Nanoleaf - Canvas Smarter Kit - 9 Light Squares - Multicolor

Nanoleafs are more than just smart lights and to judge them on that basis is to do them a bit of an injustice. It's more like a modern art piece that you personalize and display as you would a fine painting or a sculpture. That you can interact with them via touch and have them interact with your environment via sound is evidence of this. But there's more than a few reviews here that tell how much fun and beauty they possess so I'd like to touch on a few other things that you may not be aware of. For me one of the biggest things about the Nanoleaf platform is it's dedication to the user community it has created. Setting them up is made so much easier thanks to the many tutorial videos on YouTube and their community forums on Reddit. That shows a level of commitment that a lot of vendors simply don't possess in this market. Another, even bigger show of commitment is the fact that there is a published, open and most importantly LOCAL API interface. If you're not familiar with what that means, an API or application programming interface is a documented 'back door' to the platform, giving you a number of abilities to interface with other systems. It's one of the reasons that it is so easy to control your Nanoleaf devices (Canvas, Aurora and the remote) with Alexa and Google Assistant, but it also means that there are opportunities for other programmers to develop interfaces and applications for the platform now and in the future. For example, I use an open source program called HomeAssistant to control my smart home and Nanoleaf is a supported platform. It took me a few minutes tops to get HomeAssistant to recognize and control my new Canvas setup. SmartThings is yet another popular platform that supports Nanoleaf, as does IFTTT and Yonomi. And because it's a local API, it will work without a connection to the internet and doesn't rely on a cloud service that might be shut down in the future. These are important considerations for anyone buying into a smart platform these days! A few things I learned along the way setting up my Canvas: 1. Blue Painter's tape is your friend. Besides laying out lines to keep your creation level and proportional, I found it easier to layout my design on the floor and then tape the whole thing together so you can pick it up and mount it on the wall as one piece - great if you're working solo like I was! I would highly suggest buying a roll before you get started - trust me you'll use it. 2. It's a good idea to reserve a static IP address for your Nanoleaf, but the app doesn't show either the MAC or IP anywhere. I found mine by using a port scanner on my network and searching for a device using the port number 16021 - this is Nanoleaf's API endpoint and chances are near 100% that no other device on your network is using it, making it easier to determine the IP address. 3. I found that pairing using the QR code caused the app to time out and it's much faster and more reliable just to punch in the 8 digit code manually. When I did this, it paired in seconds. 4. The app is great for designing your own scenes and schemes and the Discover feature gets you access to many great user contributed scenes that you can either use as they are or as a starting point for your own creations. But the interface can be confusing at times and needs a bit of work. For instance, you can preview scenes before you download them, but you have to select your Canvas device before you do. Ok fine. But then when you decide to download it, it asks you again which device to download it to. This seems like an unnecessary step given the fact that you just indicated the device a few seconds before. And things aren't always where you would expect them to be in the app. Overall, it works well, especially when creating your own scenes but like I said, there's a learning curve until you get used to the flow. Yes, it is a bit pricey but the build quality is solid and like I said in the beginning - you need to look at this as more than just some multicolored smart lighting and look at it as an art piece. Still, I think if these were priced just a little lower more people would be willing to take the chance on them. And take the chance you should, because there is nothing like them anywhere. They are gorgeous and while the starter kit is sufficient to get you a nice display, I already plan on ordering an expansion kit within the next few days - seeing them in action has convinced me I need more. It's easy to get addicted. The pricing is the only thing that made me hesitate on giving it five stars but in the end, scoring them as "Good" just didn't feel right for something that looks this awesome. Everyone who's stopped by my house and seen them has "Oohed" and "Ahhed" at them... and that's really the best you can hope for when you put a piece of artwork on your walls, right?

These are one of the most breathtaking light accessories on the market. The versatility of how you can let your imagination run wild and a wall where you once may thought of a nice piece of art work or wallpaper is combined in one, AND they dance to music. They are also very easily configurable with your HomeKit accessories, if you're invested in the apple HomeKit. Say for example, you want to set a scene, you can do that by assigning one of the panels to either press, double tap or long press to trigger the scene. I went over board with the amount of bundles and expansion packs I purchased, it's just one of my favorite things ever. I feel like I'm light engineering a huge concert. I can't say enough good things about them. Oh and I've heard people complain about how bright they are? that's insane, just slower the brightness and a appreciate the face that it's not a product that you have to squint your eyes and tilt your head to figure out what's going on. I'll post one of my setups with 74 light squares and it doesn't do it justice but it'll give you and ideal. Thank you Nanoleaf for creating and thank you Best Buy for carrying this delightful innovation!! also, if you suffer from insomnia, which I have since PTSD, these honestly sooth you into relaxed state. HIGHLY Recommend!!! Customer Service is top notch also.

Soooo... I have 3 sets of the Canvas Smarter kit The Nanoleaf products can be somewhat difficult to find in the physical. Go ahead and purchase the flexible linkers now because after one or two mishaps hanging your tiles the rigid ones will break and you will have to wait longer than you want for the replacements... in my opinion the two sided tape supplied is not really suitable for hanging or rehanging.. be sure to clean your walls first .. and make sure you place it right the first time... cause the tape doesn’t like being removed. The learning curve is steep with the factory app and indeed even throuhh The Home app from Apple .. it isn’t as straightforward or easy to understand as it could be... there are some features I haven’t even tried to use yet because I’m still figuring the other features out ... strangely the box they came in makes no mention of google compatibility... yet my nanoleafs work with google and google home and as a functional light ... it’s nice when arriving home to have your full array of panels as Bright white light source ... or while cleaning or reading.. I am going to use my full array of panels on a strobe scene with my alarm system.

I became curios about lighting for my movie room but wanted a low cost solution that would not break the bank. I came across these lights and decided to give them a try. I really enjoyed these lights, the squares are really bright, the pulse to the music was entertaining and setup was a breeze. Pros: Bright Easy Setup Low Power Usage Thin to make for easy / light placements Can be Operated by on-board control panel or phone app Cons: Linker is fragile, be very careful One corner of square does not allow connections Power cord is short ::Setup:: The installation and setup was a breeze, they provide sticky's that work well especially since the squares are a light plastic. The phone app allows for remote access which makes things great if you are installing at a high place in the house. ::Lights:: The lights are bright and colorful. I really enjoy watching them pulse to the music playing. There are multiple settings you can do with the lights including touch. I would recommend trying many different modes they offer ::App:: The app was easy to download , install and setup on the phone. It provides all the different light modes along with recommended ways to setup the blocks. You are also able to download new light patterns that others made. Overall this was a fun cheap lighting system full of colors to enjoy in my game room. I would recommend this product for anyone wanting to start using lighting for decorations.

I chose Nanoleaf canvas over the triangular light panels due to its touch controllable function. The square shape and different connection port on each square provide more design possibilities. Brightness can be control, mode and scenes are full of surprises. I actually had some difficulties when first plug in my Canvas panels, because the control buttons on the control panel kept flashing and all panels stay in white colors without changing to built-in scenes, but the customer service responded my email and concerns within 12 hours, and problems were solved. So far, I really enjoy the music mode, and touch mode provides lots of fun. I also have Hue Play and other Hue lights, but they require the use of bridge. Nanoleaf does not require bridge and works great even without connecting to the phone. One more thing is the app is really great and easy to use. You can try pattern Nanoleaf products on it and decide how many panels you need and what design is good for you. I highly recommend this product!

I own a Nanoleaf Aurora, the triangle-shaped light panels, and when I heard about Canvas, I about fell out of my chair, and when I got my hands on this product, I fell out of my chair, I just love Nanoleaf products. I love smart lights in general, but Nanoleaf is creative about it. Canvas is certainly an upgrade from Aurora, what blew my mind was how interactive it is. The panels are touch-responsive, and I found out, that it’s so sensitive, you can place your hand or finger just about a centimeter above the panel, and it responds. It might be capacitive touch system? Either way, you all you do is touch it! (One of the photos I attached, is my poor attempt to show this) The only downside to this I foresee is people with small children who like to press hard on things, I don’t know how durable the panels are, but if you press hard enough, you can break them. Another fun thing with these panels, Nanoleaf included games like “Simon Says” and “Memory” So that’s a new level of interactivity, I haven’t seen before. Unlike Aurora, Canvas comes integrated with the music module, meaning the lights will react to sound/music. Set up is easy. Nanoleaf’s starter kit gives you nine panels, plenty of linkers, and a smaller power supply unit than Aurora’s PSU. Placing them on walls are easy, just make sure it’s clean and dry so the adhesive sticks better. The app helps you figure out a pattern, I placed mine on my bed since I am in the process of moving when I got these, but I plan to purchase corner linkers so I can place mine on a corner. There is the control panel that has four buttons. (Power, Next Scene, Brightness Down, and Brightness Up), and that is a great feature so if you’re like me, and misplace my phone all the time, you can turn them on without your phone. They are also voice assistant compatible (Google/Amazon/Apple) so you can have your assistant turn them on or set a scene. Overall, I am so happy with this product, and plan on purchasing more expansion kits soon, and if you were happy with the Nanoleaf aurora, I think you’ll enjoy this as well!

So, I think that the Nanoleaf Canvas, featured at this year's 2019 CES (Consumer Electronics Show) is one of the most cool and fun decorating and game playing items that I have seen. In its prior iteration, this was the Nanoleaf Aurora, using triangular panels instead of the square ones featured in this Canvas version. The introductory box comes with a power source that plugs into one special tile that has touch buttons for various functions, Power (on/off) Music Notes, Schemes, Programmed Patterns, and +/- Light Brightness, 8 other tiles, links that connect one tile to another that powers the connected tiles, and 3 Command-like strips for each tile to install it to a viewing surface such as a wall, a ceiling, a post, etc. One of the You Tubes that I watched said that the 1st version, the Aurora, used 3M strips and with this version they are stamped with Nanoleaf's name. It is easy to decipher the 3 areas on the back of the tile to put these strips, but the blogger that brought up this detail said that the strips used for the Aurora triangular tiles, when released, did pull off paint from the wall and that he needed to repaint the damaged areas. Make sure that you have a readily accessible electrical outlet proximate to the wall area that you will be installing this on. I have picked a wall in my kitchen to affix these tiles where wallpaper is now currently hung and I do not want to damage that. By the way, you will want to stage the process of design and construction of this from a table, the floor, or some other elevated level surface to create your design, taking a picture with your phone so that you can remember your design, and then do the installation from there. I am being very careful to finalize my design before I do the actual installation, since I am debating on whether or not to buy additional tiles. I strongly recommend downloading the Nanoleaf app to your smartphone or whatever device you have and use that to program, to what seems, a multitude of choices available through that. I have an android, Samsung phone, but I see that if you have an iphone that there is a special AR feature that maps out various designs. Just to note, you must create a login/password for this app and then once you engage and power up that first control tile, you can add a device. label it, and the app will find your Wi-Fi network and then attach to that after you load your network's password. I have watched numerous YouTube videos, Nanoleaf produced ones and blogger produced ones, and there is a lot of information out there on how to set this up, construction of different patterns, scheduling of these light patterns either as a one-time only, daily, weekly, and for how long; the options seem to be limitless. By the way, Nanoleaf also has the ability to access tutorials through the app and their website, and it said on the address label that they would prefer the owner/user of this item to call them with issues before contacting the place where it was acquired from, in this case Best Buy. So, the good is that this is a fun, interesting, and cool light show with unlimited visual possibilities that also responds to music or other verbal sounds, is able to be linked to Alexa, or Google Home, or its own app to control, and play games by tapping on the tiles . The bad is the cost to do this-just to add 4 more tiles is $79.99, so to really make a larger mural might be cost prohibitive to many buyers in the market. Lastly, there really is no ugly.

First of all, a quick shout out to my friends at my local store. These guys are busting to complete customer orders during this pandemic, and they always are polite and patient! I am posting these photos mainly for them! The NanoLeaf system is very easy to install, and is compatible with most smart-home systems. Their scenes are easy to use, and using community generated scenes is extremely easy. The touch sensitive feature is very cool and is an awesome party trick. I use the NanoLeaf on a custom built Home Assistant Raspberry Pi Server, but they are easily controlled over the phone, or using the desktop application. I would highly recommend this product to anyone who is looking for good quality ambient lighting.