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Smart lighting panels are a new hit tech item on the market. At the top of the pile when it comes to this high-quality, high-tech paneling are Nanoleaf lights. Founded in 2012 by three savvy engineers and then funded via Kickstarter, Nanoleaf filled its niche well.
When it comes to high-end, user-friendly and vibrant smart lighting, Nanoleaf is the place to look.
Once you’ve seen their many gorgeous designs and possibly come up with a few of your own, you may run into a question of quantity. How many Nanoleaf can you connect? Or, how many Nanoleaf canvas panels can you connect? What’s the maximum number of Nanoleaf connections possible? What are the limitations and where can you overcome them?
Let’s see if I can help clear some of this up.
How Many Nanoleaf Can You Connect?
The answer to this is as many as you like. As long as you have enough sockets and PSUs, and space on your walls. Well, I say as many as you like but there is a Nanoleaf maximum panel you can connect.
You can connect up to 500 shapes or canvas squares with one controller and up to 30 light panels.
Imagine having 500 panels lighting up a room. Wow.
Please don’t go out and buy 500 panels though, your wallet will hate you for it. Start off with the starter kits and build up. Each kit has a certain amount of panels. On top of the starter kit, you can also buy an expansion pack which allows you to add onto your existing Nanoleaf design.
If you are wondering how many Nanoleaf panels you get and how many are in the expansion pack, take a look at the table below as I break down each Nanoleaf by design and shape.
| Nanoleaf Design | Starter Kit | Expansion Pack |
| Elements Hexagons | 7 Panels | 3 Panels |
| Lines 90 Degrees | 4 Lines | 3 Lines |
| Lines 60 Degrees | 9 Lines | 3 Lines |
| Limited Edition Ultra Black Triangles | 9 Panels | 3 Panels |
| Hexagon | 9 or 15 Panels | 3, 5 or 25 Pack |
| Triangles | 9 Panels | 3 or 25 Pack |
| Mini Triangles | 9 Panels | 5, 10 or 50 Pack |
| Canvas | 9 Panels | 4 or 25 Pack |
Each starter kit comes with light panels, mounting tape, mounting plates, linkers, a controller and a power supply. The expansion packs include the lights, mounting plates, mounting tape, and linkers. You can also purchase every single item individually.
NOTE: You can’t mix and match panels. For example, you can’t combine element panels with a canvas panel. The only panels that are compatible with each other are all the shapes; hexagons, triangles, and small triangles.
The Power Supply Unit (PSU)
Nanoleaf panels are specialized light sources that require Nanoleaf’s proprietary power supply units. If the availability of outlets is your bottleneck, this is the limiter for how many panels you can connect.
There are two strengths to the power supply unit, with the lower wattage being 42w and the higher being 75w. If you can only use one outlet for your Nanoleaf panels, a 75w PSU can handle even more depending on whether you’ve chosen to use hexagons, triangles or the smaller mini-triangles.
The Nanoleaf PSU calculator (Found here) can help you mix and match these shapes while you’re designing the perfect layout.
The Light Controller
Coming alongside the starter kit is the Nanoleaf controller (sold separately here). While the Nanoleaf panels themselves can connect to your home or office WiFi, you may not have the patience for that. This clever little widget plugs into any available slot on the Nanoleaf panels and makes the magic happen from there.
According to the Nanoleaf new user manual, each controller can technically operate up to 500 shapes, though to make this work you’ll need to be handy when it comes to coding and using OpenAPI or look into Nanoleaf’s own expansion pack. The FAQ on Nanoleaf’s website suggests around 30 panels should be the upper limit for the controller itself when it comes to the starter pack.
Connecting On The Cloud
Just like any good smart device, Nanoleaf has a stylish and easy-to-use app that can be downloaded onto your phone, computer or other applicable devices. With the app, just like the controller which comes with the lights, you’re given the capability to switch your lights on or off.
While the controller has an upper limit of 30 panels, the Nanoleaf Smarter Series App has a feature called “group scene” which can join up even larger arrays and get you to that immense 500 panel limit we talked about above.
How Many Is Too Many?
The sky is the limit and the light show is yours to control. Is there a Nanoleaf panel maximum? Or has no one simply been brave enough? With enough power supplies, smartphones and the desire to go beyond what is necessary, there would be no true limit to the number of panels that could work together.
500 is the limit with one controller, imagine what you can do with multiple controllers and PSUs…
Putting It Simply
With a 42w Nanoleaf PSU, you can simply and reliably connect around 30 Nanoleaf panels to brighten up a space. Using the PSU calculator on Nanoleaf’s website can help you work out how many units you may need.
Without being limited in power, the controller can handle the same 30, while your phone can go further than that and group up even larger collections.