You will need to install the Nanoleaf app to upgrade the firmware. Which can be a bit tedious if doing a few bulbs as it won’t upgrade from and old to a latest firmware in a single step, it does the intermediate versions in turn. I think I had to do 3 or possibly 4 updates per bulb. Each update takes around 5 mins
Ok after testing - I have failed miserably.
Connected the Moes hub to my router, and plugged it in. Downloaded the Moes app. Added the hub in the App - it shows as “Matter Zigbee hub”. Cool.
In the nanoleaf App I have a bulb connected (via Bluetooth), updated firmware, working fine. Cool.
Back in the Moes app, I tap the hub, and go to add sub-devices. Choose scan QR code, and choose to type in the Matter # manually - I have the paper with the number right in front of me, 100% correct. The bulb the lamp is in is parked less that 2 feet from the hub for testing purposes. First attempt, app scans for a while and finds nothing. Second attempt, identifies the bulb and Apple Home pops up asking if I want to add it - I didn’t realize that it was not the Moes app but Home wanting it, so I tapped yes. After a few seconds, it says failed - this device requires a Thread Border Router. Wtf. Third attempt, identifies, and Moes app says connecting and creating Matter credentials, and then shortly after said failed to connect. Since then, no matter how many attempts, I never get past scanning for device to pair. Not cool.
Tried a second bulb. Got it up and running in Nanoleaf app - all good. Back to Moes, scan, identify, and goes through the process of creating Matter credentials, success. I am briefly able to control the light thru the Moes app - change its color and turn it off and on via a blue button at the bottom of the screen. I check in the nanoleaf app, and in settings the bulb no longer indicates Bluetooth connection, but Thread instead. Go back to Moes, and now the bulb shows as offline. Can’t do anything with it. Back to nanoleaf app, it shows offline, then reconnects back under Bluetooth. Back in Moes, I remove the device and attempt to re-add it. Never gets past the scanning for device portion. What the hell is going on. I thought maybe AliExpress effed me and sent me the wrong hub (my model is MZHUB) but how the hell did I get connected for like 45 seconds? I’d say maybe Apple Home somehow tried to do something, but the only Apple device I own is my phone, so there’s no HomePod or anything to interfere.
So after all this venting, anyone have any idea what to do or try? How to at least make it attempt to connect again? Is it the wrong hub? Halp plz…
Try setting Matter up in the Nanoleaf app > more tab in bottom right > my devices > your bulb > 3 dots on right > settings > connect to Matter > connect.
Nothing happens when I tap on Connection type. And if I tap on Thread Network, the app asks if it can access My Home Network (Apple Home). If I don’t allow, a screen pops up asking which network I want to connect to, but there are none available. If I do allow, one option appears named MyHome545xxxxxx. I can opt to connect to it and save, but after doing so the screen above still shows Thread Network as Unknown. If I revoke Nanoleafs access to Home, the option for MyHome545xxxxx goes away
This was my experience with Nanoleaf bulbs and the Moes Matter Bridge. So I would retry directly connecting them to the Moes Gateway. Another option would be to connect them to your SmartThings system first.
I spent a whole morning trying to bridge the Moes hub to my V3 (also with iPhone) with no luck. Took the tip from @Paul_Oliver original post and using both my iPhone, and SmartThings installed on an old Samsung tablet, scanned the QR code.
This worked first time and once bridged Zigbee devices since added to the Moes show up instantly in ST. I realise I’m not using Thread like you but presumably if I had a device and now added to the Moes TBR this would act in the same way.
I was able to add the Moes hub to SmartThings using the SmartLife app (it would never add using the Moes app). However, I am still unable to add the Nanoleaf essential bulbs to the Moes hub. Ever since the one time they briefly connected, now when I try via either the Moes app or SmartLife app, they are forever stuck on the “Searching for devices…” screen. I wonder if the one time I got a brief connection had something to do with my phone + Apple Home app - I read (but didn’t understand) that an iPhone 15 pro max can do some sort of Thread Routing and maybe that’s what happened? I’m totally at a loss. Can anyone confirm the model AliExpress sent MZHUB is actually a TBR?
Install Discovery ( or Matter Utilities) on the iPhone to visualise TBR on your network.
Note, on Discovery look under the meshcop_udp line
Edit, just to be sure it’s bridged correctly, if you add a Zigbee device to the Smartlife app does it show in ST?
Ok using the discovery app under mesh cop._udp. I get:
No idea what this means but with all that surely it found something lol. Lemme add a zigbee device to the Moes hub and see if it shows up as a bridged device in SmartThings. I’m sure it’ll work, it’s these damned Nanoleaf bulbs and Thread that has destroyed my day lol…
Yes, this is the Moes TBR, same as mine.
Well right now I’m failing to even get an old zigbee contact sensor (old SmartThings open/close sensor I use on the garage door) to connect to the Moes hub. It will disconnect and reconnect to my V2 SmartThings hub fine. I even tried unplugging the V2 while trying to add the sensor to Moes just in case. I’ll try a different sensor next but I’ve been at this a while and I’m supposed to be building bookshelves today lol. This shouldn’t be this hard, but I’m stubborn so hopefully you guys can help me through. Thanks to everyone so far
To test the Matter over ZigBee Bridge function you need to use a supported Tuya ZigBee device. Not all ZigBee devices with pair with the Moes bridge and not all paired devices will show up in SmartThings. After you pair a ZigBee device to the Moes bridge you need to link the bridge to SmartThings via Matter. Every time you add a new device to the Moes bridge you need to reboot your ST hub to get the devices to show up in ST.
Read my post for more details.
What firmware is your Moe’s Bridge running. It should be at least v1.12.6. The earlier versions had issues. Open the bridge in your Tuya, SmartLife or Moe’s app, press 3 dots in upper right corner, go to device update near the bottom of the page.
FYI, I use the Tuya app with my Moes bridge.
Yes, MZHUB is the correct model.
I removed the Moes hub from the Moes app, and paired it with the SmartLife app. No problem. The hub has the current firmware you listed. I have the Moes hub available in SmartThings. The problem lies when I try and pair these Nanoleaf bulbs to the Moes hub, they just sit on the searching for device until it times out. To make things worse, I opened the Nanoleaf app and it shows this now:
(I apologize for the second bulbs name, it got renamed out of frustration.) So Nanoleaf thinks the bulbs are now connected via Threads. Fantastic. Except they never show/connect in the SmartLife app so I can’t create a Matter code or whatever to share them with SmartThings. What the hell is going on sigh…
Well before I could even try that both bulbs went offline, then one came back via Bluetooth (so no thread connection and no option to connect to Matter) and the other one hasn’t come back yet
As an experiment I took a Nanoleaf Essentials Matter over Thread bulb out to camp to see if I could get it working using a Moe’s TBR. At camp I have an old SmartThings v2 hub and a Moes (MZHUB) Matter Gateway. The Moes Gateway is my TBR.
I had already updated the bulbs firmware to 4.1.3 using the Nanoleaf app last winter.
Before I started today I removed the bulb from the Nanoleaf app and reset it by repeatedly turning it on and off.
Method 1: I scanned the QR code with the SmartThings app. It asked what hub to use and then what TBR to use. Then the installation started but eventually failed. I tried several times with the same results. So I gave up using that method.
Method 2: I scanned the QR code with the Tuya app and the bulb was quickly added to the Tuya app with no issues. Then in the Tuya app I generated a new pairing code. Then I went into SmartThings and picked add a Matter device and entered the code generated by the Tuya app. The installation went smoothly and the bulb was add to SmartThings. Then I discovered I have 2 new devices in SmartThings with very different names that both controlled the bulb. Now I had 1 way to control the bulb in Tuya and 2 ways in SmartThings. So I decided to delete 1 of the entries in SmartThings and then the bulb went offline in both the ST and Tuya apps. But a few minutes later they both came back online with no action on my part. An hour latter everything is still working. I will check again in the morning to see how things are going, and will post an update.
FYI, the bulb was NOT installed in the Nanoleaf app during either installation methods, and is still not installed in the Nanoleaf app.
I did all the setup work about 30 ft. away from the hubs in the next room.
My Google Pixel 6a, Android 16 phone was on the 2.4 gh WiFi band.
My Internet service provider doesn’t provide IPv6 service but my router supports IPv6.
EDIT: 12 hours later the Nanoleaf bulb is still on line in the Tuya, SmartThings and Alexa apps