Summary
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Build DIY LumiHex panels to get Nanoleaf-style smart wall lights without the price tag.
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Each hex is a smart light, notification display, 6 buttons, and a modular Home Assistant block.
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Full schematics and a how-to video let you integrate LumiHex into Home Assistant routines.
What’s better than an array of colorful lights on your wall? A smart array of colorful lights on your wallthat’s what. While ‘dumb’ devices tend to follow only their preset patterns, hooking up the lights to a smart home system unlocks a ton of potential. Now you can make them react, signal, and notify based on conditions that you set, and it’s half the fun of planning a smart home system.
Unfortunately, while everyone loves a good smart light, nobody likes paying for them. And products like the Nanoleaf hexagons can sell for a pretty penny. But we’re all DIY tinkerers here, so why not make our own instead?
These DIY Nanoleaf panels are a smart home lover’s dream
As spotted by Hackadaythe YouTube channel Smart Solutions for Home published both a blog and a video showing off its newest project. It’s called the LumiHex, and it takes a page out of Nanoleaf’s book in its design. However, it’s intended to be built from the ground up instead of purchased from the store, and because you made it with your own hands, you can also source out spare parts and fix the lights if things break.
If you’re not familiar with these kinds of lights, you’d be forgiven for thinking that they’re just a pretty piece. However, remember that these are for smart homes, and smart home devices are never just something that looks nice:
LumiHex is not “just” wall RGB. Each hexagon is:
– a smart light,
– a notification display,
– a set of 6 physical buttons,
– and a modular building block you can arrange however you want.
All of that is tightly integrated with Home Assistant. And once you have that kind of integration, the panels stop being only mood lighting and become a visual interface to your home.
Yes, you read that right; the creator designed the project to play ball with Home Assistant. So, theoretically, after you get this project up and running, you could slot it into your existing routines and have it do whatever you want. Sounds like a fun time, if you ask me. While you’re at it, you can also check out these reasons you should build your own Home Assistant smart display.
If you’re a visual learner, you can check out the YouTube video above for all the details. If you prefer reading, you can instead head over to the Smart Solutions for Home webpage and see all the schematics there.
