After nearly ten years of development, Nanoleaf’s smart switch has finally been launched. You can pre-order the $30 Sense Plus smart wireless “anywhere” switch now, with shipping expected in October. But in order to achieve this, Nanoleaf had to abandon its adoption of Thread and create a new proprietary protocol called Litewave.
This battery-operated device brings physical control to Nanoleaf’s smart lighting system, allowing you to push a button to turn lights on or off, dim or brighten them, or change colors. Additionally, built-in motion and light sensors allow Sense to adjust lighting based on room conditions.
“We need to ensure our products work reliably while reducing dependence on platforms,” Gimmy Chu
First released in 2020 and again in 2023, a version of The Sense has been long-awaited by fans of the company’s RGB lighting range. Wireless smart switches let you control all the lights in a room or multiple rooms without using your voice or pulling out your phone. It’s similar in concept to Philips Hue’s wireless dimmer switch or Lutron Caseta’s Pico remote, which can also be mounted on a wall plate like a traditional light switch or used as a portable remote.
However, in addition to the standard lighting controls, the Sense also features two configurable buttons that can be programmed in Nanoleaf’s app or set up to work with Apple Home and Samsung SmartThings via Matter.
This allows you to use other devices to create automations, such as Movie Time scenes, that close curtains, dim lights, and adjust the thermostat with the touch of a button. However, because not all Matter platforms support smart buttons, Sense’s Matter integration is currently in an early access program.
Sense uses both protocols to connect to Nanoleaf’s lights. Matter over Thread and Litewave are technologies the company developed specifically for this product. Litewave is a proprietary native protocol that operates on the same 802.15.4 radio as Bluetooth/Thread, allowing the switch to communicate with all Nanoleaf lights, whether they use Thread, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi.
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Nanoleaf co-founder and CEO Gimmy Chu said it took eight years to find the right technology to provide a reliable wireless switching experience. “We need a low-power network solution, such as Thread, and we also need a universal communication protocol – such as Matter,” he said. However, although the company is a strong supporter and early adopter of Thread, it has encountered difficulties with Matter over Thread implementation. This led it to develop proprietary protocols to ensure its new smart switches work reliably with all smart lights.
during an interview edgeZhu attributes some of these struggles to the complexity of matter and its multiple platforms. “We have no control over the Matter controller, which is responsible for ensuring things like pairing are working properly and that the Thread network is properly maintained,” he said. “We need to ensure our products work reliably while reducing dependence on the platform.”
Litewave provides a strong and reliable local connection that enables instant control—as fast as flipping a light switch, Chu said. “With it, we can simultaneously be part of the Matter over Thread mesh network and support our communication,” he said. Litewave also does not require a Thread border router or Matter controller to operate, making user settings simpler. These additional devices are only required if you choose to enable Matter.
Through Litewave, Sense can control multiple Nanoleaf lights at once without producing a “popcorn” effect (the lights popping one after another). Chu showed this to me during our video interview: When he pressed a button, a dozen downlights instantly turned on and off. “We’ve tested it with over 100 devices across 10,000 square feet, and everything is instantaneous and the reliability is about 100 percent,” he said.
Nanoleaf is launching its first Wi-Fi-based Matter bulb in another shift away from relying solely on Thread – all of which currently use Thread. The full-color, tunable white Essentials Matter Wi-Fi A19 smart light bulbs were developed for Walmart and are available in a two-pack for $29.99 (you can also buy them on Nanoleaf’s online store for a four-pack for $49.99).
Chu said they decided to use Wi-Fi because they felt Thread was still too niche for Walmart customers. “The mass market doesn’t know what Thread is,” he said. “When we go into a place like Walmart, we want to make sure we’re catering to the broadest possible audience.”
“The mass market doesn’t know what Thread is,” Gimmy Chu
Nanoleaf isn’t the only company hedging its bets on Matter over Thread. After several launches of Thread-only products, Aqara’s latest lighting products work with Thread and Zigbee — The protocol used to connect all devices before using Thread. The company said it did this because Zigbee currently offers more features on its platform than Matter over Thread and wanted to give users choice.
The just-released Thread 1.4 update should resolve many of the current issues, and feature parity should be coming as Matter evolves. But it will be some time before manufacturers implement the new thread specification. In the meantime, companies like Nanoleaf have no choice but to find alternative solutions while Thread works itself out.
