LED strip light controller is an essential part to change LED light colors, LED brightness, and turning on or turning off the LED strip lights. One end of the LED controller is connected to the led power supply, and the other end is connected to the led light strips.
Choosing the right led light control system can bring you great convenience. So how to choose the right LED light controller for your unique LED strip lights? I will answer the question in this article. Keep reading to get your answer.
First, we will list a table for you to start understanding which led lights controller to choose for each led strip type.
| LED Strip Lights Type | LED Controller |
| Single color LED strip lights | LED dimmer, 0/1-10V dimming, Triac dimming, DALI dimming |
| CCT tunable LED strips | CCT LED dimmer controller |
| RGB color changing LED lights | RGB LED controller |
| RGBW LED strip lights | RGBW LED controller |
| RGBCCT LED strip lights | RGBCCT LED light controller |
| Addressable pixel LED lights | Addressable dream color controller |
| High voltage LED light strips | High voltage LED light controller |
This article contains the following parts:
3. Single color led controller and color-changing led controller
4. Addressable dream color led light controller
5. Human sensor controller series
1. Wireless Controller
If you want to control the LED strip lights without walking to the place to turn them on or off, a wireless controller is a good choice. You can control the LED strip lighting from a distance.
►1.1 WiFi(a wireless network communication technology) LED controller
Connect to the wireless network. You can use your smartphone to control the LED strip lights.
Download a free app from your mobile phone and you will get various luminous effects, adjust the different levels of LED brightness, change LED colors, and set up models like music model and voice control.
| 5 steps to set up LED WIFI controller: Step 1. Connect the WIFI controller to the LED strip light and power supply. Step 2. Scan the QR code on the WIFI controller to download a free application. Step 3. Find “LEDnet…” in your mobile WIFI setting, and connect to it. Step 4. Open the app setting, and enter your home password to connect to the router. Note that only a 2.4Ghz network can be used, 5Gz is not supported. Step 5. Finally, let your phone connect to the same router. |
Now you can control your led strip light through the mobile app. In network mode, your smartphone can control multiple LED controllers of the same model.
►1.2 RF(radio frequency) LED controller
The RF remote control uses an antenna to send radio wave signals, which can be omnidirectional three-dimensional coverage. Within the control range, the remote operation can be carried out without aiming at the control LED device, and it can penetrate obstacles such as walls. It is used mostly in LED strip light controllers.
RF remote can control the RF controller within 30 meters, and the maximum distance between each adjacent RF controller that can automatically synchronize the signal is also 30 meters. Remote control can realize multi-zone control. If you want to install LED light strips on both sides of the room or two adjacent rooms, with the RF controller, you can install two areas independently without pulling wires, making the installation more convenient and having unlimited possibilities.
In a single zone, one LED strip light changes, and other led strip lights all change. However, multi-zone not only can change the strip lights at the same time, but also can control each zone individually. Such as, zone 1 is a fading mode, and zone 2 is a jumping mode.
►1.3 IR(infrared remote) LED controller
Infrared remote control uses infrared light to send signals, which has the characteristics of strong directivity and weak ability to cross obstacles. If there are no obstacles in the straight line between you and the light strip, you can easily control it, but if there are any obstacles such as a dog in the middle, you have to wait for it to go away before you can control it.
►1.4 Bluetooth LED controller
LED Bluetooth controller can be used by connecting to a mobile phone Bluetooth without a network.
2. LED Light Control Methods
RF controller and IR controller can be controlled by each remote, RF remote and IR remote. WIFI controller and Bluetooth controller are controlled with the mobile phone. Some LED controllers are available with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice control.
Panel control includes knob panel control and touch panel control. The knob panel is a traditional way to control the LED brightness of single color LED lights from darkest to brightest. The touch panel is used widely nowadays. And it is smarter than the knob panel. You just need to tap the panel to control the led lights.
3. Single Color LED Controller And Multi-color LED Controller
LED controller includes single color LED dimmer, CCT controller, RGB color changing controller, RGBW LED light controller, and RGBCCT controller. The addressable dream color controller will be mentioned in the next part.
►3.1 0/1-10V dimmer
0/1-10V is a dimming stable method by low voltage. Low voltage means safe in people’s eyes.
0/1-10V dimming is an analog dimming method, which controls the output current of the power supply by changing the voltage of 0/1-10V to achieve dimming. It is brightest at 10V, and off at 0V. 1V control voltage is approximately 10% brightness, 2V = 20%, 3V = 30% and so on. 1-10V does not have the function of a switch, and the led light cannot be adjusted to the lowest shutdown function.
The 0-10V dimming panel can only control the brightness of the led strip through the rotary knob panel.
The 0/1-10V touch panel can realize the brightness adjustment of a single zone or 4 zones, which is suitable for large projects or multiple rooms in the home.
►3.2 Triac dimmer
The Triac dimming technology does not require a signal line and does not change the original line. It has low cost and is convenient for construction. And it is widely used in AC control.
Triac dimming is a kind of physical dimming. It directly acts on alternating current. Starting from AC phase 0, the input voltage is chopped, and there is no voltage input until the triac is turned on. The principle is to adjust the conduction angle of each half-wave of the alternating current to change the sine waveform, thereby changing the effective value of the alternating current, so as to achieve the purpose of dimming.
Triac panel dimmer includes two types: rotary knob panel and touch panel.
The Triac rotary knob panel adjusts the brightness of the light strip by rotating the button, and you can rotate it to any brightness level you want.
The Triac touch panel can sense your operations with just one touch. In addition to simple brightness adjustment, it also adds other functions such as turning off the led light after 20s or playing dynamic mode.
The Triac dimmer can be connected to a push switch to turn on or turn off the led strip and it can work with WIFI, RF, or 0/1-10V.
With the Triac dimmer with WIFI or RF function, you can control the led light strip through your mobile phone or RF remote, achieving a more convenient and efficient control method.
The Triac dimmer has a 0/1-10V function, which means that it has a push switch and a 0/1-10V brightness adjustable switch.
►3.3 DALI(Digital Addressable Lighting Interface) controller
The biggest feature of DALI technology is that a single light has an independent address, and a single light or light group can be accurately dimmed through the DALI system. It is suitable for hotels, large stages, offices, and family buildings.
The single color led strip lights can be controlled by the dimmer controller. Want to know the wiring diagram, read: How to wire single color led strip lights?
And it also can be directly powered by an LED driver if you think the LED brightness adjustable is not necessary. We have an article about how to connect the LED strip to the power supply, which introduces different connection types between the light strip and the LED transformer.
►3.4 Color changing LED controller
Do you think the RGBW controller should be used only in RGBW LED strip lights? However, an LED controller is not limited to one LED strip light type. The following diagram tells us three wiring ways for one LED light controller.
An RGBW controller can connect an RGBW LED strip light, an RGB strip light, two tunable white strips, or four single color light strips. If your LED strip lights are RGB, an RGBW controller is also suitable for you.
But RGB LED strip lights should be used with RGB remote. Each color mode needs to use the corresponding color mode remote.
4. Addressable LED Controller
Addressable LED strip lights should be controlled by addressable led controllers. So if your led light strip is addressable, please choose the addressable controller.
►4.1 DMX512 LED controller
DMX outputs standard DMX512 control signals, and can connect multiple DMX lights. And it is controlled by a computer. DMX 512 LED controller can control the brightness and color of up to 512 channels, producing almost unlimited lighting effects. Each DMX receiver can be controlled individually. Therefore, you can control different areas of the same place. It is typically used in stages and shopping malls.
►4.2 SPI controller
SPI outputs 1/2/3 channel SPI signal. It can compatible with up to 31 RGB or RGBW chip types, and each RGB color order can be set. 32 dynamic change modes are supported, and you will experience a magical color.
It is not allowed that the SPI controller or decoder connects multiple SPI pixel LED strips to the same output port at the same time. If you do that, the light may flicker. And it needs the SPI signal splitter or amplifier to be used to increase the signal.
The SPI controller can be adjusted with the remote control. DMX to SPI controller accepts DMX signal input and converts it to SPI signal.
For more addressable knowledge, please read:
Ultimate Guide To Choosing The Right Addressable LED Strip
How To Wire Addressable LED Strip Lights?
5. Human Sensor Control Series
Sensor controller is greatly suitable for night lighting. Install a LED strip light in your room with a sensor controller, and once you near it, it will light up without operation. After hold time, if you have no movement, the light will turn off. And the sensor does not turn on the light with sufficient ambient light. It’s amazing, isn’t it? If you don’t want to turn on and turn off LED strip lights with a remote or mobile phone, try it.
In Conclusion
Almost all led strip light controllers can be controlled by remote, if you want to use a mobile phone to control your led strip light, please choose the WIFI controller, Bluetooth controller, or RF led controller. Click on our homepage LED controller types to learn more about each controller product.