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Nanoleaf Panels have been on the market for around a decade now. Founded in 2012 by three engineers who gathered their first funding via Kickstarter, Nanoleaf is now one of the premium names within the smart lighting community. With top-of-the-line technology packed into every panel, Nanoleaf set itself apart initially in two ways.
First, by being ridiculously stylish. With many different designs to choose from and a truly mind-boggling potential for customization, Nanoleaf Panels can sell themselves simply on their looks.
However secondly, and more importantly, by developing award-winning LEDs which are massively efficient and greener for the environment than other LEDs. Winning the Red Dot Design award (an immensely prestigious award; read about their designs here) multiple times, Nanoleaf cemented itself as a high-quality, reliable producer of lighting options.
Another of the smaller ways in which Nanoleaf sets itself apart is with the panels’ ease of installation. Simply mount the lights onto a wall or surface and they’re good to go. The controller, supplied with starter kits or separately, can get you started nicely.
For more intricate and personal control, such as setting up day and night cycles or changing light scenes, you’ll need to connect the panels to your local WiFi first.
If this is your first time using Nanoleaf and are not sure how to do this, here is my simple guide on how to connect Nanoleaf to WiFi and other smart devices.
Connecting To Nanoleaf Panels via Android
To get started, you will need a few things.
First and foremost – Nanoleaf Panels need a 2.4GHz WiFi connection to function. Newer connections work at a 5GHz frequency so if you have more up-to-date broadband, you’ll need to lower the band.
Once you have the correct WiFi setup, you’ll just need your android device and Nanoleaf panels. Nanoleaf’s Android app is available here on the Google Play Store. Download the app, ensure that your location settings are on, connect to the WiFi network which the lights will use and activate the app.
Within the app, select the “Devices” option and then the + symbol. Select Light Panels as your device and choose one of the pairing options available.
The most simple option is likely to scan the QR code which will be on the welcome card, the controller for the lights and the power supply unit.
The controller also has an “NFC Tap” option. Simply ensure that NFC is activated on the android device and then hold the device against the light controller. In pairing mode, this should be enough to connect the devices.
If you do not want to use NFC for whatever reason, the welcome card also has an eight-digit input for manual connections. You will still need to use your phone camera but this method does not require a QR code.
Connecting To Nanoleaf Panels via iOS
The pairing process for an iPhone or iPad is essentially exactly the same as for Android except you’ll be getting the app from the App Store. (Or you can use the helpful link provided)
The two apps are functionally identical between operating systems. Just make sure location settings are on and use either the QR codes provided once prompted within the app or the NFC Tap option.
How To Connect Nanoleaf To Google Home
Set up your Nanoleaf app if you haven’t done so already and pair the app to your panels. Once you have done that, go into the Google Home App. Go into the Home Page and click on the + symbol. Then, select set up device and after that select the option that says works with Google.
Once you click that, it will prompt you to find a known device from your phone. Instead of scrolling to find the Nanoleaf app, just type it in the search bar at the top. Once you select the Nanoleaf app, you’ll be redirected to log back into your Nanoleaf account to grant Google access to your light panels. Log in and click on ‘allow’ to authorize Google.
Going back to the Google Home app, you should see all the lights have now been set up! You can let Google Home where each light is set up by placing them in ‘rooms’.
How To Connect Nanoleaf To Alexa
Connecting Nanoleaf to Alexa follows a similar process to Google Home. Go into your Alexa app from your device and tap the ‘Devices’ tab at the bottom of the screen. On the next page, click on ‘your smart home skills’, followed by ‘enable smart home skills.’
Search for Nanoleaf in the options and once you’ve got it, select the Nanoleaf app. Select enable to use and this will prompt you to log in to your Nanoleaf account. Give Alexa access by tapping ‘allow’. Then, tap close and discover devices. Alexa will take a few seconds to find your lights. Once they have been found, click on ‘lights’ in the Alexa app. You should now see all your Nanoleaf lights connected.
Connecting Multiple Users With iOS
One small difference is that by using the Apple Home app in conjunction with the Nanoleaf app, you may invite other members of the household or office to control the lights themselves.
For the primary user, navigate to the Nanoleaf app and then select the “More” tab. From there, select “Users” and you will have the option to invite a secondary user.
For these secondary users, access will be opened via the Home app. Accepting the invitation will give you control of the Light Panels as well as any other HomeKit devices in the same home.
What To Do When Changing WiFi Networks or Providers
Nanoleaf Panels will only associate with a singular WiFi network. Many places have multiple networks layered on top of each other so this is a sensible design choice. However, if for whatever reason you need to change your router, you will need to reset the lights and reconnect them to the new network.
To enact a soft reset onto your Nanoleaf Panels is very simple. Press and hold down the “Power” and “Brightness” buttons on the controller at the same time. Once the Status LED begins to flash, you can let go. When the Power button LED is back on and steady, you’re nearly done.
Then, open your Nanoleaf App and navigate to “My Devices” for iOS or “Devices” for Android. Just delete the Nanoleaf panels from this page. With no primary connection, the lights will reset and be ready to connect onto the new network.
Make sure any scenes or settings which you are partial to are saved to your Nanoleaf account to ensure you do not lose anything in the reset.
How To Hard Reset Nanoleaf Panels
There are some occasions where it makes more sense to completely clear the device. Keep in mind a hard reset will remove any settings, scenes and pairing information from the panels. Scenes are saved to your Nanoleaf account on their app, but they will need to be reloaded after a reset.
Before starting make sure your Nanoleaf app has location settings turned on.
Not to be confused with the soft reset, a hard reset is performed with the “Power” and the “Toggle” buttons being pressed down together. After ten seconds or so, the status LED will begin to rapidly flash and the buttons can be released.
After around two minutes, the reboot should be complete. The panels will start flowing with colors and the Status LED will turn a solid white. Reset complete, the panels can be used again as though they were just taken out of the box.