Which controller and remote control fit your LED strips?

A LED strip provides fantastic lighting accents that you want to be able to adjust as you wish. Using a controller and remote control makes this as easy as possible. In this blog, we explain how to choose the right accessories for your light strip.

What are LED strip controllers? 

A LED strip controller is a device that allows you to make your LED strip work the way you want it to. Installing the right controller allows you to turn on the light, set the light colour and/or adjust the brightness (dimming) via all connected control devices: app, remote control or other. This includes all options for controlling the lighting in addition to the standard light switch. You place the controller between the LED driver and the light source. 

Which controller for LED strips should I pick? 

Don't just choose any controller! It is important that you match this controller to the LED strips and the possibilities they offer. Does your lighting emit one light colour? Or is it CCT, RGB or RGBW? Can the light strip be controlled with 2.4Ghz, Wi-Fi or Zigbee? At Any-Lamp you can choose between the following LED strip controllers: 

• Wi-Fi controller (2.4GHz - 5 in 1)
• Zigbee controller (2.4GHz - 5 in 1)
• Single + Dual White controller (2.4GHz - 2 in 1)
• CCT + RGB(W) controller (2.4GHz - 3 in 1)
• DALI controller 

How to connect multiple LED strips to one controller? 

You can connect your LED strips to your controller in two ways: serial or parallel. Please note that the controller (and the LED driver) must be able to handle the total wattage of your connected lighting.

Would you like to know step by step how to install a lighting solution with LED strips? View our installation guide.

Which kind of LED strip remote controls are available? 

The possibilities depend primarily on the type of LED strip you have. Secondly, it is important to determine whether you are using one or multiple controllers. You may only have one controller now, but want the option of connecting multiple controllers to your remote control in the future.

Options with a max. 1 controller per remote control:

• Single-colour LED – The CCT LED strip remote control Miboxer Sunrise has a practical on/off button and dimming function: press the DIM button and/or drag the brightness bar to the preferred setting. Another option is the Miboxer 1 zone CCT, which allows you to dim using the slider.

• CCT LED – These you dim like the 'single-colour LED' or you switch in light colour; very warm white to cool white. To do this, press the CCT button and drag the bar to the preferred light colour (Miboxer Sunrise). With the Miboxer 1 zone CCT, press the on button twice and then use the slider bar.

• RGB LED – The Miboxer Rainbow or 1 zone RGB + CCT remote control has two buttons: brightness (press once to dim, press twice for saturation) and colour palette (press once for CCT, press twice for RGB). Select the function and drag the coloured arc to the preferred setting.

Options with 1 - 4 controllers per remote control:

• Single-colour LED + CCT LED – With the 4-zone CCT remote control, you can dim the brightness using the - and + buttons at the bottom left and right of the S1 button. With CCT strips, you can set warmer (-) or cooler (+) light using the buttons at the top left and right of the S1 button.

• RGB LED – With the 4-zone RGB + CCT remote control, you can choose white light (W) or dynamic mode (M) and then use the 'S- / -' or 'S+ / +' buttons to change the speed, CCT light colour or saturation. Use the brightness bar to dim the light and the colour ring for RGB colours.

Good to know: Each controller (zone) can be controlled separately!

Options for Zigbee (1 to 7 controllers): 

For Zigbee LED strips, you use our Miboxer Zigbee remote. This device has three options: dimming via the blue brightness bar (white light mode and RGB mode), adjusting the light colour or saturation via the coloured bar (white light mode = light colour / RGB mode = saturation) and adjusting the colour via the colour ring (RGB mode only). You can set this individually for each zone (controller) linked to your remote control.

How do I connect a remote control for LED strips? 

All our 2.4Ghz and Wi-Fi Miboxer remote controls are connected in the same way. First, turn off the LED strip lighting for 10 seconds, then turn it back on. The next step depends on which remote control you have:  

• 1 zone – Press the 'On' button three times within three seconds.
• 4 zone – Press the 'I' side of the correct zone button three times within three seconds.

If the lights flash slowly 3x in succession, the remote control is correctly connected. The same procedure applies for disconnecting, but you click the ‘O’ side of the zone button 5x within three seconds. It's successfully disconnected if the lighting flashes 10x in quick succession.

Zigbee differs! With this remote control, you turn off the lighting for 5 seconds and then turn it back on, after which you press the 'I' side of the zone for 3 seconds until the pilot light flashes slowly. Keep the remote control within 1 metre of the controller til the light flashes 3x. Want to disconnect? Press the 'O' side of the zone for 3 seconds until the pilot light flashes rapidly, keep it within 1 metre and wait til the light flashes 3x.

Why is my LED strip remote not working?

If your LED strip remote control is not working, there could be two reasons for this. First, check whether your remote control is connected correctly to the light source. If this is the case, the AAA batteries may be empty. These can easily be replaced with new batteries.