Borealis

Frequently asked questions

Which Nanoleaf panels does it work with?

Nanoleaf Aurora, sold as Light Panels: the original triangles. It doesn’t work with Canvas, Shapes, Lines, Elements or Skylight. A version for Shapes is in development; see Borealis for Shapes.

Does it replace my Nanoleaf controller?

Yes. Borealis plugs into the panels in place of the original controller. The Nanoleaf app and Nanoleaf’s cloud services don’t work with it; you use your smart home app and the Borealis app instead.

How many panels can it run?

Up to 32 panels.

What power supply do I need?

A USB-C charger with Power Delivery that supports 20 V. Most laptop chargers do; small phone chargers often don’t.

Do I need the Borealis app?

No. Borealis works with Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa and Home Assistant through Matter on its own. The app adds scenes, music effects, the scene editor, auto-brightness and firmware updates.

Does it need the internet or an account?

No. Borealis and the app work on your local network, with no account. The app only goes online to check for firmware updates.

Is the microphone always listening?

The microphone only runs while a music-reactive scene is playing and the lights are on. The sound is turned into levels and beats on the controller itself; no audio is stored or sent anywhere.

Is it compatible with Thread?

Borealis uses Matter over Wi-Fi, so it doesn’t need a Thread border router.

Is it open source?

The firmware is released under the MIT licence and the hardware designs under CC BY-SA 4.0. They’ll be published on GitHub.

Something’s not working

See support.