LED strip lights are everywhere. They brighten kitchens, jazz up bedrooms, and turn gaming setups into neon dreams. But with so many different types of LED light strips, choosing the right one can be a headache. Do you need bright white? Colour-changing? Waterproof? 12V or 24V?
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This guide will explain everything to you. We’ll cover the different types, what they do, and which ones best suit your needs. You better dive in before your brain melts from LED overload.
Classifications by LED Chip Type
LED strips aren’t all the same. The chip type determines brightness, efficiency, and overall performance.
SMD (Surface-Mounted Device) LEDs
SMD LEDs are the most common. They come in different sizes and power levels:
In a nutshell:
COB (Chip-on-Board) LEDs
COB LEDs look like a smooth strip of light—no visible dots, just pure glow. They’re perfect for under-cabinet lighting or fancy installations. They’re pricier but worth it for a sleek look.
Filament LEDs
Filament LEDs mimic the look of old-school incandescent bulbs. They use thin LED filaments to create a vintage glow. These aren’t as common in LED strips but are sometimes used for decorative effects. They’re a solid choice if you want warm, retro vibes with LED efficiency.
Classifications by Colour and Functionality
Not all LED strips are just “on or off.” Some have fancy tricks up their sleeves. The different types of LED light strips can create simple white lighting or dazzling colour effects.
Single Colour
These strips emit only one colour—usually white (warm, cool, or neutral), but also available in red, green, or blue. They’re simple, reliable, and perfect for task lighting or accents.
RGB (Red, Green, Blue)
RGB strips let you switch between red, green, and blue. Some can mix these colours to create millions of shades. Perfect for mood lighting and party vibes.
RGBW (Red, Green, Blue, White)
These are like RGBs but with an extra white LED. The added white gives better brightness and cleaner tones, making them great for both colourful and functional lighting.
Addressable/Digital/Pixel LEDs (e.g., WSB, SK)
Each LED can be controlled individually. These strips create advanced effects like rainbow waves, animations, and music synchronization. They’re ideal for gamers, decorators, and those who love a bit of flair.
CCT Adjustable (Tunable White)
These let you adjust the colour temperature, shifting from warm white to cool white. They’re great for workspaces, bedrooms, or anywhere else you need lighting that adapts to different times of the day.
Classifications by Voltage
Voltage matters. Pick the wrong one, and your strip won’t work properly.
5V LED Strips
USB-powered, weak, and only good for short strips, these are great for DIY projects but not for lighting a whole room.
12V LED Strips
Popular and easy to power, these are used for home and car lighting. Just don’t run them too long, or you’ll get a voltage drop (aka dim ends).
24V LED Strips
Twice the voltage and efficiency, these strips are perfect for longer runs without losing brightness.
High Voltage (110V/220V) LED Strips
These lights can be plugged straight into mains power, so there is no need for bulky adapters. They’re best for outdoor or commercial use. Just don’t touch them when they’re on unless you fancy a shocking experience.
Other Important Considerations
IP Rating (Waterproofing and Dust Protection)
Before buying, you should also check the products’ IP ratings:
Dimmability and Compatibility with Controllers
Some LED strips dim smoothly. Others flicker like an old horror movie. Make sure yours is dimmable if that’s what you need.
Smart control is another option. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Zigbee let you control LEDs with an app or voice commands. Fancy.
Adhesive and Installation Methods
Most LED strips have a sticky backing. Some stick well, while others fall off in a day. If in doubt, use extra LED tape or install them in aluminiumprofiles for a clean finish.
Power Consumption and Efficiency
Check the power requirements before buying. Overloading your power supply is a great way to burn out your LEDs (or start a fire). Calculate your wattage needs accordingly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best types of LED strip lights?
It depends on your needs. If you need basic lighting, go for or strips. But if you want fancy effects, opt for addressable LEDs instead.
What is the difference between the types of LED strip lights?
Some are bright, some are dim. Some change colours, some don’t. Some are waterproof, some can’t handle a sneeze. At any rate, you should choose wisely.
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How long do LED strip lights last?
Good quality ones last 50,000 hours or more. Cheap ones? Maybe a year. You get what you pay for.
Can LED strips be cut and reconnected?
Yes, most of them. Just cut along the marked lines and use connectors or soldering to rejoin.
Are LED strips safe for continuous use?
If they’re installed correctly, yes. Just don’t cover them with fabric or anything flammable.
Ready to Light Up Your Life?
LED strip lights can help you upgrade any space. Whether you need mood lighting, work lighting, or something flashy, there’san option for you. The different types of LED light strips offer endless possibilities, from basic white to dazzling rainbow effects.
Just pick the right type, check your power supply, and don’t buy the cheapest ones unless you enjoy disappointment. And if you’re looking for top-quality, reliable LED strips, check out LED Supplier. We have everything you need to brighten up your space without emptying your wallet.
We spend a lot of time singing the praises of LED strip lights here at HitLights (and we know you are fans, too!) As easy, convenient, functional, and attractive as our high-quality, safe LED strips are, there are some mistakes that can be made when selecting and installing these awesome lights. To help keep you out of trouble and keep a smile on your face as you complete your LED strip light projects, we’re going to shed some light on the five most common mistakes people make when it comes to LED strip lights and give you some helpful practical tips to either fix your missteps or avoid problems altogether. Ready to stay on the straight and narrow for your next LED strip light installation? Here are five common LED lighting mistakes (and what you can do about them.)
Table of Contents:
- Picking the wrong LED strip light for the job
- LED strip lights in the wrong color can ruin your whole look
- Installing LED Strip Lights that Aren’t Bright Enough
- Sloppy or Careless Installation Robs LED Strip Lights of All Their Utility
- Don’t Overlook All the LED Strip Light Accessories (like dimmers and drivers)
1. Picking the wrong LED strip light for the job
The saying for real estate is location, location, location. The saying for LED strip lights should be function, function, function. There isn’t just one variety of LED strip light! Thank goodness for that because having a wide variety of LED strip lights means that you can selectively choose an LED strip light to perform the exact function you need. Do you need an accent light? There’s an LED strip light for that. Want task lighting? There’s an LED for that. Need room filling light? Sure, LED strips can do that. The mistake happens when LED strip lights are picked as if there is no difference from one strip to another.
To avoid this common LED strip light pitfall, make sure you first know what you expect the LED strip light to do in any room. Some quick questions to ask yourself include:
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Is this an accent light (enhances mood or appearance) or task lighting (needs enough light to work under or see even small details)?
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Do you need the strip to be the main light source or will the LED strip light supplement other lights in the space?
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Will the LED strip light be visible or out of sight?
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How would you like to control the LED strip lights, including turning them on and off?
Knowing the answer to each of the above will set the baseline of the function of your LED strip light and help you pick the LED strip just right for you.
Function tips for picking LED strip lights from HitLights:
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One of our favorite accent lights is the Premium Luma5 LED Light Strip Standard Density
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Tasks love to be seen under our high-density, beautifully bright Premium 24v LED Light Strip
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Boom! Get more light than you’d ever expect from HitLight’s COB light—a great pick for full-room light
Not sure or need some help selecting your LED strip lights? You can reach out to our Tech Support and talk through your project.
2. LED strip lights in the wrong color can ruin your whole look
Color options are abundant when it comes to LED strip lights. When LEDs first hit the scene, the very fact that LED strip lights could—wow!—change color was one of the many qualities that made LED strip lights novel and unique.
Before we get too deep into talking about color, we need to define some terms. There’s color and there’s color temperature. Some LED strip lights offer a rainbow of colors— picking either from an RGB (red green blue) palate of preprogrammed colors or choosing from (literally) millions of colors that you program yourself.
Some LED strip lights are white lights, but white as based on a color temperature scale (think: a range of color, brightness, and tone that scales from candlelight to bright outdoor sunlight.) Both of these terms are offered to illustrate that there are a lot of choices when it comes to the color options of your LED strip lights.
Color mistakes happen when the tone either misses the mark (the mood or ambiance is wrong) or doesn’t compliment the room or—we hate to say it—looks tacky or basic instead of stylish and enhancing.
Keep you colors in the good zone with a couple of practical tips, starting with white lights. Match the color temperature throughout a room or area (for example, if you are using warm white LED strip lights, make sure all the strips and bulbs are all warm white. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: mismatched tones of white LED strips are the quickest way to a major LED lighting mistake!)
Select the white color temperature that conveys the mood of the room: ethereal to radiant, the color temperature of your white LED strip lights can heavily influence how the room feels.
When you would like a little more rainbow than white, some mistakes include displaying clashing colors or relying too heavily on primary colors and not exploring shades. If you are using LED strip lights to show off event colors or brand colors (or team colors, let’s gooo!), consider lights where you program an exact color, choosing from more than 16 million possible color variations. The HitLights Premium Luma10 RGB Multi-Color High-Density LED strip light is a great choice.
Now that you are able to avoid color and color temperature mistakes, let’s see what other bright ideas we have about common LED strip light mistakes (and what to do about them.)
3. Installing LED Strip Lights that Aren’t Bright Enough
One good thing about all the LED strip lights from HitLights are that they are dimmable, allowing you to choose the brightness of your lights at any given moment. However, sometimes you want more light output than other times. This is where the mistake can happen: if the maximum brightness of your strips doesn’t give you all the light you want, no amount of dimming is going to help you be satisfied with your lights. A good rule of thumb is to install LED strip lights capable of delivering the maximum light output for the light style you select. In other words, don’t underestimate the maximum light output you may ever need for a particular installation.
An easy way to max the output of any LED strip light is to look at any of the HitLights high-density light strips (more light producing diodes per feet); any of the HitLights 24volt light strips (more juice means more light output); or if you want to experience some of the brightest of the bright in our catalog, take a look at our impressive Premium Luma20 () LED Light Strip in High Density.
As you make your pick, remember that you can always dim a HitLights strip, all the way down until dark; but the brightest an LED strip light can go is like a ceiling: once you hit it, you’re at the top. Don’t make the mistake of setting your “brightness ceiling” too low.
4. Sloppy or Careless Installation Robs LED Strip Lights of All Their Utility
Ugly is ugly, no getting around ugly. Do not let your LED strip light installations get ugly! What do we mean by ugly? Drooping strips, strips poking out when they’re supposed to be invisible, strips twisted into loops to turn corners (instead of using easy and convenient connectors), strips that are laid into place instead of mounted into place with proper tape (oh yes—we’ve seen it), or (big oof) LED strips push pinned to the wall as if everyone isn’t going to see that disaster of a kludge. Ugly!
We all know that part of the beauty of LED strip lights are the ease and simplicity of installation. Embrace the beauty of the convenience of LED strip lights by properly installing your lights. An easy way to avoid the mistake of an ugly installation is to make sure you have all the supplies you need to complete the installation when you start. Pick premium mounting tape whenever you can (like our genuine 3M premium mounting tape) and talk to our tech team if you need any guidance.
An insider tip we at HitLights love to share is all about time. Now, we love boasting about how quick it is to install our LED strip lights, but we also advise that you not rush it. We all know that mistakes can happen when we’re rushed—installing LED strip lights is no different. Take the time when installing to clean mounting surfaces; take the time to properly press strips; double check that contact has been made the whole length of the strip. Many of the droops, sags, and hangs can be avoided if you take your time during the original installation.
Want to avoid the ugliness but you don’t have the bandwidth right now to get it done? Don’t hesitate to call in a pro! Sometimes outside help is the better call as opposed to the job not getting done.
Do you see the start of a beautiful relationship? We do. We’re going to solidify our relationship by sharing the final LED strip light mistake that you can avoid.
5. Don’t Overlook All the LED Strip Light Accessories (like dimmers and drivers)
We’ll cut to the chase: when you are installing more than one LED strip light, it’s wise to consider all the lights as a system. That is, once you are connecting multiple strips and expecting the strips to perform multiple functions, thought and planning is well spent on deciding:
- How all the strips will connect to each other
- How all the strips will interact with each other
- How all the strips will be controlled
- How all the strips will be powered
This is where our team can be especially helpful and specifically help you not make any mistakes with your LED strip light system. We can help you assess all the ins and outs and offer you choices about things like dimming, switches, power and more. We know all the options so you can make an informed choice! Once you decide all those details, our team can make sure you get a complete order to make your project a success.
There are a lot of details to keep track of and sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know. Let our experts help you get the accessories you need, steering clear of the mistake of overlooking the items that can help your LED strip light installation be all it can be.
Are you interested in learning more about S Shape Bendable Led Strip? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!
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