Nanoleaf Essentials are new everyday lightstrips and bulbs from the light panel maker

Nanoleaf has released Essentials - the first series of more-standard smart lighting accessories. The company has been known for its wall-mounted light panels, but now sees plenty of possibilities in offering other lights that can be part of a smart home system.  

Currently the company is offering three products in its Essentials range - an £18 A19 (screw-fixing) light bulb, an £45 2m lightstrip and finally a £20 1m lightstrip expansion pack. The new products are available at Apple Stores and from Nanoleaf's site. 

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As you'd expect the new products are compatible with Nanoleaf's app and Apple HomeKit/Siri, while you can also use Google Assistant. Unlike other Nanoleaf products, Amazon Alexa isn't supported at present but will be early next year.

What is most interesting about the devices is that they are the first smart lighting devices to support Thread - a new smart home protocol that's also inside Apple's new HomePod mini.

Essentially, it's yet another networking tech. This time it's designed for low latency and low power and the ability to be able to control devices when they don't have Wi-Fi. The key thing there is range - because you'll be able to take smart devices out of reach of your Wi-Fi network. 

However, you don't need to have a HomePod mini to set the devices up - like many smart devices Bluetooth is also supported. 

Like Nanoleaf's light panel ranges, the Lightstrip also includes a physical controller so you don't need to get out your phone or as Siri to turn it on. 

Nanoleaf adds that the bulb and lightstrip feature a built-in Circadian Lighting feature that automatically adjusts the colour temperature throughout the day so you always have the right lighting for the time. The company also says the blub is extremely bright at all colour temperatures 2700K-6500K with an average brightness of 806 lumens and maximum brightness of 1100
lumens.

The Lightstrip also has four white LEDs per LED set - two warm and two cool. You can cut the lightstrip or extend it up to 10 metres with expansion packs.

Earlier this year Nanoleaf released Hexagons, the first in a new generation of smart lighting panels that don't damage walls and offer compatibility with other shapes. Then, last month, Nanoleaf released triangles and mini triangles to extend the system. More shapes are expected in 2021.

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