Transform Your Living Room: The Ultimate Guide to the Nanoleaf Smart Mirror and Dynamic Lights Showcase

Key Takeaways

• The Nanoleaf 4D Screen Mirror + Lightstrip Kit is a unique lighting product that can be synchronized with the colors displayed on your smart TV screen.
• The setup process can be challenging and may require patience, especially when positioning the camera and calibrating it with your TV.
• The Nanoleaf app allows for various lighting scenes, music-reactive mode, and integration with smart home platforms like Apple HomeKit and Amazon Alexa. However, the app may experience crashes.

Nanoleaf has been known for its distinctive smart lighting panels that can instantly change the ambiance of a room. However, it recently launched a new product that is quite different—the Nanoleaf 4D Screen Mirror + Lightstrip Kit .

The Nanoleaf 4D Screen Mirror + Lightstrip Kit is designed to produce dynamic light effects behind smart televisions. The light it emits reflects the colors on the screen, creating an immersive experience in some conditions. However, the setup process can be a bit challenging and requires patience.

Nanoleaf 4D Screen Mirror Lightstrip Kit

7/ 10

The Nanoleaf 4D Screen Mirror + Lightstrip Kit is a unique lighting product that can be used with your smart TV. Once installed, the light strip can emit colors that synchronize with what’s being displayed on the screen. It also functions in similar ways to other Nanoleaf products.

Brand

Nanoleaf

TV Size

Up to 85 inches

Sides of Lighting

All 4 sides

Connectivity

WiFi (2.4 GHz b/g/n)

Remote Control

VIa the Nanoleaf App

Music Reactive Mode

Yes

Max. Brightness

Up to 1122 lumens

Integrations

Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, IFTTT, SmartThings, Razer Chroma

Pros

• Easy hardware setup
• Multiple lighting modes
• Cheaper way to experience Nanoleaf products

Cons

• Software setup is lacking
• Camera is noticeable, which you might not like
• App crashes

Expand

$120 at Amazon $99.99 at Best Buy

Set Up Works, Until It Doesn’t

Bryan M. Wolfe / How-To Geek

There are two Nanoleaf 4D Screen Mirror + Lightstrip Kits to choose from, depending on your TV’s screen size. The first is for smart televisions up to 65 inches; the second is for televisions up to 85 inches. The only difference here is the length of the light strip. Beyond the strip, the product box contains a controller, camera, mounts, and brackets.

When you take the Nanoleaf out of its box, it’s essential to clear a workspace behind your smart television. It’s recommended to give yourself plenty of space for moving around. Before attaching the lights to the back of your TV or monitor, ensure the surface is dust and moisture-free. The light strip comes with removable tape on the back, and your task is to position the lights in a rectangle behind the television, leaving no less than 2 inches of space from the edge of the TV on all sides. You don’t have to worry about the flexibility of the light strip, as it can be molded to fit the space. Make sure that you press firmly on the entire strip for maximum adhesion. The corner brackets make the installation process more accessible and add extra security.

Once the strip is firmly attached, you’ll want to cut off any excess so there are no loose ends. When doing so, avoid cutting into any of the LED lights. Once cut, the strip cannot be connected back together. Your next step is to connect the light strip’s USB-C to the controller.

Positioning the camera is the biggest challenge with installing the Nanoleaf 4D Screen Mirror + Lightstrip Kit. Measuring 31 x 28 x 34mm, the tiny camera can be placed on a surface below your screen without the included mount or at the top center with the support. The camera is necessary so that the light strip can react to what’s happening on the screen.

At first, I was concerned that the camera might detach from my TV, so I planned to position it in front of the screen. However, that placement looked awkward, so I changed my approach and used the mount to place the camera at the top. When installed this way, it protrudes slightly from the top back of the TV and resembles a light hanging over a billboard sign near a road.

After installing the camera, connect its power cord to the controller. Place the controller behind the TV and plug it into a power outlet. Here’s where things get a little bit goofy.

Bryan M. Wolfe / How-To Geek

The next step is to pair the light strip with the Nanoleaf app for iPhone or Android . You do so by following the installation steps within the app. Once the lights get paired, you’ll need to calibrate the camera with your TV.

During the calibration process, you must use the app to properly position the camera so that all four corners of the TV are in view. The app will show a video of the TV screen on your smartphone to assist with this process. However, I found this to be a frustrating experience, especially as the Nanoleaf app crashed twice during the process. Eventually, I got the camera positioned in a way that allowed it to capture every angle of my TV.

Something Extra

If you have already installed Nanoleaf panel lights in the room where you have also installed the light strip, you can take your experience to the next level with Sync+. This feature lets you digitally connect the panels to the light strip, enabling both products to react to what’s happening on your screen. The setup process for Sync+ is quite simple and is handled using the Nanoleaf app. If you have supported Nanoleaf panels, they will automatically be listed under the Sync+ section for the Nanoleaf 4D Screen Mirror + Lightstrip Kit. All you have to do is use the app to tell it where the panels are on your TV. You can do this by using a small diagram within the app that shows the TV’s position and then positioning the lights accordingly with your finger.

No Surprise, Nighttime is Best

Based on my testing, I found that the Nanoleaf 4D Screen Mirror + Lightstrip Kit functions best when the room is completely dark, at nighttime. I used the lights while watching cartoons, movies, and TV shows, and I noticed that they performed better during highly concentrated color scenes, like with vivid animations. The lights duplicated the colors accurately in each direction. However, in darker scenes of movies where the colors are more muted, the lights didn’t perform as well since there were fewer colors to duplicate.

Using the App: What the Nanoleaf 4D Lights Can Do

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The Nanoleaf app is essential for using Nanoleaf panels and the Nanoleaf 4D Screen Mirror + Lightstrip Kit. You can perform numerous tasks with the app, which is available for mobile and desktop. These include turning the lights on/off, adjusting the brightness, grouping your lights by room, and scheduling times to turn on and off. The app is also where you can use lighting scenes, either those you download to the app or create yourself. These lights can even react to the beat of the music in a room, which is fantastic. Besides, you can control Nanoleaf using Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple’s Siri.

You can treat the Nanoleaf 4D Screen Mirror + Lightstrip Kit, just like any other Nanoleaf product, like the Nanoleaf Lines Squared , and assign lighting scenes and even have the lights react to sounds in the room. However, having the strip respond to what’s playing on the TV screen is the central reason for purchasing it in the first place. Even here, Nanoleaf offers varying degrees of immersion.

The Nanoleaf app offers four screen mirror modes for the Nanoleaf 4D Screen Mirror + Lightstrip Kit, each providing a unique level of immersion. Switching between modes is as simple as tapping a button in the app. The first mode is “1D” and emits white light around the edges of your TV that occasionally reacts to what’s happening on the screen regarding movements. The second “2D” mode identifies the most dominant colors on the screen and intermixes them with white light. It’s a perfect mode for someone who wants less immersion. In both modes, the lights move in unison on all four sides of the TV.

Nanoleaf takes things to the next level with its “3D” mode, which combines colors from the screen and moves them differently on each side. The “4D” mode is even more immersive, making it seem like the colors are leaping out of the screen. For instance, if there’s an action-packed car chase scene at night, the direction of the car headlights is projected beyond the TV’s edges, adding to the overall experience.

I must admit, the 4D mode stood out to me the most. It added a vibrant and immersive experience. The other three modes were nice for setting the mood in the room, but they didn’t quite capture my attention as much as the 4D mode. In fact, they seemed to distract me from what was happening on the screen.

Extras: What Else Can the Lights Do?

Sync+ is an excellent addition to the Nanoleaf 4D Screen Mirror + Lightstrip Kit experience, but for some, it might be too much of a good thing. In some respects, adding light panels to the mix takes away from what’s happening on either side of your television. Which, in turn, takes away the immersive experience. Regardless, it’s clever, and indeed many will like it.

It’s also important to note the camera comes with a removable privacy cover that you can install when the camera’s not in use. Unfortunately, smart devices sometimes get hacked, so something like this is good for peace of mind.

Drawbacks: Yes, There Are Some

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Bryan M. Wolfe / How-To Geek

The Nanoleaf 4D Screen Mirror + Lightstrip Kit is a nice addition to the Nanoleaf product library. Best of all, its price is much lower than other Nanoleaf solutions, which tend to be expensive. It starts at $99.99. However, a few things stand out that are holding it back.

First, setting up the camera seems much more complicated than necessary because the directions in their current form aren’t very user-friendly. The idea is to ensure the camera can see all four corners of the screen, and I get that. However, the team at Nanoleaf needs to improve this so it’s easier to use. Removing the app crashing would also be helpful!

The same goes for the position of other lights using Sync+. For whatever reason, the app reset this numerous times for no reason, which meant resetting it on my end. Again, this sounds like an issue with the Nanoleaf app, not the lights themselves.

And then there’s the camera hardware. There’s no denying that not everyone will want a tiny camera sitting in front of their TV or dropping down from above. It’s unavoidable with this product, and I’m not sure there’s a solution to this. The camera itself is beautifully designed and, because it is black, somewhat blends into the background. And yet, it’s still noticeable, especially when the TV isn’t in use. Perhaps time and future or different technology will make the need for a camera for the Nanoleaf 4D Screen Mirror + Lightstrip Kit unnecessary. For now, you either need to embrace or not buy it.

Should You Buy the Nanoleaf 4D Screen Mirror + Lightstrip Kit?

Bryan M. Wolfe / How-To Geek

As technology advances, the quality of televisions has improved remarkably, offering better picture and sound quality with each passing year. The Nanoleaf 4D Screen Mirror + Lightstrip Kit is a new and innovative way to enhance the viewing experience. While it is not without its flaws, it is definitely worth considering. Especially with the “4D” mode, which provides the most immersive experience, it makes viewing content on the screen even better, especially when the content on the screen has lots of colors.

The product is priced competitively and functions as expected despite a slightly frustrating setup process. It also integrates seamlessly with your existing Nanoleaf panels. Overall, I recommend this product for anyone looking to enhance their TV viewing experience and who doesn’t mind jumping through a few hoops to set it up properly.

Nanoleaf 4D Screen Mirror Lightstrip Kit

7/ 10

The Nanoleaf 4D Screen Mirror + Lightstrip Kit is a unique lighting product that can be used with your smart TV. Once installed, the light strip can emit colors that synchronize with what’s being displayed on the screen. It also functions in similar ways to other Nanoleaf products.

Brand

Nanoleaf

TV Size

Up to 85 inches

Sides of Lighting

All 4 sides

Connectivity

WiFi (2.4 GHz b/g/n)

Remote Control

VIa the Nanoleaf App

Music Reactive Mode

Yes

Max. Brightness

Up to 1122 lumens

Integrations

Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, IFTTT, SmartThings, Razer Chroma

Expand

$120 at Amazon $99.99 at Best Buy