Simple (inexpensive) warm white LED strip controller, not Fibaro

I have a Fibaro for my under cabinet lighting, but am looking for a controller that:

Has a device type
Inexpensive

I’m just wanting to control dimming and on/off of Warm White 12v LEDs.

Do you have any IR in your system? You can get IR controllers for literally a couple of pounds on eBay.

I know you said not Fibaro, but bear in mind the Fibaro controller gives you four channels from one device - so you can independently drive four different single-colour strips in four different locations or rooms. That’s hard to beat for £40!

I don’t think any of the other major Z-Wave boys (Aeon Labs, Qubino, etc) make one.

I get that, and if I were to install other strips near this location, I would just use another Fibaro.

I use two Fibaro RGBW controllers for two white LED strips as well as several RGBW strips. It definitely is overkill. In fact, there are powerful features in the Fibaro that aren’t even supported in the exiting device type yet.

You can probably hack together a z-wave A/C dimmer that connects to a DC dimmer but it may cost more and probably not have a good dimming curve.

Sure, that makes sense.

If you either:

  • Have a way of blasting 433MHz or IR, or
  • Are prepared to accept a dedicated remote and no ST integration

You can use something like this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-12V-Wireless-RF-Remote-Dimmer-Switch-Controller-For-Mini-LED-Strip-Light-UK-/221880853253?hash=item33a9212305:g:GuYAAOSwEetV8UEm

I have a raspberry pi blasting 433 (using one of these crazy cheap kits: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/433MHz-RF-Transmitter-and-Receiver-Pair-for-Pi-Arduino-ASK-OOK-Remote-Wireless-/181863740559?hash=item2a57ec748f:g:sF0AAOSw9r1V8KXs) so I can talk to super cheap 433 devices like that 433 dimmer and maplin’s £5 plug sockets. One pi covers the house due to the low frequency => high object penetration of 433.

I also have a Global Cache piping IR around so I can use cheap IR devices (e.g. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WOW-44-Key-IR-Remote-Controller-for-5050-RGB-LED-Strip-Light-Change-Color-UK-/262086781782?hash=item3d0596eb56:g:uUsAAOSw9mFWG0Qe).

They’re very much a compromise - no 2-way feedback, comparably high failure rate - but they’re still hard to argue with at the price of a cup of coffee.

The strip comes with an ir remote and controller, but id like to incorporate it into ST actionable events.

Is the Fibaro the only Z wave/zigbee controller on the market?

There is the Dresden FLS-PP (ZigBee) but it’s just as expensive as the Fibaro.

There’s a super cheap Chinese equivalent but there isn’t any device type for it yet:

Thanks everyone. I guess Ill be stuck with paying the price for the Fibaro then…damn.

Sorry, perhaps I didn’t explain properly - you can integrate IR devices (or those that speak almost any protocol, for that matter) via a third-party extender. The extender takes an IP input over the network, then outputs IR. My personal preference is Global Cache:

iTach – Global Cache

Keene Electronics make a decent alternative as well.

You take the IR remote control and “learn in” the commands from it by blasting each one into a receiver on the extender. The extender can then parrot them back out in response to an IP command from the control system (in this case, Smart Things).

In this way, you can integrate all kinds of third party equipment - TVs, radios, old air-con units, electric fires… anything with an IR remote. Versions exist for 433mHz, RS232, RS485, 12V closure… basically anything you need. As such, you can use all kinds of cheap and cheerful equipment off eBay with your control system - like the previously linked RGB controller.

Hope this helps!

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I understood what you were driving at, but I want this to be a simple fix if, while Im deployed there is an issue, I can easily walk my wife through. If she needs to be bothered with multiple things on multiple systems, she’ll just leave it “broken” until I return. Shes not IT savvy.

Hence the stuck with Fibaro comment. I just thought there was another option for controllers in the z-wave world.

Yeah, sorry then… Fibaro RGBW is pretty much the only game in town there :pensive:

I did see the following Zigbee RGBW device which i thought looked interesting, it works with Hue so would be seen as a standard Hue RGB bulb on ST i would think

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Interesting! Let me know if you decide to test one! :smile:

not needed for the moment as i have two Fibaro devices, but i was thinking that if i needed another i would take a punt…just not yet, i’ve got more important things to spent my time and money on like get off this dodgy HA platform Sitting here in the Dark.........Again!

That’s the one I recalled seeing!! The question is, is there a device type for it?

I’m mobile right now and can’t do an extensive search, but I will when I get home.

the reviews on Amazon say it works natively with Philips hue, that should mean in ST it will be recognised and work with hue RGB bulb device type

My trouble with using an IR device like the iTach in this situation is that A) it is more expensive than any current LED controller by a fair margin B) IR is connectionless so you have no confirmation if the target device received the command, and C) IR is line of sight so everything you control with that device needs to be in visual range or you need to run a wire with a blaster.

I use Harmony Hubs for IR control for those devices that actually require it, and for those use cases an iTach would be great too. However, I don’t think that adding an IR step into something that could be directly controlled via Z-Wave or ZigBee makes much sense at all. It will be more expensive, require more “moving parts”, has a larger footprint, require more power connections, less reliable, and won’t offer direct state/status reporting of the controlled device.

Yeah, it not great value if you don’t have any other call for IR… it made sense for me at home because I already had an iTACH for AV control. It’s got four outputs so I could use a spare one at no extra cost. That’s why I asked:

I use the raspberry pi & 433mHz shield approach more often though - still no 2-way but eliminates line of sight issues, etc. Maplins do perfectly robust 433mHz sockets for a fiver.

Yeah, IR does kinda suck in that respect - the cheap Chinese controllers have discrete commands though so you can spray & pray! :sweat_smile: