Smart lighting fans may have received a pleasant surprise this week as Philips Hue teamed up with longtime rival Nanoleaf. The deal involves a modest $40 add-on, which allows owners of Nanoleaf wall panels introduce their modular lights into the Philips Hue family without making sacrifices of what they already have. The Philips Hue x Nanoleaf Wall Light Module is a small device that clicks onto the connector of some compatible Nanoleaf Shapes panels. It supports the well known Hexagon, Triangle and Mini Triangle designs.
Once clicked on, the module gives the panels a full Hue connectivity stack including Bluetooth, Zigbee and Thread simultaneously. This means the lights show up inside the Hue application as well as even work with Matter platforms like Apple Home. Within the Hue app the panels are managed as native gradient lights.
They can be added to rooms and zones, assigned scenes and timers, involved in automations, and can be paired with Hue switches or entertainment areas following movies/games. A module can control up to 100 panels, so the system scales quite well even on bigger walls. With the integration in place, existing owners of Nanoleaf hardware will be able to enjoy the improved app experience, wider compatibility, and more dependable automations many Hue users have come to love. The costs of the difference are straightforward for now.
To use the Hue module, the Nanoleaf special effects like built-in animated scenes, music-reactive effects, and screen-mirroring must be sacrificed. Support for a dual-module was announced by Philips Hue in the next few months, making the two ecosystems more compatible with each other. For now, the decision must be made as to which special effects are more desirable for the installation.
Control also only seems to work in one direction; the panels can be operated from the Hue app and not vice versa. The module was released on 3rd of September and was priced at $39.99. Starter kits combining the module with 6 Nanoleaf panels are anticipated at a later date, but current owners can buy just the accessory and upgrade their existing wall.
The announcement coincides with other Hue announcements at the IFA including lower priced methods of syncing lights to television content and upcoming software features which further increase the range of possibilities. For many homes, this union alleviates a very real inconvenience. Nanoleaf panels have been lauded for their easily-malleable shapes and impressive appearance, but their accompanying app has often been somewhat clunky compared to Hue’s.
Also, until now, Hue has never had modular wall tiles of their own. Joining their efforts, the two brands look to broaden their audiences. Current Nanoleaf fans will enjoy a more seamless inclusion into the larger lighting arrangements, while Hue devotees finally have their space triangles. The move also represents a wider trend within the smart home market. Manufacturers are discovering how to work with each other rather than battling for a dominant ecosystem, facilitated by the common standards of Thread and Matter. Customers win when more of their favorite products will work togetherinvesting $40 to enable that kind of compatibility is a much more affordable option. Not everyone will be content with the outcome.