I purchased a Giderwel / Gledopto RGBCCT 2-ID Controller Zigbee LED strip controller, but it didn't fully work and @mike.maxwell tells me it's just too funky to be worth supporting given the current device queue. So...
What's the best controller for LED strips for HE? I intend to drive about 40 feet of RGBW, don't care if it's 24V or 12V, nor whether Z-Wave vs Zigbee as long as it works well and is well supported.
I have a different Gledopto Zigbee controller, and it also has issues. I contacted them to see what can be done to fix them, but I’m doubtful.
For WiFi—Shelly and MagicHome (RGB+W—see the link in my profile for more info). I use MH as the overheads in a few rooms, and like how bright I can get the strips. If you need a physical remote, it’s also a fair choice.
@anon61068208 can tell you all about Shelly. It’s a horse a piece, and I’d probably just get a Shelly if that fits the bill for you.
BUT, if you want Z-Wave, Fibaro is super reliable. There’s one other out there that’s escaping me right now, let me see if I can find it...
Edit: I also highly recommend any supported RGBGenie controller. More on that later...
what kind of problems do you have with your gledopto ?
I installed days ago a (single ID) Gledopto zigbee controller and it works as expected (maybe my expectations are low ?): can switch on/off/dim, set colors (blue, red, yellow, etc) OR define bright white (not at the same time).
The only thing weird to me is that when I increase the temperature (of the leds...) the colors are not going more bluish, but more yellowish. That means 1800K is whitest white and 5000K is yellow (but not the same yellow as with the color settings).
So, if I need a brigh white, I put 1800K, if I need yellowish white, I put 5000K
When it's connected to my Hue hub, and I use the Hue API to control it, the controller flashes every time I change a setting over a certain brightness. No issues like this when directly controlled, but then it messes up my Zigbee mesh. Controlling it directly from the Hue app works absolutely normally. It's the craziest thing. I reached out to them about it.
Are your WW/CW channels flipped around? That's so strange. I mean, I presume you've tried it all, that's just a really funny quirk.
Does your device use RGB, an LED channel for Warm White, and a channel for cold white? I'd just try checking the warm/cold white pins and make sure they're not reversed on the device If the device is calculating CT via RGB, it's a different story and a different driver (or fix) would have to be written.
I was hoping to avoid using a WiFi strip controller. I don't tend to trust random devices on my network. I did look into RGBGenie, but their reviews here have been inconsistent. They certainly say the right things though.
Thank you, @adamkempenich. I'm agnostic to Zigbee vs Z-Wave; all of my current equipment is Z-Wave but that's entirely for historical reasons, not due to any current preference. And the floorplan is such that not having a mature mesh won't matter.
It's reassuring to hear that you've had such positive experiences with RGBGenie. Looking at the hits, I see the challenges were largely with a color remote of some sort, not the controllers.
I bought both the Zigbee and Z-wave of the RGB Genie driver. They both work fine, but I only currently use the Zigbee so I have a powered repeater in that room. The only downside to these is the 24V strip isn't as common or inexpensive as the 12V stuff.
For control, I used the RGB Genie Zigbee remote (5 button one that looks like a Pico) and I assigned the lower two buttons to on/off/dim and the upper buttons to cycle through colors. The 5th "scene" button gets me white color. There is probably a more elegant way to do this, but this is what I had laying around at the time.
If you're using the powered RGBGenie, yes, it puts out 24V, but the 1005 is the same innards without the power supply. Add a 12V supply and you're good. I do agree with your assessment - I'd prefer 24V for the higher efficiency (more light/length and less heat), but 12V is not only the quantity but where the RGB(Warm)W strips are.