Nanoleaf Outdoor String Lights review: A simpler string light

As noted in a previous review, LIFX’s recently released String outdoor lights make a nifty visual impact, but with just 12 bulbs spread out over 24 feet of cable, the lights probably won’t cover the entire yard–or even a small portion of it.

In response, Nanoleaf’s new Outdoor String Lights up the ante with 20 bulbs and twice the length of cable to work with (49 feet), and for less money.

Tested here is the even longer version of the Nanoleaf kit, which provides 40 bulbs spread over a hefty 98 feet of cable, not including an extra 6 feet of cable that connects an inline controller to the wall socket. (A 147-foot version is also available.) 

Despite all the plusses, I was ultimately disappointed by the Nanoleaf Outdoor String Light experience.

Design

Nanoleaf’s bulbs dangle a couple of inches from a thick, central wire, and each connector has a rubber grommet that can be used for clipping to a fastener or a guy wire.

This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart lighting.

Like the LIFX string lights, there’s a significant amount of space in between bulbs–even more here, at nearly 2.5 feet–but the wire paradoxically doesn’t seem quite as naked, in part because it’s longer (and has more bulbs total) and also because of the way the bulbs hang down from the main wire, providing more of a sense of space. 

To be sure, Nanoleaf’s kit is not nearly as luxe as what LIFX has on offer. The Nanoleaf bulbs provide 55 lumens of brightness each, which is technically higher than LIFX’s bulbs (50 lumens each) and thus offers a much higher luminosity total for the whole kit. You wouldn’t notice it from the naked eye, though.

Perhaps due to the bulb design–vaguely Edison-like, with gem-like facets cut into the plastic to create a slightly prismatic effect–the light in Nanoleaf’s strings is more scattered and less focused. That’s good for ambience, but bad for illumination. More on the light quality in a bit. 

Another plus for LIFX’s competing string bulbs is that they boast three addressable zones (which means each bulb can show three colors at once), while Nanoleaf’s bulbs only have one zone each.

And while Nanoleaf’s color temperature range of 2,700 to 6,500 Kelvin for white light is fine, LIFX has a far wider (1,500-9,000 K) and more impressive white-light sandbox in which to play.

Still, Nanoleaf boasts a color wheel offering access to 16 million colors, 100 levels of dimming, and a number of dynamic modes, ultimately offering ample range with which to get creative. 

The lights have an IP65 weatherization rating, meaning they’re dust-proof and resistant to water jets, while the even tougher IP67-rated controller can be dunked in a meter of water for up to 30 minutes. In other words, Nanoleaf’s string light kit shouldn’t have any trouble dealing with the elements.

Setup and functionality

Installing the Nanoleaf Outdoor String Lights isn’t markedly different than most other products in the category, though the inclusion of those grommets at every connector provides a little more flexibility and is probably better for the integrity of the cable over time than attempting to connect to the wire directly.

The length of the cable (remember I’m reviewing the longer version, at 98 feet) made for some challenging moments as I maneuvered it into place. At 13.5 pounds, the mass of cable and lights can require some wrestling when you’re atop a ladder. Fortunately, Nanoleaf bundles the string into twist-tied sections, which makes it a bit easier to keep everything together and untangled while you’re stringing the bulbs up.

At the plug end of the cable is a small breakout box. Unlike LIFX’s breakout box, the Nanoleaf box actually does something, with four buttons that control power, adjust brightness (up or down), or cycle through scenes or colors.

Nanoleaf seems to use this lattermost button to cycle through all the scenes saved in the Scenes portion of its app–including ones you’ve added manually–rather than only moving through your Favorites. Oddly, clicking the button on the breakout box doesn’t update the Scene setting within the Nanoleaf mobile app, so this function can quickly get a little confusing. 

Speaking of the app, thanks to support for Matter, setup is quick to the point of painlessness. Just scan a QR code and you’re set up in Nanoleaf’s app, Apple Home, and whatever other platforms you have in use. Official additional support here includes Google Home, Alexa, and SmartThings.

Note that the unit only works with 2.4GHz Wi-Fi (though it can also operate some features over Bluetooth), so you’ll need to ensure the breakout box is within range of a signal. I encountered a couple of moments during testing when the lights disconnected from the network, ultimately requiring a power cycle to get them up and running again. 

Using the app presents no real challenges for the most part. In addition to the manual settings options outlined above, you can create custom themes, download themes others have made, or type in a “magic word” that will select a collection of colors it calculates based, presumably, on a Google image search for the phrase.

A couple of music visualizer modes let you configure the lights to shift and move in time with ambient sound should more exciting festivities be on the calendar. 

Performance

Despite all the plusses (including substantially more enticing pricing than the LIFX String), I was ultimately disappointed in the Nanoleaf Outdoor String Light experience.

The chunky bulb design looks cheap, and the light itself feels a bit cold and basic. Despite the promise of 16 million hues, I was never able to elevate the experience much beyond achieving a collection of simple, primary colors.

The impact across my back yard hit me as a little flat and underwhelming, though it may be fine for lighting things up on Halloween or Christmas, where it’s probably acceptable to be a little less nuanced and more in-your-face with your lighting game. 

Specifications

• Brightness: 55 lumens per bulb
• Distance between bulbs: 29.5 inches
• IP rating: IP65 (lights), IP67 (controller)
• White color temperature: 2,700-6,500 Kelvin
• Wireless: Wi-Fi (2.4GHz only), Bluetooth
• Matter enabled: Yes
• Smart home integrations: Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings

Should you buy the Nanoleaf Outdoor String Lights?

If you need to cover a lot of ground with smart color string lights, Nanoleaf can certainly get you there.

The system tops out at 147 feet, and even the maximum range won’t cost all that much: roughly $300 total (on sale for $277.48 as of this writing), with 60 lights along the way.

I can’t say the effect will impress the neighbors all that much, but it’s sure to get them talking.