What’s the best way to control an RGB LED strip with HA and Zigbee? Pre-assembled ones are very expensive. The idea was to take a classic RGB LED strip and connect it to a controller. What do you use?
Does it have to be Zigbee? If not, I believe wled are popular. https://kno.wled.ge/
1 Like
I’d agree that WLED is a good choice for WiFi. You can purchase pre-built controllers such as those by Quindor ( Home of the QuinLED LED Controllers - quinled.info), or go DIY.
For zigbee, I think you will only be able to find controllers for non-addressable strips (every led on the strip shows the same color). You need to ensure you match the controller output with the strip voltage.
If Wifi is acceptable, and we are talking about regular led strips (no addressable ones) then Shelly product can be a good choice.
Just to be clear Quindor does produce a range of Analog controllers suitable for strips which are not addressable.
Seriously people? The OP came in with only 2 requirements. RGB and Zigbee. No addressable LEDs or anything fancy, just plain dumb LED strips with smarts built into the controller for HA integration. All the suggestions so far ignore that second requirement.
@MarcelloTT If you’re using Zigbee2Mqtt, click here. If you’re using ZHA (the default Zigbee integration in HA), click here, search for “controller” within the page and look for the HA logo
3 Likes
What is your definition of ‘very expensive’?
I’d put the Philips Hue offerings in that bracket but not, for example, the Aqara LED Strip T1.
I put the aqara product in the very expensive bracket and the philips hue in stupid cost.
I would go with wifi if you are cost conscious. Should be able to get a 5m strip and wifi controller for less than £15. I just bought a 2m neon effect strip and wifi controller for less than £8 from aliexpress that runs off a normal USB charger. The power supply may need to be more powerful for a longer strip.
I’ve got a couple of these and they work very well. (sorry, this is a Dutch site):
I agree with your comments about Hue. I invested heavily in Hue bulbs and sensors, but their specialty devices are way overpriced.
Hi Marcello,
We offer a Zigbee 5-in-1 controller that works with standard RGB LED strips. I won’t go into any sales hype as I’m not here to push sales, but if you’re interested you can check out our site: candeo.io. If you have any questions I’m happy to help.
@Candeo @gcoupe, can you confirm that all these controllers require the LED strip power supply/transformer to be always on? Otherwise, connectivity is lost. Is this correct?
Well, yes - if the power to the controller is switched off, of course it will lose connectivity - it’s dead to the world… They don’t have rechargeable internal batteries.
Ok thanks, I imagined. Do you think keeping the transformer on 24/7 will consume a lot of power when idle?
I doubt it very much, but I have no way to measure it, and the manual doesn’t specify the current draw when the LEDs are off.