I’m diving into LED strip lighting for the first time and, honestly, it’s a bit overwhelming. I’ve read up on it, but I’m still confused and wondering if what I want is even possible. I’m in the UK, so working with 240V mains.
Here’s what I’m after: I want to control a 3.5m LED strip using a wall-mounted rotary dimmer switch (so I can turn it on/off and dim manually), but I’d also like to control it via smart controls (Google Home) with Wi-Fi. Is there a way to combine these two? Any advice would be super helpful!
You can totally do both! Look for LED controllers that have both manual dimmer compatibility and smart features. You’ll probably need a dimmer that works with Zigbee or Z-Wave to sync up with Google Home. You can even find smart dimmers that fit in the wall. I’d recommend checking out the Philips Hue or Lutron systems for easy integration with smart home setups.
It’s possible but be careful with mixing traditional dimmers and smart control. The rotary dimmer might mess with the smart system’s ability to manage brightness. You might want to look into smart dimmers that mimic the rotary style but are designed for smart control
In the UK, a lot of LED strips are 12V or 24V, so you’ll need a transformer to step down the 240V mains. There are smart LED controllers that work with Google Home or Alexa, and they usually include dimming functions. I’d say ditch the rotary dimmer and just use a smart switch with app controls—it’s easier!
You can use a regular dimmer with some LED setups, but for smart integration, a smart switch or dimmer is the way to go. Some brands like Shelly or Sonoff let you wire it all together for manual and app-based control. Make sure to check the compatibility with the strip lights before buying, though!