Honestly, which gamer has dreamed of hanging his own Aurora Nanoleafs over his gaming setup?
The triangular LED panels just look super cool on the wall and optically take every room to the next level! If it weren't for this one catch, namely the price of over €150 for the starter version!
That's why I did some research and selected the two best cheap Nanoleaf alternatives and compared them with the original. Find out what happened in this post!
| Preview | Products | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Hexagon wall light... |
|
Buy now " |
|
Hexagon... |
|
Buy now " |
If you still can't imagine what cool lighting effects are possible with the Nanoleafs or you're just looking for some nice examples of setups with the triangular LED panels, be sure to watch this video. It shows the gaming rooms of some well-known youtubers.
Aurora Nanoleafs - What Makes Them So Special?
In order to be able to compare the Aurora Nanoleafs better afterwards, I will now show you what the triangular panels can do and what makes them so special.
The Aurora Nanoleafs are individual triangular LED panels that are individually plugged together, allowing a variety of different patterns to be conjured up. You are only limited by your creativity when choosing a form. :)
The triangles are not screwed to the wall, but attached to the wall with the enclosed double-sided adhesive tape and at the same time connected to 4-pin connectors that look similar to SIM cards.
The standard version comes with a rhythm module, which ensures that the LED panels can pulsate in certain colors. However, the rhythm module is not available in every variant, so you should check this before buying if you are interested in these functions.
A power cable is connected to the lowest LED panel, which must be connected to a socket.
Find Nanoleaf's cool design and install it on the wall
In addition to the panels, the connectors, the power supply and the rhythm module, the scope also includes the same number of paper triangles as you ordered the panels.
You should try hanging this on the wall, as it is difficult to change the arrangement of the panel afterwards. It's best to start at the bottom and work your way up.
Since it's not always easy to find a visually appealing pattern, I'll show you a video with the 10 best designs for 9 LED panels, i.e. the starter set. You can use this as a guide if you are not yet sure how you want to hang up the panels.
The layouts can also be tested in the associated app. But that's just a small part of the app's many functions, which I will of course introduce to you in more detail as the review progresses.
In general, it is worth taking your time during assembly, especially the first triangle must be horizontal, otherwise all the following panels will also be crooked.
But once you have fixed the first panel, you can fix two triangles together in advance and always stick them to the wall at the same time. Overall, depending on the number of panels, this is a matter of between 7 and 15 minutes.
I can recommend this video to you. The clip explains exactly what you have to pay attention to during assembly.
The app and voice control of the different modes and colors
Now we come to the fun part, controlling the many modes and colors of the Nanoleafs. The Nanoleafs can be connected to all current smart home systems such as Alexa, Google Home or Apple Home via Wifi. All you have to do is register in the app for free.
Thousands of commands can be set in the app, which can then be executed either directly with the Smartphone or the voice assistant. There are three major main settings: Colour, Rhythm and Group, which individually still have what feels like endless setting options.
I think color goes without saying, so the panels light up in the desired color. In Rhythm mode, the Naoleafs react according to the sounds in the environment such as music, speech, computer games, etc....
For example, if you set the Fireworks mode, you can see more or less powerful fireworks depending on the volume.
In addition, of course, the brightness can also be adjusted or the luminous color can be changed by command. You can even enter a color code in the app or change the color of each panel. The Nanoleafs are enough to brighten up an entire room.
You also have the option of setting an alarm clock in the morning with the timer function, for example, and then waking up with the light you want, which gently wakes you up from sleep.
Conclusion on the Aurora Nanoleafs
The Aurora Nanoleafs impress with excellent workmanship, a very well thought-out and implemented light control concept and a variety of design options.
So they look great in every room and are guaranteed to upgrade your gaming setup. Therefore, the hype about the nanoleafs is completely justified.
Whether there really is a comparable alternative, I'll tell you below!
| # | Preview | Products | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Govee Glide Hexa LED Panels, 10 RGBIC Smart... |
|
Buy now " |
| 2 |
|
Govee Glide Hexa Pro 3D LED Light Panels, WiFi... |
|
Buy now " |
| 3 |
|
Govee Glide Y Lights, RGBIC LED Gaming Lights,... |
|
Buy now " |
Life Smart Cololight LS160 - The small competitors
In terms of function, the Life Smart Cololights LS160 are a counterpart to the Aurora Nanoleafs and they seem to impress with a lower price. But are they really a good alternative to the Aurora Nanoleafs?
The Cololights are available in two versions on Amazon: The Starter Set for around €45, which consists of three hexagonal panels and comes with a plastic base, and the Stone Set for around €90, which consists of 6 LED panels and has a stone base. In addition, individual panels can be purchased for around €12.
The functions of the Cololights
As with the Nanoleafs, the colors and modes are also controlled with an app or voice control, but only Google Home and Alexa are supported.
If you are at home in the Apple ecosystem, you can only control it via the app. It is also surprising that no double opt-in is required when registering, but that you are registered directly.
Otherwise, the app looks a bit old-fashioned, but switching modes works without delay, only the rhythm mode, which reacts to noises, is much worse, so that it flashes like crazy, but doesn't really follow the music etc....
In return, controlling individual panels does not cause any problems, nor does dimming the brightness or the other modes.
- SMART HOME - RGB LED lighting system with expandable modules for self...
- VERSATILE - Whether as a relaxing mood light in the ...
- 100% INDIVIDUAL - Thanks to the innovative plug-in system in...
Cololights vs Nanoleafs price comparison
At first glance, there seems to be a clear price-performance winner when comparing the two variants. 90€ for the Cololight Stone Set or even 35€ for the Starter Set vs 180€ for the Nanoleaf Aurora Starterpack.
However, if you compare the illuminated area of the Nanoleaf triangles (approx. 254 cm²) and the Cololight hexagons (approx. 48cm²) with the price, taking into account the unilluminated corners of Aurora, the triangles offer a five times larger illuminated area than the hexagons and this at a price of 9€ for the Cololights compared to 20€ for the Aurora LEDs.
The apparently lower power consumption via USB of the Cololights also falters. Because if you take the values from above as a basis, you end up with the following result:
According to the manufacturer, an Aurora panel with 254 cm² consumes 2 watts and a Cololight panel with 48 cm² requires 0,5 watts. If you now take 5 Cololight Hexagons to get the approximate area of an Aurora Triangle, you get 5 x 48 cm² = 240 m² (a bit smaller area). So if you now calculate 5 x 0,5 watts, you get 2,5 watts.
This leads to the conclusion that the power consumption is around 0,5 W higher for the Cololights with almost the same lighting area.
What is of course also noticeable is that a Hexagon Cololight is five times as small as a Nanoleaf triangle. Furthermore, the Cololight panels are 3 cm thick and the Aurora triangles are only 1 cm thick. The question is whether you want such a large distance from the wall.
Therefore, in contrast to the Nanoleafs, the Cololights are only worthwhile in my opinion if you need a small area of LED panels or if you want to place them on the Table want to ask. Then you are well served with the starter version for only 35 €!
Pros and cons compared to Aurora
+ Starter kit costs only 45€
+ LED panels work very well
– Are three times as thick
– Rhythm mode only lights up in confusion
– App is old fashioned
- Only Echo and Google Dot can be connected
JAKROO - The Chinese Nanoleaf alternative
Another Nanoleaf alternative is the JAKROO for around €100, which, in contrast to the Cololights, is very similar in shape.
They are made of plastic with a glass look and come in a box Power Supplies, which has the sound module directly integrated, but which only fits into the socket with an adapter.
The JAKROO panels are fixed to the wall with the supplied double-sided adhesive tape and the colors and modes can also be set using the app. Unfortunately, the pairing only works with Bluetooth, not via WiFi like with the Cololights or Nanoleafs.
You have 180 different lighting modes to choose from and brightness etc... can also be easily adjusted.
You have to say that this is a Chinese product with EU plagiarism, which is also not available on Amazon and where the delivery time at Gearbest is 20 working days, for example.
So I would pay the small surcharge and choose the Nanoleafs for your gaming room. Since they are of higher quality and you have a better contact person with Amazon if something should break.
No products found.
Pros and cons compared to Aurora
– Only available from China
– Delivery time of 20 working days
– Rhythm mode only works with a delay
Conclusion
There is currently no real alternative to the nanoleafs. Unless you only need a small table light, Cololights are the perfect choice.
The competition has similar products with the Cololights LS 160 and the JAKROO, but at this point in time you don't get anything better than the Nanoleafs in terms of price-performance ratio.
