Smartie Solutions by Smartie Home — Secondary Light in Office
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Around six years ago, when I was designing and setting up my office space, I integrated a smart solution into the layout. Despite it being 6 years later, this solution remains a part of my daily routine. Given how useful I have found it, I thought it would be beneficial to share this experience with others who might be looking for similar solutions.
The Issue
When working late nights in my office, I needed a light source that I could adjust to brighten up the room as needed. Although the office has a main light source with a fan, it’s quite bright even with smart lights installed. Even at its lowest setting, it still produces a considerable amount of light.
The Theory
A secondary light source, capable of changing into several different colors, is ideal. It can be controlled by a switch or a phone, perfect for those late-night coding sessions.
The Solution
Today, there are many more options available for smart light solutions. However, I stand by my decision and would likely choose this smart solution again if given the choice.
When designing my office, I knew where the whiteboards and desk were going to go, but I also wanted a secondary light source in a corner that I could turn on and off. Initially, I set up the main light source with smart lights, using previously purchased Hue lights. However, I instantly regretted this due to the high brightness from three lights. Hue lights are great when it’s just one or two, but three lights all in one spot can be pretty powerful. (I do turn them on from time to time when it’s very dark, but usually, they are off)
The second consideration was the Hue light strip, which six years ago was the only light strip that had HomeKit support (with an adapter, before Matter). However, the individual LEDs were distracting and better suited when mounted behind something. This led me to consider building a U-shaped box to run the light strip down and have the light shine up above one side of the whiteboards. However, that seemed like a lot of work, especially since I had just moved into my first house and was not equipped to tackle DIY projects.
The third and chosen solution was to use Nanoleaf canvas wall lights. I’m not really sure how I came across Nanoleaf lights initially, either from their early support of HomeKit and being sold at the Apple Store, or just how cool their videos showcased how fully customizable they are. At the time, Nanoleaf only had the canvas wall lights, unlike all the solutions and choices they have now, six years later.
The Nanoleaf canvas wall is set up in the corner and can be activated by a switch on my desk, through the Home app, or by motion. Smart lights are excellent, but what makes this a smartie solution is its connection to an Eve motion sensor. If it detects motion in the room between 8pm-10pm, it will automatically turn on the Nanoleaf at a lower 50% yellow light intensity to avoid a shock.
The Product
Outcome
I’ve had this as part of my office setup for six years, and I have no plans to change it. I encountered two issues with the panels, but Nanoleaf fully replaced and covered them — their support was excellent. With the motion sensor in place, this has been a useful addition to my office. Even though it’s not the primary light source, I use it almost daily, making it the “main” light source in my office.
A fun feature is the ability to change colours using the colour selector in the Home app. My 18-month-old son loves to pick and change the colours himself and its a great learning tool to teach colours on.
💯 A smartie solution for sure
Have an issue and want a smartie solution, reach out to us and let’s see if we can find a smart solution using smart technology.
