Nanoleaf Solar Garden Lights: two-minute review
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Nanoleaf specializes in energy-efficient LED smart lights, or the home, and now the garden too. Recently launched, these solar-powered outdoor lights are available in a two-pack for $49.99 / £49.99, or a six-pack for $139.99 / £139.99.
We tested the pack of two light clusters, which come in a long box along with two solar panels that can either be stuck in the ground or screwed to a fence with the brackets and screws provided (we tried both types of installation).
Alternatively, it's possible to power the lights via a USB-C power socket on the solar panel if there isn’t enough power from the sun. I tested the Nanoleaf lights during an unusually sunny period in London, so I didn’t have to rely on an external power source – the sun’s rays were more than enough to keep the lights going all night.
Really, it’s best to think of each light as a bunch of eight flowers attached to a central stalk that sticks into the ground or a flowerpot. Two different sized tubes are provided depending on whether you want to have a long or a short stalk (we tried both).
What’s more, each of the flowers in the bunch can be adjusted to face whichever way you want, though they should be handled from the bottom closest to the stalk rather than the top of the stem next to the LED lightbulb.
Once the solar panels are installed where you want them, you can switch on the power using a button on the bottom underneath the actual panels and a green light will indicate you how much charge each of the lights has (four bars means it's fully charged).
Using the bracket and screws provided, I installed one of the solar panels relatively high up on a south facing fence, angling the panel up to the sun, while the other was placed in the ground on a north facing fence. Needless to say, since I'm in the UK, the south-facing panel charged up much quicker, although both provided more than enough power for the LED lights to come on at night.
Of course, the real magic starts once it starts to get dark and the lights actually switch on to illuminate your garden – not until nearly 10pm in the summer in the UK, but much earlier in the winter.
Unlike other Nanoleaf products, such as the Matter Smart Multicoloured Rope Lights, which connect via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, these lights are actually refreshingly old school. So instead of using a mobile phone connected to the Nanonleaf app for control, you use a conventional remote control instead.
Powered by two AAA batteries (provided), this looks similar to an Amazon Firestick remote. At the top are buttons for switching the lights on and off, while underneath there are controls for changing the color of the lights.
Pressing RGB toggles the lights to the next solid color, with options for decreasing and increasing brightness (marked with sunshine icons) on either side. In addition, you can choose warmer or colder whites. These are marked with thermometer icons with either a sun or a snowflake.-
Underneath the lighting options are timer settings (four-hour, six-hour and eight-hour timers are provided) as well as an ambient light sensor which will turn the lights on or off automatically at sunset and sunrise.
There’s also the option of toggling between 11 animated scenes with the different bulbs lighting up in an array of colours, like a sort of less noisy firework display.
It's all great fun and overall we were pleased with the lights and the way they performed. Using a standard remote rather than relying on Wi-Fi control via a mobile phone will obviously suit many, especially those who struggle to get a Wi-Fi signal outdoors. The range of the remote also seems quite good (around 33 feet / 10 meters) so it may be possible to control the lights from indoors if you have a small garden or yard.
However, there are a couple of small niggles. One of the problems we found is that experimenting with the lighting settings was a little bit tricky, especially in the dark when we weren’t able to see the remote control very well to make changes.
Ironically, given you shouldn’t need a smartphone to control the lights, we found we had to use the torch option on the phone to light up the display on the remote control. Also, it took a bit of getting used to all of the different buttons and what they each of them did. Personally, I found the brightly-colored animated scenes a little over-the-top for everyday use though quite enjoyed the solid colours and warm/cool whites the lights could offer. However, it is largely a matter of individual taste.
Nanoleaf Solar Garden Lights: price and availability
- $49.99 / £49.99 (two-pack)
- $139.99 / £139.99 (six-pack)
- Available direct from Nanoleaf
Available either in packs of two or six, the Nanoleaf Solar Garden Lights represent pretty good value for money (I had been expecting them to cost nearly twice as much). Each of the units has eight bulbs and they are quite well made (they also offer IP65 waterproofing). They are available direct from Nanoleaf in the US and the UK.
Particularly impressive are the solar panels which, rather usefully, tell you how much charge they have as well as providing back up power via USB-C charging. And while obviously the garden lights aren’t as high-tech or as sophisticated as some smarter lighting solutions, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Finally, they also offer much more bang for your bucks than many standard LED garden lights, which often don’t allow for any customization at all.
Nanoleaf Solar Garden Lights: specs
Product name | Nanoleaf Solar Garden Lights |
Price | From $49.99 / £49.99 |
Total assembled height | 37.4 inches / 950mm |
Length of each stem | 17.3 inches / 439mm |
Solar panel dimensions (W x H) | 5.2 x 5 inches / 132 x 102.5mm |
IP rating | IP65 |
Brightness | 50 lumens |
Color temperature range | 2,850 - 3,150K |
Color channel configuration | RGBW |
Charging methods | Solar, USB-C |
Solar charge time | 6-10 hours |
Control distance | 30 feet / 10m |
Should you buy the Nanoleaf Solar Garden Lights
Attribute | Notes | Score |
|---|---|---|
Value | Given all the elements that make up this two-pack, the flower-like Nanoleaf lights represent excellent value for money. In fact they’re not that much more expensive than two bunches of real flowers (much brighter too). | 5/5 |
Design | Maybe it’s not for everyone, but I quite like the innovative design of the Nanoleaf lights. Particularly impressive are the stems which you can easily bend to the optimum position as well as the flexible mounting options for the solidly-built solar panels. | 4.5/5 |
Performance | While many may prefer using a standard remote rather than a mobile phone app in the garden, it’s not always easy to make changes in the dark. That said, once up and running, the lights are impressive. | 3.5/5 |
How I tested the Nanoleaf Solar Garden Lights
- I used the Nanoleaf solar garden lights for a week
- I experimented with all the lighting options
- I used in various configurations with different lengths of ‘stalk’, and both wall- and ground-mounted solar panels
Testing solar garden lights isn’t the most sociable of activities. After all, you can only really make changes after dark, which means testing after around 10pm when approaching the longest day in the UK. Also, as noted earlier, it’s not easy to make changes when you can’t see the remote very well in the dark, which is why I also had to use a phone to provide light.
Will I continue to use these lights long after the review has been published? (That’s always the real test of any review.) Yes I think so although I will probably keep them on a single white light setting rather than having them cycle through various colored scenes which can be a little over the top.
As my son said when he first saw the bright colored lights coming on in the garden after a night out: ‘Why has our garden been transformed into Love Island?’
