A few days ago, in chapter 23 of the podcast of Compatible Domotics, I told you about Thread technology and why I think it’s gonna mean a before and a after for the IoT devices at home.. Not only because the threat technology will be the basis of Matter (we will talk about Matter in a few days), but also because of the lot of manufacturers who have said that it will embrace this new protocol regardless of the standard behind it (HomeKit, Google or Alexa). That’s why today I want to talk to you about one of my last purchases that has to do with threat, the nanoleaf c
on Thread technology.
What’s a threat?
For those of you who have not heard the podcast episode about Thread (I don’t know what you are waiting for! is available on the main platforms, but Here I leave the Spotify link. :), Thread comes to stand up to Zigbee and Z-Wave devices with a quite similar consumption but not dependent on a bridge, which is necessary in both protocols to make the ‘translation’ to IP technology of each of our home devices without having an energy consumption as high as the devices that are
Wifi, who also consume an IP address on our network… in short, that Thread includes the best of both worlds.
In addition, all Thread devices are able to create a network with each other, regardless of the manufacturer, so each one will be connected to the others and not directly to the router… and if one fails and to that are connected several, nothing happens because they will find the most efficient way. All very cool and thought to improve the availability and theresilience‘, word that is very cool to say: D
Unfortunately At the moment there are not many manufacturers who already open Thread technology although the vast majority have said that during 2022 they will incorporate this compatibility. Needless to say, Aqara, Koogeek, the Echo devices of Amazon, Apple and other big players announced the compatibility months ago and are gradually incorporating it into their devices. If you have a HomePod Mini at home, you already have support for Thread in your accessories center… and if you have a router Eero, too.
Nanoleaf bulbs
To many of you will sound the mark Nanoleaf by the squares or break those rare ones that are put on the wall with led technology and that people use to make figures or various jets. I’ve never seen them use beyond creating ‘ambient light’ with any color you want in a house, but no REAL utility that would make me propose the purchase… so I didn’t know the mark until this moment, but to hear or to see some YouTuber.
However, I decided to try them because it was one of the first manufacturers to get in Thread’s car.. Eve has also done so, but I have a little anger for all the problems that the Eve elCat plug gave me, a smart plug that connects to Bluetooth… and of course, if it’s a little away from the central accessories as was my case, I lost the connection every 2×3. A disaster. Here’s an entry where I told you the smart sockets I had tried and why I preferred Hue’s.
So I went into Amazon and bought the only bulb Nanoleaf has for the moment, an E27 or ‘fat thread’ with a rather particular design in line with the squares of the wall, hexagon, thunder or whatever xD
In the box we can clearly see that is compatible with Bluetooth and Thread as long as we have a compatible router. I hear this is important, as if your router is not compatible with Thread you can only link it to Bluetooth, with the inconvenience we have discussed before. Remember that both the Echo of Amazon and the HomePod mini already have Thread support… and as we have commented before, also the Eero I use at home for the Mesh network and of those I have given you I’ve spoken.
wonders a thousand times.
Installation and configuration of the bulb
The installation process is similar to any other device we have at home. The good thing is, in this case no need to install Nanoleaf application (as the Thread standard commands) and in the box we will find the typical QR code to associate the bulb directly with Home without the manufacturer’s app. Still, I installed the app. from the manufacturer to see what he offered… and I lost a good time looking at the color and environment schemes that you can do by combining the bulbs with the squares / hexagnos that I commented on before! Even You can simulate Mat’s letter drop effect
Rix! I want that shit!!! Jajajaja
As you can see, to the schemes of ‘basic’ environments is added the possibility to download new environments made by the community. There are chorropotohundreds of thousand, I’ve been wasting a while looking at the possibilities, but since I don’t have the break-ups, because I couldn’t prove Matrix, what’s he gonna do, see if he reads us. Nanoleaf and send me a test;)
Also you can make the ‘warmth’ of light change depending on the time of day. This function has been compatible with HomeKit since some versions, but the Nanoleaf app also gives you the option to do it from the same app.
You know that I’m not very in favour of using the manufacturer’s apps either to create automations or to use environments or any of that., more than anything because then something fails and you don’t know very well where the failure may come from… imagine that we have as in my case an Aqara switch with a Philips Hue bulb… because in case of failure to press for light to be turned on it might be that the switch does not have a stack, that it is not properly connected to the Aqara bridge, that the Aqara bridge is not properly connected to the network, that the accessories centre is not properly connected, that the Hue bridge is not properly connected
with the central accessories, that the bulb is not properly connected to the bridge… or that someone has simply cut the current of that bulb from a no-smart switch. Too many things to keep in mind to think from what app I’ve made automation. Well, nothing, everything to HomeKit in the House app (or similar, you know) and at least I take off a head breaker.
Another thing that caught my attention to the app is that it offers you the possibility to link it directly to your eero account.. This is very curious, since in principle nanoleaf and Eero are not linked in any way, so I have investigated a little and it seems that it was simply because at the time of releasing the bulbs it was the only router that Thread supported. Of course I’ve linked them after we activate the Thread support in my eero, we’ll talk about this another time.
But what’s really cool is…
That It is turned on instantaneously! I assure you, it has nothing to do with the time the Hue takes to turn on and off. We have already commented that When a smart bulb is actually turned on, it does not ‘turn on’, but increases the brightness from 0% to 100%. And when it goes out, it does the same thing, but the other way around. This process takes a few milliseconds., it’s not instant as in conventional light bulbs when you cut the current by pressing the switch.
Well… The Nanoleaf gets better with this time! It’s practically instant! It’s so fast turning on and off that I’ve thought to replace all my Philips Hue E27 or fat thread with the Nanoleaf! I must admit that it has been taken from my head when I have made accounts of the number of light bulbs I need and the cost of them… but since it gets a lot on my head and see that I can sell The Hue E27 I have in the kitchenI’ll get the blanket to my head and change the 6 to turn on and turn off the kitchen light immediately.
Bonus track
Not only did I win that, but where I put the Nanoleaf, I had the residual current problem on the circuit. You know, the typical bad connection somewhere that makes the bulb not turn off to 0% but stays at 0.00005% or less but in dark notes that there’s a little light in that bulb, which comes in. It’s because the led bulbs need very little current to light, with a normal incandescent bulb we wouldn’t notice it because that residual current does not get to light it…
Well… The Nanoleaf also doesn’t care about the residual current! This is good and bad… well because it was one thing I had to solve and bad because that means that it has a consumption something greater than the Hue, which I have not measured or will do because the information brings pain, as an old boss I had said: D
In short, I’m in with the Nanoleaf, sorry they don’t have other bulb formats.. If I already liked the fact that I used the Thread technology that is the basis of Matter, the other unexpected advantages like the immediacy on / off or that you don’t care about the residual current have won me completely. If they were a little cheaper and I could get the Hue out of my kitchen, I wouldn’t hesitate to try them there. I put it on a table lamp and it’s not as much as a paint…
And I’m telling you, I’m gonna put Nanoleaf on my radar to keep an eye on new products, new products, or firmware improvements because This looks really good!
