Smart devices and LED lights have been an ongoing trend for many homes. AI devices such as Amazon’s Alexa or the Google Home Assistant become more popular as time goes by due to their accessibility and convenience, along with LED lights.
If you are looking for how to connect LED lights to the Alexa guide, you are in the right place.
An Overview of Smart Devices
The smart device is an electronic device capable of interacting and connecting to various appliances. They often connect through Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, and other linking methods.
They are an ongoing trend for many modern homes. Smart devices provide a wide range of functions and access to the controls of other smart devices within a simple tap from the phone.
Voice recognition technology is also another advantage when using smart devices. Voice triggers can activate Alexa and Google Assistant due to their advanced artificial intelligence (AI).
Let’s see the step-by-step guide in connecting LED lights to Alexa without further ado.
Step 1: Find the Compatible LED Lights
To ensure that you can connect your LED lights to Alexa, make sure that it’s compatible with a smart connection. Although most LED lights and bulbs come as smart devices, some old models don’t have this feature.
You can check the box that comes with your LED lights. You can search if the lights are labeled to be working with a smart device such as Alexa or Google Assistant. If you are looking forward to buying LED lights online, you can check the store’s description.
Step 2: Gather the Needed Materials
Before assembling your LED lights to connect with Alexa, you should gather the needed materials first. Although the materials may differ from brand and unit, the materials provided below can be a benchmark.
- LED Wi-Fi Controller
- 4-Pin Male Connector
- 12V Adapter
Most LED lights already come with these materials along with the light itself. If the model of LED lights you have does not contain the materials listed above, you can easily find them on online stores such as amazon.
Step 3: Cut the Middle of the Copper Dots
Once you navigate around the light strip, you can see that copper dots (also called copper sockets) littered throughout the light strip.
Depending on your light strip, they may come as 2-pin,3-pin, or the standard 4-pin copper socket. It’s essential to know the number of pins of your copper dots to ensure that you will have a suitable connector.
The dots are designed to connect the light strip. They are commonly cut in the middle to facilitate connectors.
You can easily cut the strip with scissors. Just ensure that you will cut along the middle of the copper dots to avoid damage to the power output of the lights.
Step 4: Connect the Copper Dots to the Male Connector
Once you cut the copper dots, the next step is to connect them with the male adapter. You can either solder the connector or seal it with tape.
Most LED lights also have a connector designed for female sockets, so you don’t have to do steps three and four.
Step 5: Connect the LED Light to the LED Wi-Fi Controller
Once you attach the male adapter to your LED light, the next step is to connect it to the LED Wi-Fi controller. The controller will let you connect the LED light to the smart device. The LED Wi-Fi controller has two sockets for the connector and the power adapter.
Step 6: Plug the Power Adapter into the LED Wi-Fi Connector
Another socket in the LED Wi-Fi connector is designed for the power adapter. It’s the one with a circular shape. Plug the power adapter to turn on the LED lights.
Step 7: Download a Smart Controller App on Your Phone
There is a slew of various controller apps to download on your phone. Some LED light brands even have their brand of the smart app. One of the most popular apps is the Smart Life controller. You can download it for both iOS and Android.
Step 8: Connect the LED Lights to the Smart Controller App
Connecting the LED lights is the next step once you have a smart controller app. To join the LED lights to the Smart Life App, you need to restart it by turning the lights on, off, and then turning it on again.
By then, the LED lights should blink rapidly. The blinking lights are the sign that the LED is open for pairing.
Confirm in the app that your LED light is blinking rapidly. The connection will prompt the controller application to add the LED lights. You might wait around 2-5 minutes before successfully pairing the device.
You can check if your device is added by turning on and off the lights. Playing around with the color setting might also help. If the LED lights display the assigned control, it means that the pairing is successful.
Step 9: Connect the Smart Controller App to Alexa
Once you ensure the pairing is successful, you can now connect the Smart Life app to Alexa. First, find the ‘Skill and Games’ section in your Alexa app.
Then, search for the Smart Life app and click launch. The launch button enables the connection between Alexa and the Smart Life app.
In turn, all the connected devices in your smart controller app can be accessed through Alexa.
Step 10: Add the LED Lights to Alexa
After linking your smart controller app, you can now enable the LED lights to be added to Alexa. To do this, you need to go to the section labeled as ‘Devices’ and add the LED lights.
The good thing about Alexa is that you can customize the part of the house where the bulb is located. For example, you can add the bulb as situated in your bedroom, living room, or kitchen.
You can go to the control section of the room you want and click ‘Edit.’ Then, you can select the LED lights and other devices you desire to belong in that room. After choosing the LED lights, hit the ‘Save’ button on the lower end of the screen.
That’s it! You can now enjoy your LED lights with Alexa. Alexa lets you control the LED lights with your voice. You can change colors, reduce or increase brightness, and turn your LED lights on and off with just your voice.
The features are convenient since you don’t need to stand up and click the controls manually. With voice recognition, you can enjoy and relax while sitting down.
You can also follow the steps in the guide with other types of LED lights such as bulbs and lamps.
Why Don’t LED Lights Connect with Alexa?
Did you follow all of the steps, and yet you can’t still connect your LED lights to Alexa? Well, here are some reasons why and how to fix them.
Faulty LED Wi-Fi Controller
Faulty wiring and connections in the LED Wi-Fi controller can be why you are unable to connect with the smart controller app.
You can repair or troubleshoot the problem by connecting the LED lights to a LED remote. If the LED lights didn’t pair with the remote, the problem lies with the LED Wi-Fi controller.
You can fix it by reconnecting the male and female adapters or using seal tape to ensure that they are correctly connected.
If none of the steps work, it’s best to contact the manufacturer of the LED lights as the model might be defective.
Incompatible Wi-Fi
Most internet service providers produce two distinct gigahertz: 2.4ghz and 5ghz. Some models of LED lights are incompatible with 5ghz. The old models mainly come with compatibility problems.
To ensure that your LED lights are connected to the Wi-Fi properly, select the 2.4ghz when you are in the process of pairing it in the Smart Life app.
Choosing the lower gigahertz will ensure that you have the correct type of gigahertz to enable the Wi-Fi connection.
Old Apps
When connecting your LED lights to Alexa, you will need two applications: a smart controller app and the Alexa app.
You might have some problem connecting with the two applications if they are not up-to-date. Ensure that your applications are the latest version to fix the connection problem.
You can find the updated versions on the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. Third-party application websites can also have these applications ready to download.
Incompatible LED Light
Although most LED lights have the proper labels on their boxes, you might encounter a fraud light or incompatible old models, especially if you are buying online.
It’s recommended to always buy directly from manufacturers rather than third-party sellers.
In Conclusion
LED lights and smart devices are getting more accessible. They provide convenience in everyday life.
We hope that you successfully connected your LED lights to Alexa and enjoy the feature of turning the lights on and off within the comfort of your chair.