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Credit:
Getty Images / MihailDechev
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The Govee M1 is a high-quality light strip that can be trimmed, dimmed, and packs in plenty of fun color options and features. Read More
Philips Hue is known for its high-quality luminance and vibrant colors, and these smart strip lights deliver on those fronts. Read More
This is the brightest LED strip light in our guide, with lots of fun in-app presets. It also works with Matter. Read More
The LIFX Lightstrip with Color Zones offers bright colors and plenty of customizable lightning effects. Read More
The Eve Smart Light Strip only works with Apple devices, offering full integration with Apple's Siri and HomeKit's adaptive lighting. Read More
Sometimes all it takes to completely transform your home is a fun new gadget. One of the most noticeable (and overlooked) upgrades for your space is adding smart LED light strips. It’s an affordable way to illuminate places like the underside of kitchen cabinets and add mood lighting along hallway baseboards.
The Govee M1 Smart LED Strip Light (available at Amazon for $99.99) is the best LED strip light you can buy thanks to the variety of customizable lighting features, ease of setup, and durability. For a Matter-enabled LED strip light that's one of the brightest you can buy, the Nanoleaf Essentials Matter Lightstrip (available at Amazon) is our pick. However, there are plenty of other intriguing choices too, each of which has something to offer.
The Govee M1 is the best smart strip light you can buy.
The Philips Hue Bluetooth Lightstrip Plus is our pick for Best Upgrade.
This Nanoleaf strip light is the brightest of any we've tested.
We fell in love with the LIFX Lightstrip with Color Zones for their incredibly simple set up, ease of use, and variety of awesome features.
The Eve Light Strip is the best option for Apple HomeKit.
Easy to install
Great lighting features
Works with Alexa and Google Assistant
Can’t be spliced
Works with Alexa and Google Assistant
Awesome lighting features
Great for gaming and watching movies
Can be hard to assemble
No Apple HomeKit support
Limited options for installation
No hub needed
Works with Alexa and Google Assistant
Email account verification for new logins
Limited lighting effects
No support for Siri
Works with Google Assistant, Alexa, Microsoft Cortana
No hub needed
Noticeable "hum" sound when changing between light colors
Works with Alexa and Google Assistant
Syncs up with sound
Useful features
No true "white" color
No protective coating
Hi, I’m Rachel Murphy, Reviewed’s home editor. I live in a home full of smart home devices like cameras, plugs, speakers, and an oven. During my tenure at Reviewed, I’ve tested smart plugs, smart water leak detectors, and other gadgets that can be controlled remotely or via smart assistants.
Testing in this guide was also completed by longtime freelance writer and reviewer Camryn Rabideau and Jill Schildhouse.
We put each light strip through a series of in-depth, hands-on tests to fully understand each one’s capabilities, features, and downsides. We also looked for important app security features like two-factor authentication and reviewed the amount and types of data the apps collect.
We set the lights up in a variety of indoor locations throughout my home, testing to see which ones work the best in low light, offer the best connectivity, and integrate with smart assistants for easy control. We also tested the companion apps on both iOS and Android devices to get a feel for their connectivity, ease of use, and features.
LED strips are a versatile lighting option that can be added almost anywhere inside your house. They are often seen in home theater setups, but the bendable, sticky lights are a quick and easy way to brighten up the dark spots in your home and add accent lighting. There are a few things to consider before you purchase LED strip lights.
When purchasing smart LED light strips for your home, you should check to see whether the light strip requires a hub. Unless you already have a compatible smart home hub, we’d recommend choosing a smart strip light that doesn’t require you to purchase another device.
It’s also important to select a strip light that easily integrates with your existing smart home environment. We tested models that work with Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant. However, not all of these strip lights are compatible with all three popular smart assistants.
While most of the lights we tested connect over Wi-Fi, some use only Bluetooth, and others can use either. We found Bluetooth connections to be unreliable and slow at times, so we’d recommend selecting a strip light that offers Wi-Fi.
The amount of light you’re getting from a bulb is measured in lumens—the more lumens, the more brightness. Many of the light strips we tested had adjustable brightness to best fit the space you’re using them. However, even one of the sets on the lower end of brightness, the Cync LED Light Strip, with 800 lumens, was capable of lighting a dark room.
The good majority of strip lights we tested can either be cut down or extended with additional light strip sections. However, not all of the lights are as customizable.
Think strategically about where you need extra lighting, then measure the area. During testing, we installed strip lights around TVs and mirrors, along baseboards and door trim, on bookcases and office desks, and under kitchen cabinets.
Camryn Rabideau is a full-time freelance writer and product tester with eight years of experience. She's been lucky enough to test hundreds of products firsthand, and her specialties include bedding and pet products, which often require help from her two dogs, three cats, and flock of rambunctious chickens.
Rachel Murphy is Reviewed's home editor. She holds a journalism degree from the University of Central Florida. Prior to joining the team, she worked as a freelance writer for publications like Insider and Mashable, and as an associate editorial producer for Good Morning America. Aside from smart home tech, her interests include food, travel, parenting, and home renovation. You can usually find her sipping on coffee at any time of the day.
Jill Schildhouse
Freelance contributor
Jill Schildhouse is a valued contributor to the Reviewed.com family of sites.
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