****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
This is a very small controller for RGBW strips and it can also be used to control both a regular RGB strip as well as a pure white or single color strip. I am using this with a BTF branded 5050 strip that has warm white LEDs and a generic 12v 5A power supply I had lying around. Required current for the power supply depends on how many lights you will be using, I don't know that this controller cares how many LEDs are connected, it just provides power to them based on inputs from the remote. The controller says 8A max, which is a good amount of LEDs but nothing on a huge scale. This is more for residential or light commercial use. Wires can be soldered, but wire nuts are included for a fast installation. I always recommend soldering whenever possible for a better connection, especially if you are using this outdoors.The controller is RF based, so it works by radio frequency, not infrared signals. It's possible the remote will control other RF devices if you have a lot of lighting controllers or other remote devices. This one doesn't do anything but I have another RF remote that always changes a certain set of lights I have that is not even in the same area. Armacost is a nicer brand and they may be using a unique radio signal that doesn't interfere with other equipment.The remote itself is ok, it feels somewhat cheap but it gets the job done. There are dedicated on and off buttons at the top and you can control the white and RGB overall intensity seperately. There are some fast presets and you can cycle through colors and preset lighting modes as well as change the speed of fading/flashing. That's about it. Simple but it works. When you cut the power, it does save the last lighting color you chose, so you can spend some time dialing it in and then just use the on/off buttons or even use an electrical switch to turn the power on and off to the controller. It works fine, no complaints and I'm happy with it overall for use in my home.
