We dig the system’s millions of smooth, blended colors and pleasing form factor.
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Hands on with the triangular Nanoleaf Aurora smart lighting system
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I think what I'm really waiting for is more API integration with mail clients, Twitter, Facebook, et al. Though I'm sure we don't need another means of notification around the house.
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Philips Hue lets you control lights through a simple API with JSON. They even have an API to build the requests you need to send.
If you can hack together something to run a query, you can make them react to it - very simple.
Also, they use Zigby protocol so other products can integrate. (Like Osrams plugs)
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Can I configure and control the lights without having to connect to the internet?
If not, no go.
If not, no go.
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I don't know if it's a strict dealbreaker for me, but I'm also curious about this. I doubt it, sadly.
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$200? I was about to buy one until I saw that.
Might still, but it will be hard to justify.
Might still, but it will be hard to justify.
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Would make a neat, rich man's Ambilight system to put around your TV. Just missing the sensor.
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$200 but their plan for mounting is that you glue it to your wall? Pass.
It would have been trivial for them to have moulded screw hooks into the plastic on the rear of each section.
It would have been trivial for them to have moulded screw hooks into the plastic on the rear of each section.
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"..measuring about 9-3/4” (250mm) per side.."
Yep, the US of A will never go metric with that kind of writing, eh.
Yep, the US of A will never go metric with that kind of writing, eh.
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I bought 3 wifi controlled bulbs from Xiaomi for $40, shipped. I think that's much easier to swallow, even if I have to live with a little bit of Chinese spyware on my wifi 
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Now I wish I had a 3d printer so I could build something like this. It's relatively easy with Arduino-style microcontrollers, RGB LEDs, and some of the tools out there for controlling via mobile apps but building a solid diffuser like that would probably look much less halfassed if I could print the parts from plastic rather than rigging something up from tinkertoys and felt
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Uh, not really. I mean, the sensor is the entire point of Ambilight. If the lights don't change color, then there is no point.
In case people don't know what Ambilight is: it's LEDs in back of certain Philips-TV's, that change color to match what's being displayed on the screen:
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My Feit 60w equivalent LED lights are rated at 800lm/9w so these panels (900lm/18w) are roughly half as efficient as mainstream LED lighting. I don't believe that these are intended to be a primary lighting source though so comparison is not really apropos. A better comparison might be with Philips Hue, where the Aurora is actually about as efficient.
Hue 9w bulb rated output:
360 lm @ 2000K
510 lm @ 3000K
550 lm @ 6500K
600 lm @ 4000K
Hue 9w bulb rated output:
360 lm @ 2000K
510 lm @ 3000K
550 lm @ 6500K
600 lm @ 4000K
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Well they will sell a bunch to Zelda fans who want to role play Link and find the triforce pieces.
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Would there happen to be any way to schedule light changes to say, shift from one color to the next at 6am to shift from a night time, low light setting to a wake up softly setting?
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I've been using these since December and everyone that has walked through my foyer is enamored by them. App is pretty simple to use, and haven't run into many issues yet. The mounting does kind of suck, especially now that they include those foam adhesives rather than Command Strips, which were in the earlier kits. I tried to use poster mounting puddy and it worked for a few weeks until I heard a couple tiles crash in the middle of the night. Luckily I can attest that they did not break from a couple feet.
Overall they are great, and if you think of them as an art installation, the price is reasonable. As an everyday source of light? Yeah, pretty pricey.
FYI, Frys.com has them routinely on sale for $150 when signing up for their email. That's how I got my second kit because more tiles the merrier!
Overall they are great, and if you think of them as an art installation, the price is reasonable. As an everyday source of light? Yeah, pretty pricey.
FYI, Frys.com has them routinely on sale for $150 when signing up for their email. That's how I got my second kit because more tiles the merrier!
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Judging from the fact that they're roughly equivalent to one 60W altogether, I'd say no. Not unless its a room the size of a closet.
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That is already a solved problem.
http://lifehacker.com/the-best-gmail-if ... -576181920
Since you do not know, IfThisThenThat or IFTTT is an IOT integration service that lets you combine simple recipes for various services to do truly random things with your supported devices and services.
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I have some Insteon-connected colored lights that indicate the status of the motion sensors on the porch and whether the laundry is running. It's actually pretty convenient, easy to see yet subtle, looks more like an art piece than a notification. Have been meaning to set up some more.
I also like the look of the Aurora.
But there's no excuse for making it dependent on Android and/or iOS and requiring an internet connection. It's wifi, you should also be able to control it from a PC, laptop, etc.
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It's a lighting system, and the author includes two pictures of it turned on (in one configuration), and four pictures of it in pieces.
When even the story title contains the word "art", perhaps we should have more "show," and less "tell."
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read about 1/3rd of the article, went to the website and bought a couple. This is awesome!
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This looks pretty cool and I'd like to have one. However, I just came from the article about the creepy IoT bear so I'm curious about this device from a security perspective. What information did it ask for when you installed the app? Are all of your settings saved on the Aurora or on a server somewhere? What, if any, information does Nanoleaf collect about your network and where does it send it? Can the Aurora be updated over the network?
I looked at the Nanoleaf website but I didn't see any security information.
I looked at the Nanoleaf website but I didn't see any security information.
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Wow...lots of comments so far. I'll try to address the pending questions.
I can't intelligently comment on the security of the system, but it does seem that they do not require real-time internet connectivity. I just disconnected my home network and cell phone from the internet. I was able to connect to and control the Aurora through the app.
Yes, the app has a scheduling feature to turn on/off and set certain effects at selected times.
That was a good idea about posting a video. I just stuck a RunCam2 on a tripod in front of the lights and worked through a few transitions. The cam makes the light seem harsher than it really is, but you get some idea of how it works.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNYw0FgkMgY
When set to white light and full brightness (or near), I think this set "could" be used as primary lighting for a moderately-sized room. However, I think the bigger issue would be placement rather than brightness. Coming from a wall instead of the ceiling creates weird shadows and dead spots if there are no other light sources. Kinda like using a desk lamp to light a room. Just my opinion.
Any other pressing questions?
Terry
I can't intelligently comment on the security of the system, but it does seem that they do not require real-time internet connectivity. I just disconnected my home network and cell phone from the internet. I was able to connect to and control the Aurora through the app.
Yes, the app has a scheduling feature to turn on/off and set certain effects at selected times.
That was a good idea about posting a video. I just stuck a RunCam2 on a tripod in front of the lights and worked through a few transitions. The cam makes the light seem harsher than it really is, but you get some idea of how it works.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNYw0FgkMgY
When set to white light and full brightness (or near), I think this set "could" be used as primary lighting for a moderately-sized room. However, I think the bigger issue would be placement rather than brightness. Coming from a wall instead of the ceiling creates weird shadows and dead spots if there are no other light sources. Kinda like using a desk lamp to light a room. Just my opinion.
Any other pressing questions?
Terry
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Double sided tape for mounting? They could have made it more elegant for 200 bucks..
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Hmm, I have hue for much of my apt, but have some dark areas these would be nice. But big question for me is how easy it integrated into amazon echo system. Being able to tell alexa to turn on / off lights is huge for me.
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Terry, I just thought I'd point out that what you called "masking tape" is technically painter's tape (frog tape). It can prevent paint seepage much better than masking tape and is easier to remove.
Thanks for the excellent review! I can't believe anyone would ever recommend using double sided foam tape on anything that might get dislodged or have a life expectancy of more than 5 years (both surfaces). I'm wary enough about command strips.
Thanks for the excellent review! I can't believe anyone would ever recommend using double sided foam tape on anything that might get dislodged or have a life expectancy of more than 5 years (both surfaces). I'm wary enough about command strips.
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I like it, but the bf is not as much a fan of scifi decor as I am. Then again I might just mount it in the office and see if I can annoy the cats with it.
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You'd be better off just buying sheets of diffusing plastic rather than trying to print something. A 3D print wouldn't come out smooth enough (neither on the surface nor internally) to look good as a diffuser.Now I wish I had a 3d printer so I could build something like this. It's relatively easy with Arduino-style microcontrollers, RGB LEDs, and some of the tools out there for controlling via mobile apps but building a solid diffuser like that would probably look much less halfassed if I could print the parts from plastic rather than rigging something up from tinkertoys and felt
Their site says it works with Alexa. No Google Home though...(at least, I think, their page didn't entirely load for me).
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I'm with you. I just used generic terminology to keep things simple. Frog Tape is my go to when actually painting things...for the reasons you mentioned.
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Technically, painter's tape is a kind of masking tape. And masking tape was invented for use in painting...it's literally tape used to mask the surface you don't want to paint.
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As a lego fan, assembling the panels into 3D shapes would be a fun challenge. Then you could dangle the shape from the ceiling like a sort of hovering lava lamp.
http://machineproject.com/build/engine/ ... fol_08.jpg
http://machineproject.com/build/engine/ ... fol_08.jpg
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