- Hey guys today, we're gonna check out
the brand new light strip from Nanoleaf.
That's right, the one with Thread.
Not only am I gonna tell you why I love this light strip
and all the features that are built into this,
but I'm also gonna show you
how to install this onto my bookcase,
where I'm actually cutting it, extending it
and splicing it all together.
I'll be leaving affiliate links down below
where you can see all the connectors I'm using
with the Nanoleaf light strip,
that way you make sure you get the same ones that I'm using.
I'm also gonna leave a link to my full pros and cons list.
So if you wanna get more information
about the Nanoleaf light strip six months from now
or a year from now, that will also be down below.
If you only want to see the install
I'll leave timestamps where you can jump around
to the parts of this video that you want to see.
So let's jump into the video.
Now upon first look
this looks just like many other light strips for HomeKit.
What's also really cool about these 6-pin LEDs
is that it will connect to other 6-pin LEDs.
Now I don't recommend that only because,
one, the colors would never be the same,
two, when you try to select a color
each strip is not gonna get the same signal.
But you can get power from one strip to another
just to show you that it actually works.
So here I have the Phillips Hue light strip,
you can actually plug this in and it will power each other.
Same thing with the Eve light strip,
these are all the same pin connectors.
So any accessories that you find
for these other light strips
will also work with the Nanoleaf.
But if you take a closer look
you can actually see that each section of lights
has a RGB module and two cool whites and two white whites,
which I never seen before.
So this is RGB, WW, CC,
and this is why it has a rating of 2200 lumens max.
Now the average lumens is only 2000,
so don't think you're gonna get the 2200 all the time.
That's mainly when you're using cool white at it's max.
Now there are seven sets of lights per section,
after that section, you can actually cut it
and there are three sections per meter.
So there is 22 sets of lights per meter.
The starter kit is actually two meters
plus the power supply and remote,
which I'll talk more about in a moment.
And they also have extension kits of one meter
and I think they're also gonna have extension kit
of two meters.
Now the power supply plugs into the wall
and it has a nice long wire that goes in to this remote.
And this remote is pretty cool,
I've never seen this before.
Not only does it have a on and off feature
but you can also cycle through different colors
and also raise and lower the brightness.
And then on the back you do have the double-sided adhesives,
but unlike most other HomeKit products
you don't have a QR code to add it to HomeKit.
You actually have an NFC tag right here on the back.
Now you can type it in manually, but the easy way to do it
and the cool way to do it is to take your phone,
put it right up to it, and it will prompt you
to add to your home app.
Now how cool is that?
Actually, I have a friend that you might know,
Chris from HomeKit Geek,
he puts NFC tags on all his devices.
Now you no longer have to do that,
it's built right onto the device.
Now depending on where are you going to install this
and how you install it,
you might have a little issue
with the placement of this remote.
Unfortunately, this is very close to the actual LED strip.
That's the only place to put it.
So, if you're gonna install this like behind a TV
unfortunately the remote is also gonna be behind the TV
rather than near where the AC plug is.
Just a FYI, just to keep that in mind
that if you are trying to put this in a location
it might not be ideal for your situation.
Now, before we jump into the install
I do want to mention the color accuracy and brightness.
This thing is super bright,
it's one of the brightest LED light strips
that I currently have and tested,
but when it came to color accuracy, it wasn't amazing.
It was pretty good, but there were some other ones
that were a little bit better
when it came to color accuracy.
Now you could dial in and you could change it manually
but you know, you could tell a difference between
some of the LED strips.
Not huge deal, as long as you're not gonna have LED strips
from different brands right next to each other,
you're not gonna tell the difference.
And one of the best features of this light strip
is that it does work with Thread.
So if you do have the brand new HomePod Mini
you're gonna get the fastest and best reliable connection
that there is currently out there.
If you guys wanna learn more about Thread
I'll leave a link right up there
and also a link down the description
that you can check out my review of Thread versus Bluetooth
which is the other technology in this device.
FYI, this does not have Wi-Fi,
it is only Bluetooth and Thread.
Which means if you don't have a HomePod Mini
it's gonna connect to your phone via Bluetooth
or another HomeKit hub via Bluetooth only.
You have to have a HomePod Mini for it to work with Thread.
And for my Google users,
I have heard that this will work with Google Home.
Now I've tried to add this,
unfortunately wasn't able to add it.
It was able to see it
but then when I went through the process of setting it up
it wasn't able to set up.
I don't know why that was, hopefully in the near future
it will also work with Lady A and Google
but currently, in my testing, it only works with HomeKit.
(upbeat music)
Now, when it comes to an install,
you do want to make sure you measure everything
and have a plan for placement
of not only the light strip
but of any extension wire.
You can actually cut this
and I believe it was like 15 inches long
between the sections.
Unfortunately that's a little bit long in my opinion.
There are some other LED light strips
that's like every three inches.
So being at 15 inches at the only place that you can cut it
might not be ideal for your situation.
Now this is a 6-pin LED strip,
it's about 12 millimeters wide
so anything that you get for extension or coupling
or a splicer, you wanna make sure
it's a 6-pin, 12 millimeters.
Now I also found accessories that work
with the Phillips Hue light strip
also works with this light strip
but be careful because Phillips Hue
just came out with their newer Bluetooth led light strip
which is also 6-pin, but it's like a mini 6-pin.
So it's not a standard 6-pin, so you wanna make sure
you're getting the standard 6-pin accessories.
Now this is a small shelving unit,
it's gonna be pretty much exactly the same
no matter what type of shelving unit you have.
If you're going to install it on the back like I am
you're gonna do it my way.
You can also install it underneath,
you just have to mount the wires underneath and the LEDs.
It's totally up to you.
Now, the key to this whole project is bright planning.
Remember to measure twice and cut once.
Now since I won't be able to use this remote
on an everyday basis,
I've gotta make sure I place this correctly
in a good place where I can actually reach it.
If I just let this hang down at the bottom,
I'll never use this.
So if I install it here at the top,
now understand this is gonna be the back of the unit.
So I can just reach around here and press the buttons
as I need to turn it on and off.
Now, if I mount this right here, I can use some zip ties
and tie it right to this post.
I'm gonna have the cord run up and down
the remaining of this post and be hidden behind everything.
And then this will go right into the first LED strip
just like that.
So if the remote is right here,
I'm gonna have the first strip of LEDs
to go across right there,
which is just shy about 12 inches or so.
And the only thing with the Nanoleaf light strips
is that each section where you can cut
is actually almost 13 inches.
So, it's about half of an inch
on either side or a whole inch on the remaining side,
that's gonna be left over.
Now my plan is to leave a half inch on both sides
just to try to even them out.
I'm not gonna try and wrap it around,
I'm just gonna connect the next wire,
which is the non lit up wire
to the next LED down below.
So I'm gonna have to run it from here, down here.
And as you can see this is probably
about twice the length that I need,
so I'm gonna cut this and put an end on it,
Now FYI, if you're gonna be using a wire-to-strip connector
with your own wire or in my case,
pre-manufactured wire that I cut in half
that had to use that connector,
that was extremely difficult to make sure
all six wires were lined up.
I ran into a lot of issues
and after opening up the connectors,
I noticed that would have a lot of issues
that it would not actually pierce the wire,
and taking a small little screwdriver
and actually making sure each wire was pierced.
I found that to be the most difficult part
and where a lot of the issues actually came from.
So in my set up I did eventually get
two of these wire-to-strip connectors to work,
and then I call it a day with these connectors,
with these wire connectors.
Now I actually just decided to take the longer wire
that had the pin connectors on either end
that's made from the manufacturer
and just use the longer wire
and my final product or my final project,
I just tied up the extra wire.
It was so much easier using a pin-to-strip connector
rather than a wire-to-strip connector.
There's connectors that are made for connecting wire.
And then there's connectors
that are a combination of both wire and also light strips.
So that's what I have here,
make sure you get the right ones,
I'll leave links down below
to make sure you get the right one.
Using these where you put the LED strip in,
and then you have the pins on that side
that you can turn into male simply, like that,
with the wire that you buy that is complete,
with the female pin, plug it in just like that
and be done.
Then you only have to worry about these connections,
you don't have to worry about these
'cause these plus these, just too many connections.
But if you have long stretches
and you can't find the wire that you need,
you gotta make your own wire
which then you kind of have no choice but to use this.
Once you're ready to cut the LED strips,
make sure you're cutting right in the middle of the contacts
leaving metal contacts on both sides of the LED strip.
If you mess this up unfortunately
it's extremely difficult to repair,
then you're gonna have to cut off the plastic sheathing
just enough to put on the connector.
Again, be very, very careful here not to cut the LED strip.
And then with these LED strip connectors,
you want to push up each of the six pins,
making sure you don't bend them.
Now I did find it easier if you got them a little bit higher
there's a little plastic groove on each side
that actually gets in the way
but if you go in at a perfect angle
and then kind of squeeze the LED strip together
and get under those little plastic pieces,
actually it snaps right in.
Now, when you're ready, just crimp it down.
You wanna make sure the contacts are connecting.
If you have any issues, that's probably where the issue is.
You're gonna have to reopen it up
and then re-crimp it back down.
Now tip to remember is not to cross these wires
or flip them over.
So if have a LED strip that's laying flat,
you wanna make sure the wire,
pick one color that's gonna be on one side
of the LED strip the entire time.
So I'm gonna say the black wire is gonna stay
on the right side of the LED strip the entire time.
You don't wanna cross these over for the entire LED strip.
So I'm gonna have this here,
this will connect into here
and then this will come back just a little bit to here
and plug into the next wire or the next LED strip
just right there, just like that.
I'll make sure all these wires and nice and tight.
There will be a little hangover of the LEDs,
but you're not gonna really see that
because it's gonna be back against the wall.
(upbeat music)
So between the RGB, WW, CC architecture,
the Thread, the 2200 lumens max,
the little remote, the pricing of this.
I think this light strip is a great, great purchase.
I will be leaving affiliate links down below
where you can pick this up
both on Nanoleaf website and also Amazon.
I know it's kind of hard to find right now,
so definitely check out those links down below.
I hope this video helped you
not only understanding what the Nanoleaf light strip
is all about, but also how to install this onto a bookcase.
And if this video helped you
hit that subscribe button down below
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And of course, if you want to see the next video
in my HomeKit series, check out that video right there.
I will see you guys later.
♪ No, nothing can break me, break me ♪