I’m using Nanoleaf Lines and Blocks with Homey, and for both devices the “Then → Set [effect] effect” card is available in Homey flows. These effects are pulled directly from the Nanoleaf Android app and allow colour gradients and smooth colour “animated” transitions.
In the Homey Nanoleaf app, these lamps appear as either “Matter Multicolour” or “Matter Lightstrip” devices (both device types work, as the lamp is literally a lightstrip mounted in a metal housing). However, the “Then → Set [effect] effect” card is not available for these lights? As a result, I can only set solid colours via Homey flows and cannot activate scenes or effects that are available in the Nanoleaf Android app, like I can for Lines and Blocks.
I already opened a ticket but also wanted to post here and see if anyone else has the same lights/missing flow card?
According to the Homey App Store, none of the Matter Nanoleaf lamps support the “Set effect” function.
This may be because Homey’s Matter version, Matter 1.2 + a few functions/devices from Matter 1.3, doesn’t (yet) support this function, or because Matter itself doesn’t support this function.
My recommendation is to ask the app developer what the reason for this is.
Just in case anyone’s interested, I heard back from support and the reason is that “Matter doesn’t support it.”
It’s a bit ironic, considering Matter was hyped for years as the solution to all smart home problems, yet here we are. Non-Matter Nanoleaf lights support setting scenes in flows, but the Matter versions don’t.
Matter is a relatively new protocol and will certainly be further developed in the coming years. The first official Matter version 1.0 was released just about three years ago, on October 22, 2022 (source).
Nevertheless, advertising for Matter devices is often misleading and exaggerated.
Yes, it came out three years ago, but was also hyped up for years before the release as the answer to all smart-home compatibility issues. I’m just disappointed it doesn’t deliver on that promise, and non-Matter lights still have more features. Lesson learned with these floor lamps, in the future I’ll avoid matter lights.
