Here at What Gadget, we have reviewed several Nanoleaf products, mainly indoor lighting products, such as Nanoleaf Matter Smart Holiday String Lights, Nanoleaf Lines & Nanoleaf Shapes. So, this review is the first product for outdoor use from this brand we have tried.
The Nanoleaf Matter Smart Multicolour outdoor string lights are available in 3 different sizes:
15 meters – £89
30 meters – £149
45 meters – £209
You can also purchase an expansion pack of 15 meters for £69.99. Nanoleaf announced that outdoor string lights were being added to their product line in January and we have been lucky to receive the 30-meter option to review.
First Impressions
The Nanoleaf Smart Matter Multicolour Outdoor String Lights are a fantastic option for taking your outdoor area up a notch. We recently just purchased a new garden furniture set with a firepit and the lights around the fence area give the area a massive pop.
These lights feature a uniquely shaped LED bulb that can display a single colour or Multiple colours simultaneously, creating dynamic flowing gradients to set the mood in your outdoor area. Each string includes 20 addressable RGBWIC LED Bulbs, offering a personalised lighting experience with over 16 million colours as well as animated scenes to choose from much like the products we have tested from Twinkly that also produce outdoor lights.
The Nanoleaf Smart Matter Multicolour Outdoor String Lights as you might expect are IP65, with the controller IP67 and the power supply IP44 which are water-resistant & dust-resistant making them perfect for outdoor use. When it comes to connectivity you can connect them using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth making for a seamless integration into your smart home setup. Controlling the lights is done using either the manual controller or downloading the Nanoleaf app providing multiple options to the convenience of using these smart lights.
Unboxing
The first thing you will notice is just how large the box is; the packaging comes well-labelled and comes with the essential key features of the lights. The packaging also indicates the length of the light.
When you open the packaging, you will find sections of the string lights that have been tried up using Velcro cables. If I had to find a negative, I thought there might have been some bubble wrap protecting the bulbs but on closer inspection the blubs are made from a plastic material. The lights also come with an outdoor controller and power supply unit.
Setup
The one thing I would say to you about the setup of the Nanoleaf Smart Matter Multicolour Outdoor String Lights is you need to have patience, which is my downfall, but my wife has plenty. You need to carefully pull each bulb out and then unwrap the cables from the Velcro cables and plastic cable ties. You have the option of unwrapping the lights as you go or I recommend taking the time to do it all at the beginning, so you don’t have sections weighing other parts down.
You are not provided any hanging accessories which I would say is a slight negative, but the instructions do provide suggestions on how to best hang the lights. You can use basic cable ties, S-hooks and actual outdoor hooks designed for hanging lights. We decided to run them along hooks that were already in the garden. One thing we did notice when it came to the installation was the extra cable between the lights prevent them from dangling to much.
Performance/Ease of Use
Once you have installed the lights you need to download the Nanoleaf app and if you have an Apple HomeKit system you need to connect them. After you download the app you need to scan the QR code on the lights follow the instructions and add them to your Wi-Fi network. We positioned the lights around the dining area in our garden as we still had a strong Wi-Fi signal there so had no issue getting them connected. You also need to make sure you are also close to a power outlet which we were able to do. It’s worth considering the design of the Nanoleaf plug makes it impossible to be covered using the outdoor plug we have so when not in use simply just unplug them or if you can plug them into your garage as it’s inside do that instead.
Next, we connected them to our Apple HomeKit and that was easy to do as within the Nanoleaf app you just connect to Matter and they will automatically link up with your Apple HomeKit setup. Changing colours using the Apple HomeKit app is easy to do just like when I adjust the colours on my Nanoleaf 4D Screen Mirror & Light strip kit around my TV. It’s worth knowing when using the Apple HomeKit app, you can only switch the lights on/off, change colour, and adjust the brightness. Unfortunately, you cannot change the scene like you can using the Nanoleaf app.
When using the Nanoleaf app you can scroll through several cool scenes, and you can also favourite any of the scenes. The scenes also support music mode, so they dance with your music due to a microphone located on the controller.
Once you have set up the app and selected the colour scheme you want, I was impressed with the amount of light the Nanoleaf string lights put out. it made our garden a lot brighter when we wanted to have people over in the evening. The bulbs do a great job of spreading the light out and creating some lovely lighting effects. Even when we just used the white light instead of the colour affects you get a great ambience in the garden.
I was also pleased you can purchase an expansion pack to make the lights even longer if you want to cover a larger area of the garden or maybe you want to run these lights around the top of the house to add that extra wow factor around your home. The only thing I would say is just like the offerings from Twinkly buying lights like these are not for someone on a budget.
Verdict
The Nanoleaf Smart Matter Multicolour Outdoor String Lights are a great addition for adding lights to your garden area for the summer months as they do transform a garden dining area. However, as we approach the winter months, they are also a great addition to run around the outside of your house to give you that Christmassy feeling or just give your home that wow factor.
The lights have that gem-like style and are easy to install but patience is required. When connecting these to my Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection was easy to do and you could see the quality is there as they are Nanoleaf after all. I found connecting these to my smart home set-up was easy to do which is a bonus especially if you purchase multiple sets. The app allows you to make sure all the lights you have are set to the colours you want to make these a great addition to your garden or around your home.
If I were to pick a fault with these lights it would be the fact the controller is very close to the first bulb so if you’re hanging these up high, it makes the controller impossible to use. They should take a page out of Twinkly’s book and keep the controller closer to the plug. Then we have to mention the price tag of £149 for the 30-meter or £209 for the 45-meter option these are not for those on a budget. You need to look at these as an investment to add that wow factor to your garden area.
Overall, I like the gem-style bulb and the durability of the lights considering all elements of these lights are IP-rated. I like the fact I can change the colours and select different scenes something not possible on more traditional garden lights like the Ollny Festion G40 lights I have hanging in my garden as well which just offers that white light option.
If you can look past the price, then these offer an excellent outdoor lighting experience that with the use of the Nanoleaf app or Apple HomeKit takes your outdoor lighting to the next level.
Product Rating
Design: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Setup: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Performance: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Creativity: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Value for Money: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Overall ranking: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0 – 5 stars
Nanoleaf Matter Smart Multicolor Outdoor String Lights Smarter Kit 98ft (30m) – £149.99
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