Home - even Razer Chroma (for all you hard-core gamers).

What's more, because Nanoleaf Blocks can act as a Thread border router, eventually it will make your smart home network stronger, improving IoT connectivity.

I've certainly been impressed at how quickly these new panels respond to my spoken commands, as you'll see me demonstrate in the video below. (Once I remember how to talk to Siri, that is)

The physical control panel lets you toggle through different themes and colours too, some static, some dynamic and you can set the panels to respond to sound and music as well - always a crowd-pleaser. Although not included in the Combo XL pack, you can also purchase Textured Squares which claim to offer, "a 3D multi-faceted design."

Of course, being thicker means the Blocks are quite a bit heavier than previous shapes so the mounting system is a little different. It's still a combination of two-sided tape and plastic mounting plates but these plates are now in a cross-shape that stretches right to the edge of each panel.

Nanoleaf also insists if you're adding the Light Pegboard or Shelf, these need to be screwed in, not just taped-up. This is because they're rated to support up to 1.5kg for the shelf and 3kg for the pegboard. In fact, the pegboard itself is considerably more weighty, due to the fact the hole-festooned cover is made of metal. While this makes it nice and durable when hanging up things like headphones or gaming controllers, I'm sure Nanoleaf could have found something just as tough and a bit lighter.

Either way, I decided to risk it and 24 hours later my tape-only installation is still hanging in there. This is good news because although I asked for planning permission from the Domestic Manager before putting my random arrangement of blocks up on the wall, you never know when the interior design approval might be revoked. That's why it's always safer to have done as little permanent damage to the paintwork as possible.

Although you can use the Nanoleaf app to try out different configurations before you hang your blocks, I still found it quite a challenge installing them. Like all the best puzzle games, because each block needs to be connected to the others by a Rigid Linker, you need to think about which order you're going to put them up and it's very satisfying if you get it right first time. I didn't. But I can imagine it would've been very satisfying if I had.

Luckily, you can simply unclip each panel from its mounting plate once you've stuck it all up. This means you can swap different types of panels around and add others later.

What's more, because they all use the same kind of linking system, if you own previous models of Nanoleaf Shapes, you can add some flat ones to the Blocks for even more variety.

As I said at the top, I've always found Nanoleaf products to be a lot of fun but there's something about playing with actual blocks that speaks directly to my inner child. They click together. They light up. They respond to music. Come on, tell me that doesn't sound like a great time.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the Nanoleaf Blocks Combo XL Smarter Kit.