RGB Colour Strip Lights - Some Frequently Asked Questions
Posted by Amit Soni on 21st Aug 2013
If you’re considering investing in some spectacular, colour-changing RGB LED strip lights for your home, check out the questions we’re most often asked, and make an informed choice.
1. What Do The Letters RGB mean?
RGB refers to the three primary colours, Red, Green and Blue, used by the SMD ( Surface-Mounted Diode) LEDs on our colour-changing strip lights.
2. Which Type Of RGB LED Strip Light Do I Need?
This depends on two factors. The first is your choice of location and the second relates to the type of lighting effect you want to achieve.
As a general rule-of-thumb, the greater the number of LEDs you have, the brighter the strip the strip will be.
For most installations, the 30 LED will be sufficiently bright to create the effect you’re looking for. However, with the 60 LED, you can double the brightness and really up the ante. It’s worth bearing in mind, however, that the 60 LED requires twice as much power, although it’s still super energy-efficient!
3. How Many Colours Can RGB Colour LED Strip Lights Achieve?
Our RGB colour LED strip lights can produce millions of different colours, depending on which controller you use, including a cool white (6000K) colour temperature that’s great for a wide variety of general lighting applications.
4. Where Can RGB Colour LED Strip Lights Be Used?
They can be used virtually anywhere. Whether you want them indoors for the lounge or the bedroom, or outside to illuminate your garden or patio area, you just have to choose the correct Ingress Protection option for your installation.
Here’s a handy table to give you the low-down on the various levels of protection you can expect from each:
| IP Ratings | General installation |
| IP20 | Being non waterproof, any IP20 rated strip is installed internally. Due to it not being waterproofed, it is available in 10m rolls. |
| IP65 | IP65 LED strips have a thin layer of silicone coating on them to protect them from splashes and jets of water. They are normally installed internally in bathrooms or externally where water doesn't sit or struggles to get to it. Due to its silicone coating, the IP65 is available in rolls of up to 5m. |
| IP67 | Being fully weatherproof, IP67 strip lights are installed in a wide range of external applications such as decorative garden lighting. Due to its silicone case the strip lights are only available in 5m rolls |
| IP68 | Being fully submersible, the IP68 strip lights can be installed anywhere up to 10 metres in depth. IP68 strip lights are fully covered in silicone and come in rolls of up to 5 metres. |
| IP68 Nano | IP68 Nano strip lights are exactly the same as IP68 strip lights in their waterproofing qualities. Rather than being encased in silicone, they have a layer of hydrophobic silicone making them a lot easier to work with and available in lengths of up to 10 metres. |
5. Do RGB Colour LED Strip Lights Constantly Change Colour?
No, it’s completely up to you which colour you choose, and whether you’d like the colours to change. It’s possible to set your colour strip lights to a single colour and leave them on that, for as long or as short a time as you wish.
6. What Other Effects Can I Achieve With Them?
This largely depends on the type of controller you use but, generally speaking, you’ll be able to set your strip lights to strobe, to fade slowly from one colour to the next and to jump between different colours, all of which have variable speed functions.
7. Which Type Of RGB Controller Should I Use?
We offer a wide range of LED Controllers for use with our RGB Colour LED Strip Lights.
Here’s a list of the most popular ones:
- RGB Colour Touch Controller. This controller is compatible with both the 12v and24v versions of RGB LED tape. It will enable you to control the connected strips from a distance of up to 20m from the receiver.
- IR Controller with Remote. This will give you control over the 16 different colours, and 4 different effects, to include flash, strobe, fade and smooth.
- Wi-Fi RGB Controller. This controller will allow you to control your RGB colour changing LED strip lights from anywhere in the world, via your smartphone or tablet, utilising the FreeColor app from both the App Store and Google Play.
- RGB LED Zone Controller - Similarly to the RGB Wi-Fi Controller, the zone controller will enable you to hook your RGB Colour LED strip lights up to your home Wi-Fi network, and be controlled via the app on your smartphone or tablet.
The type of controller you use will depend on a number of factors, including the size of your installation, its location and the level of control you need.
8. How Easy Is It To Set Up Your RGB Colour LED Strip Lights?
It’s really simple and convenient, as they plug directly into a unit called a controller, which in turn links back to a 12v power supply; either a plug-and-play power adapter or an LED driver, depending on your installation.
9. Can I Alter The Brightness Of My RGB Colour LED Strip Lights?
Yes, you can dim your strip lights using the dimming function on the RGB controller.
10. Where Can I Find Out More About These Great LED Strip Lights?
For more information about our RGB colour LED Strip Lights, please contact a member of our customer service team on 0116 321 4120, or send an e-mail enquiry to cs@wled.co.uk.
