They bring modular and smart lighting concept to the traditionally boring world of ceiling lights.
Each panel measures 30cm square, and can output an enormous 1400 lumens of white light.
The color output is less impressive though, and the LED arrangement leads to hotspots around the edges.
James Bruce / MakeUseOf
Be very careful with theseany scratches are going to be painfully obvious once a light is shining through them.
This will be the first one you fit and connect to the power cable from your ceiling.
Installation requires a lot of holesfour per panel.
The Nanoleaf Skylight offers a compelling, smart, and modular alternative to traditional ceiling lights, allowing you to daisy chain up to 100 panels—each providing up to 1400 lumens of white light. The color output is less impressive though, and the LED arrangement leads to hotspots around the edges. It’s a pricey option at $250 for only three panels, which offers limited design options, but the range of software features, such as desktop mirror or Razer Chroma integration for immersive gaming, might clinch it for you.
While mounting the panels to the ceiling is tedious but easy, the wiring needs a little thought.
If you look closely at the panels, youll see lines indicating where the cabling is supposed to run.
The data signal cable is very small and has jumper-style connectors that push in easily in one direction only.
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after you grab a single panel wired in, the rest of the panels can daisy chain off that.
For reference, an old-school 100W incandescent bulb emits around 1600 lumens; 75W is roughly 1100 lumens.
So each Nanoleaf Skylight panel is somewhere between 75W and 100W bulb equivalent.
James Bruce / MakeUseOf
It took me about two hours total to install three panels.
Keep the QR code safe; the Skylight will be useless without it.
During setup, you’ll also confirm the layout and set the default power-on state.
James Bruce / MakeUseOf
Pure RGB colors, however, will not be nearly as bright.
RGB colors measured closer to 110 to 200 lux, depending on the hue.
So I’d estimate the color brightness to be around 1/10th of the stated pure white modes.
James Bruce / MakeUseOf
This results from having LEDs around the edge only, with the power circuitry in the center.
Another minor point is that the panels are highly reflective.
In the image above, you could even see the games on my shelf.
James Bruce / MakeUseOf
Of course, you might save a little if you purchase a 6 or 12-panel starter kit instead.
So don’t expect much variety.
In the starter set, you will only ever have three “pixels” to design with.
James Bruce / MakeUseOf
However, you’re limited to single colors or white from the quick control.
The Nanoleaf smartphone app is less intuitive, but you’ll soon get the hang of it.
The Magic Scene feature is the most disappointing.
James Bruce / MakeUseOf
You punch in in a word or phrase, and the app comes up with some color choices.
For instance, the word “burning” offered a dark purple and orange concoction.
You’ll also find a separateDiscovertab, which is where you might browse the library of animations and scenes.
James Bruce / MakeUseOf
Compared to the Govee app, the Nanoleaf scene creator seems a lot more user-friendly.
Further, Nanoleaf offers a desktop app.
Sign in to your Nanoleaf cloud account to sync up your devices from the smartphone app.
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In this mode, your Skylight will reflect your screen content.
Should You Buy the Nanoleaf Skylight?
James Bruce / MakeUseOf
James Bruce / MakeUseOf
James Bruce / MakeUseOf
