The Nanoleaf Skylight Smarter Kit is Nanoleaf’s first hardwired, everlasting gentle, and it is also the primary gentle that Nanoleaf designed particularly to be put in on ceilings.
As with Nanoleaf Gentle Panels, the Skylight is modular. A 3-panel starter package is priced at $250, and every add-on panel is $70. Nanoleaf sells kits with extra panels at a reduction, so price can go as little as $62 per panel for a design that makes use of 12 panels.
Ceiling lights are available a variety of costs and $250 is within the mid to excessive vary, however there aren’t many modular ceiling gentle choices (as in hardwired with no seen twine), and none that I am conscious of which can be each sensible and supply multicolor and white lighting. Every square-shaped panel is produced from a translucent white plastic that diffuses the sunshine coming from the LEDs beneath.
The panels are slightly below 12 inches on both sides, and so they’re about two inches thick. The plastic is a shinier materials than the plastic used for the common Nanoleaf Gentle Panels, and it simply seems to be like white squares on the ceiling when the lights should not turned on. I do not thoughts the plastic as a result of it blends effectively with a white ceiling when the lights are off. Sq.-shaped gentle panels have a contemporary vibe each on and off, and it is not an aesthetic that is going to slot in with all decor kinds.
Each panel is 1400 lumens, so the three panel package is 4200 lumens. The quantity of sunshine wanted to correctly gentle an area goes to rely on the dimensions of the world being lit and the specified brightness, however that ought to be sufficient gentle for a 15×15 room with 10 foot ceilings. I used to be impressed with the brightness of the Skylight panels, and three put in in my laundry room was extra gentle than I am going to ever want. I in the end included two extra panels for a complete of 5, however that was as a result of I used to be changing a fluorescent panel with popcorn texture beneath and I did not wish to need to restore the ceiling. I feel my laundry room is now the brightest room in the home, and I take advantage of the lights dimmed down.
The Skylight will be put in by an electrician or as a DIY venture with some fundamental electrical data, and Nanoleaf does present directions and a video for finishing your complete course of. Making a format is step one, and whereas the lights will be put in at angles and staggered, I did a straight line of 5 panels in a row. There is a ceiling plate that is screwed into the ceiling first, and the wires from the ceiling are related to the primary panel (with the breaker off in fact). The panels are every two items, with a base that homes the LEDs and wires, and a canopy.
There is a single Essential Controller panel that may management as much as 99 further dependent panels, and that is the one which goes up first. Nanoleaf included 4 screw holes on every panel that additionally function guides so you’ll be able to mark on the ceiling the place to drill, and drywall anchors and screws are included.
Each panel has a terminal block that is lined by a panel that must be unscrewed to get to the wires to attach one panel to a different, and every panel is secured in any respect 4 corners, plus the wires are routed by means of holes on the sides. It isn’t tough, precisely, however there are numerous steps to undergo, and it is irritating working from under. I do suppose the information holes helped so much making certain all the pieces was lined up, and it in the end turned out effectively.
I feel 4 drywall screws for each panel is a lot, particularly as a result of these panels aren’t notably heavy. In hindsight, I in all probability may have used two at a diagonal, and it is value noting that there are going to be numerous holes to restore within the ceiling if you happen to set up these panels and later wish to take away them.
As soon as put in, the Skylight works like some other HomeKit-connected gentle. It is added to HomeKit with a HomeKit code, and setup is fast. Nanoleaf merchandise solely work with 2.4GHz networks, so you are going to want a setup that permits for a 2.4GHz connection. The Skylight is Wi-Fi solely, however there it has Thread compatibility that may presumably be turned on if Nanoleaf decides to take action. It isn’t Matter-enabled.
I do not personal a single sensible house product that doesn’t sometimes have a connectivity subject, together with Nanoleaf gadgets. After I received these panels, I debated putting in the panels in my lounge with vaulted ceilings (be aware: these will be put in on angled ceilings), however I used to be frightened about entry for troubleshooting as a result of I might want a tall, heavy ladder, so I examined the Skylight in one among my solely rooms with decrease ceilings.
I am glad I did, as a result of a few week after the Skylight was up, it misplaced connectivity. No quantity of turning the facility off or restarting my gadgets helped, and I needed to get out a small ladder, pull off the primary panel’s cowl, and lengthy press the reset button to start out over. I have not had one other disconnect, and it may have been attributable to attempting to make use of a movement sensor (I may NOT get it to work reliably and I have not wished to strive once more) or by turning the sunshine off on the swap in a single day, however it will probably occur.
To this point the Skylight would not appear to be much less dependable than different Wi-Fi HomeKit gadgets or different Nanoleaf panels, however because it’s on the ceiling it’s decidedly extra of a trouble to reset, which is one thing to bear in mind. I’ve additionally seen some complaints about Nanoleaf’s customer support on Reddit and on Fb, and whereas I have not had a catastrophic product failure requiring assist, I do know some individuals have had points getting assist and replacements. Observe that these complaints are extra centered on the sunshine panels than the Skylights, however I do not wish to ignore potential customer support points that could possibly be an issue for some.
Every Skylight panel will be individually managed with the Nanoleaf app and set to a special colour or mixture of colours and patterns. There are pre-designed choices, plus instruments for creating customized designs, and a bit for downloading designs created by different Nanoleaf customers.
The Skylight has some distinctive pre-created patterns like Solar Bathe and Taking pictures Stars that work notably effectively on the ceiling, and there are window-style scenes like Blue Skies. The LEDs assist 16 million colours and shades of white starting from blue to yellow, plus there are greater than 10 lighting patterns to make use of to shift between colours. There’s additionally a rhythm characteristic that adjustments the colour of the lights primarily based on music or sound, and a enjoyable AI possibility that creates a scene primarily based on a typed phrase like “ocean waves” or “pink sundown.”
Colours on the sunshine look greatest when in movement, and for some shades, there are darkish and lightweight spots that trigger some unevenness. In case you’ve used Nanoleaf’s gentle panels on the wall, it is a comparable impact, however it’s one thing that you simply get used to and see much less with ceiling lights.
I feel multicolored lighting works effectively for accent lights, however I’m much less positive of it for gentle that gives as a lot illumination because the Skylight does. Setting the Skylight to a colour like purple, for instance, means the room is RED and never outfitted with a tasteful purple accent gentle in a single space. Patterns that shift rapidly will be nearly overwhelming, and I do not just like the music characteristic with the Skylight for that purpose. I favor to set the Skylight to softer, extra pastel hues and heat whites, however it will probably positively present the final word temper lighting and set ambiance for motion pictures and video video games.
There’s one different factor that I wish to point out earlier than wrapping up this overview, and that is management. This can be a ceiling gentle that’s related to a lightweight swap, and I haven’t got a great way to show that gentle swap into a sensible swap that can be utilized for altering colours, dimming, and even turning the sunshine on and off. Nanoleaf would not have a swap, and there are a restricted variety of full gentle swap replacements for a state of affairs like this.
I’ve a Lutron Caseta hub and system, however including a Lutron sensible gentle swap is not a good suggestion as a result of the Nanoleaf Skylight wants a continuing connection and it isn’t an on/off state of affairs. There are many sensible buttons, however nothing that appears to be designed to exchange a lightweight swap. For Hue lights, I resolve this subject with the Lutron Aurora Dimmer Switches, however these are designed to work with the Hue app and never HomeKit normally. I would like a bodily button for the Skylight that additionally prevents the prevailing swap from being flipped, and I am undecided easy methods to resolve that subject proper now.
Nanoleaf does have Sense+ sensible switches that it has been engaged on since 2023, however I am undecided when these are set to return out.
Backside Line
Nanoleaf’s Skylight is pricey and never with out flaws, however it’s additionally a one-of-a-kind product. It is modular so you’ll be able to tune the variety of panels to suit your house, it helps white and yellow gentle together with any colour of the rainbow, and there are infinite scenes and results to play with.
The Skylight’s design is not going to resonate with everybody, however for many who need a trendy really feel and who love colour, it is value testing.
Methods to Purchase
The Skylight was standard sufficient that it bought out in most locations. Nanoleaf has a sign up to get a notification when it is again in inventory, however it’s nonetheless available from Amazon.