Bigben Force Power Lite 1.2m 3A Reinforced USB A/USB C Cable, White (FPLIAC1M2RW)
Bigben Force Power Lite 1.2m 3A Reinforced USB A/USB C Cable, White (FPLIAC1M2RW)
89.-
Led Strips
About LED Strips
LED strip lights are taking over the world by storm. Within the last decade, it has gone from an expensive hobby to something that is very ubiquitous. So, grab some colourful LED lights and spice up the look of your interior at an affordable cost.
Just a few years ago, the world used to be lit up by the yellow glow of incandescent bulbs and sodium vapour lamps. That’s because they were cheaper and affordable for general consumers. Despite all the downsides, the low cost of these bulbs still made them the most popular type of bulbs. But that has changed in the last couple of decades. As LEDs are becoming cheaper and cheaper every year, they find new uses as interior decoration lights and for indoor lighting purposes. But before you go shopping, read this article to know more about them. Having a better understanding of LEDs will help you make better purchase decisions.
A beginner’s guide to buying LED strip lights
Not all LED strips are created equal. Even though many of them might look the same, there are minor variations in the technical specifications between different types of LED strips. So, if it is difficult to distinguish between two different types of LEDs by looking at it, how exactly do you buy the right one? Well, in order to decide the type of LED that you want, you should know about the specifications and what each of them means. This article will tell you everything you need to know about LEDs and how to buy them.
The brightness of LED strips
The standard unit of measurement of the brightness of any type of light is Lumen. Because Lumen measures the perceived brightness of a light by the human eye, it follows a logarithmic relationship with the intensity of the light. So, if the Lumen rating of an LED strip is twice that of the other, then the first light will look twice as bright to us as compared to the second one. The easiest way to understand the brightness of a light is, therefore, to look at its lumen rating. There is no easy way to find out how bright the LED strip should be. It all depends on where you use it and what you want from it.
Colour temperature of the LED
Even if the LED strip does not generate any heat, the tone of the light is always measured in temperature. And the unit for this measurement is the same as what we use to measure actual temperature. The colour of the light also changes with the temperature of the light. Warmer light has a more yellowy colour while cooler light has a bluish tint. The colour that is right in the middle of the two is pure white. We consider the sunlight as a reference point for this measurement and consider that light as pure white. The colour temperature of pure white light is 5778 Kelvin.
Colour rendering index
Have you ever found it difficult to tell the difference between a dark blue shirt and a black shirt? If yes, you can solve it by replacing the light in your room with a light that has a high colour rendering index. The colour rendering index is a scale that represents how well light can reproduce the real colours of an object similar to natural light. If the CRI of light is 100, it means that light can reproduce colours as perfect as sunlight. For decorative LED lights, the CRI index is not important. But if you are using it for ambient lighting, look for those lights with a CRI rating of eighty and above.
Power consumption
To know how much it will cost you to keep the LED lights on, you can look at the power rating of the LED strip. The power rating of a strip usually only specifies the power of a single LED on the strip. To find the total power rating, you will have to multiply the rating of the single LED with the total number of bulbs on the strip. Others specify the wattage rating per foot or per meter of the strip. Because LEDs are quite energy-efficient, the power consumption for short term use will be pretty nominal. But if you will be using the light most of the time on a daily basis, this can add up to a lot.
Tips on how to buy LED strips for your home
Trying to choose a LED strip can be overwhelming. As there are so many different varieties of them, it can be hard to choose one. But the first step to finding the right type of LED for you is to narrow down your options. You can do this by comparing certain criteria that are relevant to LED strips. Here is a list of things that you should look for when you are shopping for LED strips.
- Colour – The colour of the light is the primary thing to look for regardless of the bulb you are buying. LED strips are available in RGB colours, ultraviolet, and white. The colour will also change, depending on the colour temperature. The colour can heavily impact the mood of the room.
- Strip length – Before you shop for LED strips, you should do the necessary measurements and calculations to determine the length of the strip that you will need to complete the decoration of the lighting installation. You can also prepare a drawing to plan your installation beforehand.
- Total power – If you are using LED strips quite extensively, then you should calculate how much power it will consume when you turn it on. Measure the length of the strips and calculate the exact number of them you need for the purpose. Finding the total power is important if the whole lighting setup will work using a battery.
- Density and brightness of the LED strip – The brightness of an LED strip depends on a couple of things, including the brightness of the individual bulbs, the number of bulbs per metre of the strip, and the total length of the strip.
Apart from these, LED strips also come with some handy features like waterproofing, an adhesive layer, etc. if you want to use the lights in a wet area, make sure that the one you are getting is a waterproof LED strip light. The voltage requirements of the LED strips vary, as well. Some LEDs work using a 5 V power supply while larger LEDs need 12 V. Also, don’t forget to check out other products from Home & Living.
Question & Answer
Are LED strips waterproof?
One major benefit of LED strips is that you can install them literally anywhere. Unlike traditional bulbs, LEDs do not need special sockets. All you need is a long enough wire and an adhesive. This enables you to install them in all kinds of unusual places. But before you install them in damp places, you have to make sure that they have a waterproof coating. So, are LED strips waterproof? Yes, but not all of them. Waterproof LEDs have a special splash-proof coating on them that can resist small amounts of wetness. But still, they are not waterproof enough for you to submerge them underwater.
Do LED strips heatup?
While it is true that LEDs are the most efficient sources of light that we have, they are still very inefficient when you look at the numbers. The efficiency of an average LED bulb is around forty per cent. That means the remaining 60 per cent of the power turns into heat. But this is a huge improvement over the traditional incandescent bulbs that only had an efficiency of 5%. Therefore, LED strips might not get as hot as an incandescent bulb, but it is quite normal for them to get warm. LED strips with higher power output usually have heat sinks in them to dissipate this heat.
Can you cut an LED strip light?
LED strip lights are quite versatile. So, if you have some basic tools, you can cut the LED strips yourself without any professional help. Before you cut a strip that is too long for you, remember to take all the necessary measurements. That way, you can determine how long you want them to be. Then all you need is a simple pair of scissors. LED strips will have cut lines between every five- or ten-centimetres intervals depending on the model. It is easy to spot these markings as they will have dotted cut lines on them. You can cut at this spot like you cut any other wire.
If you are looking to buy LED strips online in Dubai, look no further as you are in the right place. You will find anything from the best-LED strips for room lighting to USB LED lights strips to buy here on Shops.ae. All you have to do is to look for the ones you want using our product search engine. This will also let you compare the prices and features of different models and find the best one among them. There are more than 500 shops and brands offering LED strips on Shops.ae. These include popular brands like Philips, Xiaomi, Arduino, IKEA, Mi light, Minger, Adafruit, Sonoff, and Commercial Electric.