Hey everyone!
I’m working on a project to set up some RGB lighting and I want to be able to control everything from any computer, not just through the vendor’s mobile app. Ideally, I’d love to have an API for my lights that I can control remotely.
My first thought was to wire them up to relays connected to a Raspberry Pi and host an API server on it. But before I dive into that, I figured I’d ask if anyone knows of something that already exists for this? Maybe there’s an easier solution out there?
I did a bit of research and found OpenRGB, but that seems more focused on RGB lights for PC cases. Any suggestions or similar projects would be awesome. Thanks!
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Check out Home Assistant. It’s great for controlling smart lights and devices, and it might already support your RGB setup. Plus, it’s super customizable if you want to create an API for remote control. I’ve got my whole house running through it!
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You’re on the right track with the Raspberry Pi idea! I’ve done something similar using Node-RED on a Pi. You can create your own API easily and wire up any custom automation you want. It’s great because you can add on more functionality as you go.
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Take a look at WLED! It’s an open-source project designed specifically for controlling RGB and LED strips with tons of custom options. You can flash it onto a microcontroller, and boom—instant control over your lights via web or even API.
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Have you heard of Tasmota? It’s mainly used for smart home devices, but you can flash it onto a device like a Sonoff and then control your RGB lights over Wi-Fi. I use it for my lighting setup, and it integrates easily with Home Assistant too.
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Depending on the lights you’re using, some vendors already offer APIs but don’t advertise them much. You might want to look into reverse-engineering the mobile app traffic and see if there’s a hidden API. I’ve done this for a couple of devices and was able to bypass the app completely
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