The Ultimate Review of the Best
LED Light Strips in 2023

How to Choose the right LED light Strips

As straightforward as it may seem when thinking about adding accent lights to a room in your home, you must take into consideration the various differences in each brand. Each brand will offer a multitude of options that may or may not check all the boxes for your project. Some LED light strips are specifically for indoor use, while others are waterproof and are just for outdoor settings. Before you make your next LED strip light purchase, consider the differences and what you are trying to achieve with your new lighting.

Indoor VS Outdoor LED Lights

The very first question you need to address is whether or not you are going to be installing your strip lights on the interior of your home or the exterior of your home. Also take into consideration if your LEDs will be installed in moist places such as a bathroom. If that is the case you may want to consider using an outdoor and waterproof LED light strip.

Outdoor LED Light Strips

Outdoor LED light strips are a type of LED that is made to withstand the harsh conditions of outside weather such as rain, snow, temperature fluctuations and wind. It is important to choose an outdoor compatible smart strip if you are looking to add some decorative lights to your patio, deck or garage. The exterior LED strips are built to be more rigid, temperature sensitive and waterproof. 

We all know that moisture and electricity do not go together well. Therefore, you may also want to consider a waterproof led strip if you are planning to install these accent lights in a bathroom.

Indoor LED Light Strips

There are many more options to choose from when you are going to be installing LEDs in the interior of your home but you will want to make sure you choose the best strip lighting for certain rooms. Not all indoor light strips are created equal. Some have Bluetooth capability, Wi-Fi options, phone apps, and different flexibility ratings. That being said, indoor LEDs have a multitude of options to choose from and you will want to know where you will be installing these before deciding on the options you need to get the lighting comfort you desire. 

In the next section of this article, we will outline all the differences so you can choose the best type of lighting for your home.

Smart Home Integration

Once you have decided on whether or not your LED strip lights will be installed indoors or outdoors, you will now have to ask yourself if you want the option of integrating them into your smart home electronics such as Alexa or Google Home. By purchasing LED strip lights that work with Google Home Assistant and Alexa, you will be able to control all your smart devices from one centralized location. This is a nice feature if you already have devices being supported by a smart home device.

In today’s fast paced environment, it is nice to have just one app and one control for all your electronics in your home. If you do not have a smart home setup, we recommend that you start. Not only will it save space on your phone, but it will save you time throughout the day..

Room Location of Installation

Choosing a location in which you are going to install your LEDs will impact which lights you will purchase. By this we do not mean the location of it being indoors or outdoors, but the location in the home such as under kitchen cabinets or on a flight of stairs. Some strip lights will need to be fit into concealed tight spaces which means you will need a high quality, flexible, dimmable and perhaps strips that need to be cut to a specific size.

Below we have outlined the most common rooms that LED light strips are installed in and added a little insight into what to consider.

Kitchen LED Accents

The most popular options to install LED lights in a kitchen are typically under the cabinet. For kitchen LED strips you want to consider where the lights will draw power from. Typically, there are outlets under the cabinets so you should have a power source nearby. We would recommend going with a 12V corded setup. You may also want to consider having these lights connect via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi so you don’t have to constantly unplug your lights. Also make sure you find a thin and flexible lighting so it is well hidden and not exposed.

Our recommendation for kitchen accent lights: Govee Smart LED Strip Lights With Remote

Bedroom

Popular locations to install LED light strips are around the perimeter of the ceiling, bed frames and desks. All these locations will bring some nice mood lighting in your bedroom and you will want to choose a set of lights that are either colorful or color changing. Make sure they are dimmable and come with clips and adhesives. If you are installing these on walls, please try to find a double sided tape that doesn’t rip the paint off the walls. 

Living Room

Living room LEDS are fun to add to this highly trafficked room in your home. Friends and family will adore the accents that LEDS can bring to a room. They will add depth and character to a room. It is best to have a solid neutral colored light and tastefully placed so it doesn’t look like a teenagers room. 

You will want a light strip that is easy to install and manage through a smart home device. Adding a timer or having them on motion activation is also a good idea to conserve energy.

Our recommendation for living room strip lights: Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus

Bathroom

The choice to add some LED accent lighting to your bathroom is not common but it is something if done right can look tasteful. It will even be useful when you are half asleep and need to go to the bathroom. No one likes turning on bright lights in the middle of the night! If you are considering adding strips to your bathroom, we recommend taking a minimalist approach by installing them under your vanities footer. This will conceal them nicely and won’t be too tacky. Set them on a motion sensor for the best experience in the middle of the night when you are half asleep.

We didn’t test any motion activated under cabinet LED strips, but Govee, who makes durable LED tape products, has a great option we recommend. Govee Under Cabinet Lights- Motion Sensor

Computer Room or PC

Adding LED strips to your computer room or PC is a dramatic lighting effect that teenagers, gamers, TikTokers and social media influencers love to add to their rooms background. This provides a unique look and feel to their persona and online presence. It also gives digital creators the option to change the RGB lights and make different videos in different backgrounds adding to the uniqueness of their channels. 

Adding RGB multi colored light strips to your computer room or your PC is a great way to diversify your offerings.

For your computer room we recommend: Govee Smart LED Strip Lights With Remote

TV or Entertainment Center

There’s nothing better than giving your TV and entertainment center some accent lights to display one of the most popular spots to relax in the house. Not only is it a popular spot to entertain guests but it is also a focal point of your living room or basement entertainment center. Choose a LED strip specifically for TV’s and entertainment centers to get the best feel for that room. 

You will want these strip lights to sync with the TV or music you are playing. Adding them to your smart home network is a must.

We only recommend one solution for the best TV or Entertainment center background lighting: Govee Envisual TV LED Backlights with Camera

Stairs

Adding LED tape lights to stairs is a great way to accent one of the nicest features of your home. It will also help you see in the middle of the night so as to not have any falling accidents. For this type of installation, it will be difficult to conceal the lighting without some serious planning. You do not want wires on the stairs to become a tripping hazard. 

We recommend having these stair LED strips installed by professionals. You will also want to make sure they have an option to be motion activated, WIFI capabilities, have enough cord length and are a solid color. 

Best stairway strip tape lights: Govee Under Cabinet Lights- Motion Sensor

Outside Patio or Deck

What better way to relax with friends under the moonlight than to add some lighting to your patio, deck, grill or outdoor bar area. When choosing an led strip for outdoors just make sure it is waterproof and durable as to withstand the elements nature will bring throughout the seasons.

Best outdoor patio led strips: DAYBETTER Led Strip Lights Waterproof

Choosing the right Length & Flexibility

Regardless of where you plan on installing your accent lights, make sure you are purchasing a light strip that is flexible and easily mountable. Some spaces are tighter than others and you will need to either cut the strip and add adapters or bend and twist them so they are concealed in the corners.

Make sure to measure the area you plan on installing the lights and purchase the necessary amount to complete the job. We also recommend ordering 10% extra. This is a good rule of thumb anytime you are completing a home DIY project.

Brightness

Having the option to adjust the brightness either through an IR remote or a phone app will make all the difference in the mood of the room. By being able to change the brightness it gives your room a nice added bonus. Strip lighting will have different settings and intensities to choose from and the biggest thing to look for is how many lights per LED strip. The more lights that are on each strip will mean a more or less vibrant brightness. 

Typically, LED strip lights come with two different amounts of lights. There are tape strips with 150 lights and 300 lights. Obviously with 300 lights per flexible strip the brighter it will be. This is a choice you will have to make during your planning.

RGB or Solid Color

There are multi-colored RGB (Red-Green-Blue) strip lights and there are solid color strip lights. This option is a personal preference and what you decide to do with these lights is your choice. For a more formal room, we recommend a minimalist approach and go with a solid color light. Rooms that are for entertaining guests or for vloggers, we would go with a more colorful palette of LED lights.

Control Method & Connectivity

Our homes are becoming more complex with all the technology we have and deciding how you want to control your light strips is another factor to consider. Not all strips have the option to control them with a remote, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi. The more expensive the LEDs the more control and connectivity options you will likely have.

Manual Control

Manually controlled tape strip lights do not have features such as voice control, phone app settings, and Bluetooth connectivity. These types of lights will have a remote that is either attached to the light strips or controlled with an IR remote. If price is a concern, then go with a manually controlled lighting system.

Phone App, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Voice Control

If you spend a few dollars more, it is worth it to upgrade your flexible LEDS light strips to include better control over your devices with a phone app and Bluetooth connectivity. This option gives you the freedom to control your smart lights with the comfort of voice control and a phone app. We recommend going with this feature. You won’t regret it.

Power Source

Two options exist in the LED strip light category. You can either power them with a direct power source (outlet) or with batteries. The most common type of power is a 12v wall plug that will draw power from your home’s energy grid. The other option is to have battery operated LED lights. When choosing which power source you will want to determine where your strips will be placed in your home and if a direct power source is within reach. If possible always go with the corded LED lights unless you are looking for a more portable option such as battery LEDS.