LED Strips are affordable ways to add color and lights to practically any area. They are great for creating accent lighting for any room!
LED Strips
| MSRP | White LED | Features | Matter Support | Check Price | |
| RGBIC LED Strip (July 2021) | $36 (16.4ft), $52 (32.8ft), $79 (65.6ft) | No | Amazon Govee | ||
| RGBICW LED Strip (May 2023) | $49 (16.4ft), $69 (32.8ft), $99 (65.6ft) | Warm White | Warm White LED | No | Amazon Govee |
| M1 LED Strip (May 2023) | $59 (6.56ft), $99 (16.4ft), $18 (3.28ft extension) | Extendible White LED 60 LEDs per meter | Yes | Amazon Govee |
Neon Rope
| MSRP | White LED | Lumen | Features | Check Price | |
| Neon Rope (Nov 2022) | $55 (6.5ft) $69 (10ft) $99 (16.4ft) $179 (32.8ft) | Amazon Govee | |||
| Neon Rope 2 (March 2024) | $69 (9.8ft) $99 (16.4ft) | Matter Softer Material More Flexible Shape Mapping | Amazon Govee | ||
| Neon Rope for Desks (July 2023) | $89 (10ft) $129 (16.4ft) | Razer Chroma Cuttable at 12 Points | Amazon Govee | ||
| Neon Rope for Wall Lining (June 2024) | $69 (9.8ft) $99 (16.4ft) | Matter | Amazon Govee |
RGB vs RGBIC LED Strips
RGB LED Strips are your cheap option, while RGBIC LED Strips are going to be your more advanced option. RGB stands for Red Green Blue which means it uses 3 LEDs to create the various colors of the color spectrum.
RGBIC stands for Red Green Blue Independent Control, which means that each LED has an independent control chip on it. This allows for each control chip on the same strip to be individually controlled from each other (this can be each LED or sections of LEDs depending on how the chip is configured).
Regular (RGBIC) vs Pro (RGBICW)
Both products are practically the same. The main difference between the two is that the Pro Strip Lights have dedicated Warm White and Cold White LEDs embedded on the strip separated from the RGB LEDs. This means that you get a better white color out of it rather than relying on the mixing of the RGB LEDs to create white.
If you have seen the Regular Permanent Outdoor Lights, you may notice either a Green or Pinkish Hue that comes off the edges of the lights when they try to mix to make white. Much like the Permanent Outdoor Lights, these dedicated white LEDs create accurate whites.
RGBIC – RGB Individual Control – allows individual controls of the LEDs by sections or individual lights.
RGBICWW – RGB Individual Control Warm White – allows individual controls of the LEDs by sections or individual lights with a dedicated Warm White LED.
RGBICW – RGB Individual Control Cold Warm White – allows individual controls of the LEDs by sections or individual lights with a dedicated Warm White and Cold White LED.
M1 Strip
The M1 Strip is Govee’s most easy-to-extend LED Strip and boasts a high bead density. This high bead density means more LEDs within a length which also means a twice as bright strip compared to other Govee strips.
The 16.4ft version can be extended up to 32.8ft. The 6.56ft version can be extended up to 16.4ft.
LED Strip vs Neon Rope
The best way I like to think of how to mount these products depends on the type of effect you want to do.
The LED Strips work best when they are mounted in a position to be able to cast light onto a surface. This means that much like the Permanent Outdoor Lights, they work best when positioned near or facing a wall.
The Neon Rope lights have a built-in diffuser in front of the LEDS, this give a surface for the lights to shine on and disperse through. This means that the Neon Rope is not as bright, but rather they are designed to face out and display a smooth gradient effect. These are great for twisting into shapes and simulating Neon Signs of old.
Installation Tips
Cloud Lighting
One of the viral trends of late has been these cloud lightings for a room’s ceiling. The effect involves installing an LED strip on your ceiling and having it form the path of what you would want to be the lightning effect. The LEDs are then covered with a cotton or similar material to simulate clouds.
Furniture Accent
Using LED strips to light under or behind furniture is a fun way to brighten a room. I added LED lights under the couch in our living room to give it an under-glow look. I use this for my Movie scene so that when we have a movie playing you get a subtle glow under the couch. The same can be done for the back of a bed’s headboard or even under the bed.
Cabinet Lighting
Another classic lighting method is to use a Strip under cabinets or shelves to add more accent lighting.
Stairs Lighting
I used an LED strip to light up my stairs at night. I have them pointed down at the stairs from under the trim on the side of the stairs. I paired a Govee Motion Sensor with the strip to trigger during the night to turn on the strip then turn it off after 2 minutes.
Wall Lining
The Neon Rope for Wall Lining allows easy lining of walls with a wide 22.5mm 90-degree silicone diffuser. It has unique internal corner brackets to easily go up corners.
