Thanks for this review and everyone’s updates since. A very useful base for current research.
I’m looking for a controller that has power off memory, as I want the upstream power to my LED strip to be controlled by an occupancy sensor (it’s in a bathroom with the main light switch in a location that’s difficult to explain to visitors, so this means that they can just arrive and the light switches on). But I don’t want to have to reset my preferred settings whenever that happens, but for those to continue from the last power off. Which of the current models will allow that?
First, to make sure we’re all talking about the same thing…
Normally smart LED strips, just like most smart bulbs, are intended to always be on power. The “off” is controlled by the strips themselves, which turn their lights off while remaining on power. That way, the radio has power to hear the next “on“ command from the network.
For example, if you use Alexa or another voice assistant to turn off a smart light strip, it goes dark, but it still has power. Otherwise, you’d never be able to tell Alexa to turn the lights on, because it wouldn’t hear that command.
Same thing with triggering the lights from your occupancy sensor. When they go off, they are not without power: they’re just in a dark state.
So… are you saying that you expect your guests to do something that would actually fully cut the current to the light strip? If so, you would have to do something manually to restore the current before your occupancy sensor could work again.
(We should also note that again, just like most smart bulbs, smart LED strips should be OK to handle a rare power outage like power going out in your neighborhood, but if you are regularly cutting the power to them altogether with a wall switch, then you can significantly reduce the life of what are already expensive devices, typically by about 25%. That’s because the “inrush current” when Power is turned back on, can, over time, damage the radio inside the strip. So it’s best to just leave these devices always on power, and use the smart options to turn them dark when desired.)
Or are you just asking if after the occupancy sensor tells the lights to turn off you want to be sure that when the occupancy sensor turns the lights on again they are at your preferred settings?
So having the same settings after an actual power cut is “power restore” behavior. But just getting the same settings every time the occupancy sensor tells the strip to turn on is a different function.
Once we know which you’re looking for, we can discuss specific device candidates. 
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Thanks for this! The concept is that anyone entering the room or moving within it will keep the light on, and it will time out shortly after that ceases. So the occupancy sensor should be a gate on the electrical current/lighting cable somewhere along the route. I had planned this for the start of the sequence, pre power supply to the controller, but it’s looking like this would have to be a far more specialised mod to the controller itself, based on signals from the sensor?
Assuming you are using the Samsung SmartThings ™ Home Automation platform (which is what this forum is about) all of the devices, whether they are sensors or smart lights, use radios inside and send radio frequency messages. So the most common way to use an occupancy sensor with a smart LED strip is not for the occupancy sensor to actually cut the current. Instead, it sends a radio instruction, Either directly to the LED strip or via the cloud or a SmartThings hub. When the smart LED strip receives the instruction via radio frequency it then adjusts itself as requested.
As long as you are using one of the options in the Smart LED lighting FAQ where you originally posted, that LED (or the controller managing it) will have options to control its colour and brightness. Depending on the model, it may also be able to adjust saturation and colour temperature. None of this is based on the amount of current that it receives: there is a control chip inside the device that knows what settings to modify based on the radio instructions that it receives.
So the Occupancy sensor doesn’t have to be on the same circuit as the lights. It doesn’t even have to be in the same room, although for your case it would be. The sensor will signal that it has detected occupancy (or vacancy), then that triggers a rule which sends a message to the LED strip for what it is supposed to do at that point.
The power stays on to both the sensor and the light strip the whole time: that’s how the radio will work.
Does that help?
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Not Via SmartThings, BUT…
I have a Goovee striplight, muti colors that will work with Alexa. I can turn on and change colors.
The same thing would work with an occupancy or motion switch compatible with Alexa.
I also have some type of LED Strip from Lowes that I have connected to a walwart type ST plug. I have it controlled by a motion sensor.
You just need to do your research.
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It would really help us to understand if you’d tell us what devices you have (brand, model) and if they are smart devices at all.
For example: I have a Nanoleaf essential smart light strip and an Aqara FP2 sensor, how can I…
(Even non-smart LED strips have a controller)
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I may be mistaken, but my impression was that the OP is just beginning research on what options they might have, since they first posted in an FAQ with reviews of a bunch of different strips. I don’t think they’ve actually purchased anything for this yet, but maybe I’m wrong.
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Yes, that’s right, I haven’t bought anything yet, as clearly there’s a lot of interdependency here and my post was part of my research. Ideally I’d control settings via my Samsung watch, which means SmartThings (or maybe long-term Wear OS), and the original thread came up in my web search.
But I’m looking seriously at Aon: Aon RGBW 24V COB 19W LED Strip Lights - as a relatively dumb LED strip that needs a controller (and a power supply).
So the sensor should connect RF separately with the SmartThings hub.