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Maybe it’s not new but I really appreciate the fact that whenever you send Alexa you edited the volume down so I would not trigger devices nearby. Sometimes it’s the little things.
Great video. If I had one suggestion to any budding installer...move the light strips a little forward under the cabinets. It will shed more light on the actual counter by allowing the light to spread out. Just play with it to get the right setup for you.
Good video. when you install these light strips, don't put them so close to back wall, all we see are hot spots on the back wall, and not much lighting on the center of the counter. A Lot of pro installers make this mistake also. This is more important as you age because the elderly can't tolerate glare of the backsplash as a useful lighting source. By mounting your LED strips closer to the front of the cabinet, the counters will be more evenly lit without the glare.
Thanks for the tip! I actually intended for mine to be more of an accent light than functional lighting for the counter so I kinda wanted it to light up the backsplash. But I definitely hear you. I've been thinking about getting some diffusers to put the strips in... maybe a future update.
I’ve installed these in several applications and the best result I’ve have found is no more than 3” front the front of the cabinet and no less than 2”...if they are too close to the cabinet front they tend to shadow the front of the countertop....between 2 and 3” work the best
You’re wify also needs handles or knobs on her cabinets. Highly recommend. The moment my husband and I moved into our condo, the first thing I bought for the kitchen were handles and a jig to put in handles.
Great tip! We actually did install hardware. 😃 if you look real close at some of the b roll shots of the finished project you’ll be able to see them. I agree, it makes a big difference!
If I were doing this project, I’d go through the cabinets on either side of the microwave and through the cabinet above the microwave. That eliminates concern about the wire falling and also protects it from heat and steam from the stovetop.
Your videos are very well thought out and you are meticulous! Love it!! Although, I am hesitant to purchase anything that doesn’t have thread built in at this point. Thread seems to be the way to go, my router seems to be giving me issues now since I have so many devices connected to it directly. Keep these videos coming Shane!
currently looking for the same thing. I know they exist. My church has them on stage and they are plugged into a dmx lighting control which is hardwired to the stagelights, but it probably doesn't have the ability to change effects via app--computer interface only is what I'm thinking
Finally someone explained and showed us how to install the strip lights under the microwave. Thanks brother. Love the details in the video. 2 question, the other light above the cabinets, Is that a separate kit you bought with the same app or is it the same strip?...can I buy any light strip and use the the extender wire you have in the video, as long as it's 4 wires?
I have posted to you before with some questions before Christmas time and had mentioned to you that we had bought a new house and that I wanted add under cabinet lights to our new kitchen after we have moved in. Now we are moved into our new house and had previously mentioned that our new Kitchen was very similar to your kitchen. Again, now that we have moved into our new house, I have bought a Vocolinc color changing light cord, I think they are wireless lights? I have forgotten how to hook them up. There is no usb or plug attachment? What do I need to purchase or get so to get them to work? I still haven’t gotten a smart plug yet, I have a echo dot, I also plan on getting the new Apple HomePod mini. But for now I forgotten what kind of attachment I need for my wireless light cord or cable??
Hey Trisha. Sorry I'm not sure I understand. You shouldn't need to buy anything additional to plug them up. If you don't have a wall plug/power supply then maybe you accidentally purchased the Lightstrip "extension"?
@@ShaneCreates yes I have bought one of those light extensions, I now realize it. So since I have gotten a light extension, what light strip attachment do I need to purchase?
At one point you demonstrated how to use a button to toggle a light using shortcut rules. It was awesome and worked great for me until recently. Did the process for this change in a recent update?
Great video Shane! As video can often skew the ‘true’ effect of lighting, how well do these strips actually provide brightness? I am insanely (probably psychopathically) detail oriented in regards to making an installation look ‘clean’. My thought is to install this type of lighting on the outermost ‘lip’ above & below the cabinets (seems that everyone else puts them on the ‘wall side’, facing out). So that the LED strips themselves will never be seen, and the light would shine towards the wall. Are these bright enough to install that way? Thanks for the upload.
Thanks Brad! I played around with that a bit and they definitely looked better, and lit up that backsplash better, the closer I got the the wall. There are probably brighter lightstrips out there, but you may have to pay twice as much. The affordable cost and those light effects exposed to HomeKit are the selling points for this particular lightstrip imo.
I've been wanting to change out my current under cabinet lights w/ light strips, so I'm glad you made this video for me to get some ideas. QUESTION: Did you consider going around the under perimeter of the cabinets? Or even going having them on the outer edge of the cabinets versus the inner edge (as you installed them here)?
How about make a smart iphone charger, automatically turn on when battery level below 20% and it will automatically turn off when the battery reach 100%
When the LED's transition under the microwave area, above the range, is that considered a fire hazard and should be better protected? Granted it is low voltage wiring.
I tried the same setup, and couldn’t get the 2nd strip to light. I’m using the Meross 16.4ft one. I got a flat, white, 6-wire cable, and the same strip-wire clips. I tried for an hour, to no avail. I lined up the 1 wire as to not cross them. I think I covered everything. Any tips?
About to start this project tomorrow! quick question - on 6:30 you cut along the connection piece but what if my measurements don't line up, can I cut the LED light strip anywhere and just connect up or does it have to be at the connection piece?
I worry about that extension crossing above the cooktop. I doubt that’s code friendly. Certainly not if it were line voltage. High risk of melting and becoming a fire hazard.
I'm trying to figure out how to connect 2 strips on angled diffuser channelling L shaped connectors 90 degree definately won't do the job so I'm thinkinking 6 pin connector to wire trim wires down add a connector job done in theory
My kitchen currently has a setup of puck lights from Ikea with a tap switch in place to toggle the lights on/off. Half of this setup continues to blow a fuse and stop working. I'm really considering doing your setup now as a result of this great video. Would you have any recommendations for a tap controller as opposed to a smart switch and outlet? I just want the rest of the family to be able to control the lights without having to pull out a phone, and I'm also thinking of future home owners in case they don't have a smart home setup.
Not sure, that might be tough considering the future home owners. But for now, I would use a homeKit button. As long as the lights you are using support homekit also, any homekit button can be configured to turn on and off the lights and can be mounted anywhere you want.
Hey Shane, getting awesome future ideas down for my new house when we purchase one soon! this is really useful DIY trick but i just want to know how safe those clips are? (Electrical fire safety wise...) since you're cutting the light strip and extending it differently to manufacture recommendations? Thanks
Hey Tristan, I'm no electrician. But these type of connectors and kits are common on amazon and can be found for all types of light strips. And people have been soldering light strips like this for a long time. This is just a way to do the same thing without soldering it. Of course, always consult an electrician if uncertain about any project involving electricity.
Thanks! The soldered points that I needed to cut for the gap are about 18" or so apart. The cut marks that you are "supposed" to cut are a bit closer together, but those are just for shortening the light strip and won't allow you to extend the connection like I did here.
Hey Shane, I used Philips Hue light strips and struggled with gaps. Thank you for this idea! One question though: How did you prep the cabinets for the light strips? Did you clean the wood any? Did you use the command clips for the lights too? I ask because my Hue LS constantly fell off the cabinet. Thanks!
Usually when I mount LED strips, I either use clips or supplement with command strips. Oh, and I always begin by cleaning with an alcohol pad. I hope this helps!
Hey Steve, I just used the 3M tape that is on the back of the lightships. That usually does a pretty good job unless you move the light strips. If you need additional support you can find little clips to hold the light strips in these accessory packs on Amazon like I used. I didn't use the ones that came in my kit, but I did use a few just to hold back the wires in the cabinets. And to prep them, I just wiped them down with Clorox wipes real good (alcohol would probably be better).
I can't think of any native homekit light strips that can be extended that long. you might have to use more than one, extending each as long as possible, then group them in the Home app. I've also seen a LED controller that supposedly supports HomeKit. If that works, then you could use any 3rd party light strips and extend further. But I haven't tried that so I can't speak much about it from experience.
Hey Scott, I considered it, but being that it’s right above the stove, the lightstrip would get exposed to a lot of direct heat as we cook often. I figured this could damage the lightstip over time. Plus there may be some safety issues with that so I figured it best to skip over the microwave just to be safe.
@Shane Whatley I can't imagine it would have been a problem. Was there anything in the documentation that mentioned heat? That's probably the most important place to have some extra light. I would love to know what the manufacturer has to say about it.
Hey Shane, the third link www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XGQ59BZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?tag=shanecreate0d-20&ie=UTF8&psc=1&geniuslink=true_ is unavailable. Is there a sub you can recommend? Thanks in advance!
Disappointed it didn't really describe "How to install LED Strip Lights." What surface are you sticking the tape to? You have frame cabinets. Are you sticking them to the bottoms of the cabinets and drilling holes to get from the bottom of one cabinet to the bottom of the next one? Or are you blocking the bottom of each cabinet so you run the tape over the edges of the sides of the framed cabinets. I'd like to know what the conventional method is. Some suggest using a "light rail moulding" but for shaker style you really don't want to start adding trim to them.
Thanks for the video. It was hard finding a cabinet lighting video with a backsplash already up. I have two questions if you can help me out. (#1) Is the extension in the kit used for separating light effects? Meaning, is an extension going from above the cabinet to underneath the cabinet will allow colors or patterns to be different. (#2) I have 3 separate locations of cabinets I would like to have lighting. 2 areas are separated by a wall and the other is across the way. In order to have above and lower lighting at all 3 locations, will I need 3 kits and will these 3 kits all function on the same app?
I bought an under lighting fixure to go above my sink. It's one of those LED new types. I'm frustrated because it has 3 plugs that supposedly plug into a type of electrical box ( I don't have that...all I have is a live wire that goes into the old fixure). The new light fixure comes with hardware that is identical to the way my old fixure is secured to the live wire from the wall and into the fixure itself. Then there are three electrical cables from the new fixure that have been terminated with these large plugs that look like the old telephone line plugs that are used in old home telephone lines, only bigger in size. So what do I do know?
Thanks for the vid. I was actually hoping you would have a little more detail on the adhesive and how well the strips hold to the wooden surfaces. The choices are pretty limited, either the balsa wood(?) underneath or the finished wood on the lip. I actually plan to do the perimeter but it’s nice to know a single strip does just fine.
Is it just me or do vocolinc not make this strip light anymore? Only rope light shows for me on their site (great price btw) and Amazon’s out of stock, or is it just Canada?
I have three huge separations between my cabinets It's l-shaped and I can't figure out a way to get them all to light. The only thing I can think of is use three different power sources which means three different controllers to control the lights under my cabinet which is kind of ridiculous. I like what you've done a lot it looks absolutely amazing. Any ideas for people that have cabinets with huge spaces in between?
I realize this is an older video, but you did such a good job, I ordered the kit. Same setup to go under cabinets and on top. If you read this, question is, how do you get the under and over cabinets to work independently? Maybe it will be clear when I get it in front of me and watch install video. Thanks
How does the separate strips change colour independently? Is it two separate controllers or just the one? bit confused how it works. Any help would be appreciated
Would you recommend this same set up today? Also love that you silently said alexa because you are like all of us, so triggered from accidentally saying her name rofl
Need some advice. I brought one VOCOlinc strip for the bottom of my cabinets and fixing to put a whole new one on the top of the cabinets too but have some leftover from the bottom strip and want to combine to fill wall to wall on top. Is there a simple connector to attach to both not shown in the video bc I still have the end i don’t really want a 3inch section of wire connecting them like he did for his in the video. Thanks in advance!
Currently remodeling my kitchen and going to install under cabinet leds but i want to hook it up so that it comes on when I turn on the led cans via light switch. any suggestions for that kind of install
3 года назад
I believe it would be easier to solder the extension wires to the LED strip instead of using all those fancy connectors... And why the gap over the stove? Unless you already have a light over the stove, the gap doesn’t make sense... I know I would want to have light over my stove...
There is a light there already. But mainly because we cook a lot and I feel like all that heat would damage the lightstrip eventually. Plus I’m not sure how safe that would be with all that heat.
3 года назад
@@ShaneCreates ok, I see. I was just making sure 👍🏼
Couple ideas Shane: 1) You may be able to get some wood channel to hide it so it doesn't look so obvious, but I probably would've run it in the corner and just notch the shelves there instead. 2) You also may want to look into a plastic channel diffuser over them so they create a more even lighting field, that should make for a rather even distribution.
Thanks for the suggestions Rob. I didn't care much about a diffuser since you can't actually see the LEDs, but I'm noticing you can actually see a reflection on the countertop at times. So that's something I might end up doing.
@@ShaneCreates Dude. On a total side note. This entire comment section is like a bunch of guys standing around the hood of your car telling you how they would’ve done it while you’re in there trying to get shit done. Jokes aside your patience is impressive. Good, sir. I think it looks way dope, and I definitely learned a couple things from the video.
Just to be clear - you do not need to buy VOCOlinc only LED strips - you can get the HomeKit compatible controller and extend it using 3rd party strips.
@@ShaneCreates - thanks for the reply - Sorry I may not have been clear in my comment now that I’m reading it again. I was referring to the controller you reviewed in this video. The VOCOlinc controller has standard 4-pin connections that also work for other 3rd party LED strips. I’ve bought close to 5 now and have loved hooking up each one up. My biggest selling point for The VOCOlinc controller was the ability to connect to standard 4-pin Strips that I can buy from a plethora of other sources. Rather than replacing the entire LED strip for my desk and monitors, I was able to only replace the controller with the VOCOlinc controller and it all worked. Taking less than two minutes to turn my already strung up, non-homekit desk into one. I would suggest not mixing VOCOlinc strips with 3rd party strips on the same line. Some small differences in LED brightness could make colors not appear the same.
@@cwfeldmann can you help me with an issue where I connected 3 strips and on the fourth I can't get the lights to match? Wondering if reached max length and need to start a new run with new plugin/starter?
@@stephensnediker2841 - First off - Sorry for the book of an answer - I'm offering almost all of the options I would use to troubleshoot. Skip to the last paragraph if this is too long. Forgive me, I don't know your familiarity with this stuff so I hope this helps! Feel free to follow up with more questions. goes around a king size bed that I would estimate is longer than that. Makes me wonder if simply trimming that 4th line could help but I have no way of guaranteeing that. I'm assuming you're using 3rd party strips. Using 3 of the 1st party, "VOCOLinc 6.6 feet extensions" are over 13.2 feet so if you're using VOCOLinc's strips, you're already past that. I do have a single 3rd party strip of LED wrapping around a bed which should be longer than 13.2 feet but that is in one single run, no breaks. All in all, it's essentially copper touching copper - there are no microchips telling the controller how long the strip is - there is some power limitations but the only issue I had with colors not matching were when I had some personal difficulty with the clamp connectors Shane discusses in the video above. I used the same clamps before even watching his video but I wish I would have waited as he did cover a much better method for making sure copper is clamped adequately. If you're using angled or T shaped splitters or just connecting two lines end-to-end, always ensure the correct channels are lining up. All LED strips are sentifive to the direction you connect it in, they are not bi-directional. 3 RBG channels and the 1 power channel. Not lining those up will most definitely cause color issues. If you confirm that, then make sure the copper leads are all touching. If one of the 4 isn't connected well, the color will be missing one whole channel preventing it from making the whole spectrum of colors. If all that fails, the connection issue could be INSIDE the strip and thus you're better off just buying a new strip. One way I might troubleshoot is by setting the color to go only Red. Then try only Green. And finally, only Blue. If one or more of those colors don't light up at all, you have a connection issue where one channel isn't connected at all. If each test does light up the strip but the colors don't match, Flip the strip around. If a SINGLE LED is off, the strip is broken.
@@cwfeldmann Hi Chris - I think I need to explain the situation better. My strip lights are in bookshelves. So the run is as follows. Plug in and then running to first run of the lights. That run is about 3.3 feet (39in) of the strip light (cut light at half mark) and connected with the same connection method in this video (the connection clips). Then I have to about 28 inches of wiring until the next strip light of again, 39in. Then another wire run of about the same length. Then lights again (39in) as they are wrapping up on each shelf of the bookcase. Then as I get to the 4th set of lights, I plug in and it wont match the other 3 sets. Thinking it is because I am over the maximum run distance of these lights. Wondering how I would get that 4th set to match. Thinking my only option is to install an outlet for a NEW run and do the last strip light and just have it be its own set tied to a new plugin and then group it in with the other one? Does that make sense? If so, any other options or is a new outlet and new light strip the only option?
So it appears you have so many comments that there is no list. So is there a supply house that will have all these items and someone you can discuss the elements?
Hey Shane, i'm doing this with philips hue strips as i got them on sale. But i'm having a tough time with the automation with the motion sensor. Is there no way to keep the lights on when motion is detected but goes off if no motion is detected for 10mins?
That is a tough one to do in homekit. Unfortunately, unless you are using something like homebridge or hoobs, there aren't any great ways to automate in HomeKit using timers.
While it's true that an LED light kit does not consume much power, the outlet located in the cabinet is a dedicated circuit for the microwave in is not supposed to power any other devices. It works in this instance and I am sure others have made it work.... it's just worth noting for anyone who may consider doing that type of project. The lighting effect does look pretty cool though.
Hey Michael, thanks for pointing that out. Definitely worth noting. I wouldn't plug anything major in there, but it should be fine for something that draws such a small amount of power such as a light strip.
I need help! I’m trying to troubleshoot what happened, but I am having no luck. I cut the strip and did the connections, but now the app says the strip is off-line. Any suggestions?
Try restarting the lightstrip (unplug and plug back in) or doing a factory reset of the lightstrip. If that doesn't work, remove it from homekit and the re-add it.
Anyone know what is up with VOCOlinc? I need the get an LS2 extension and they and the starter kit are both constantly out of stock. I’m almost done and need an extension to finish my under cabinet lighting and don’t want to switch products.
I've been told recently that they are having big issues with the chipset shortage and they are having a hard time replenishing stock due to this. Hopefully it gets better soon.
Shane, with Nanoleaf Essentials supporting thread/matter, if you were doing this now would you go with Nanoleaf or stay with the same brand of light strip?
Good question. Although Nanoleaf essensials support thread, I don't think the current lineup will support matter. That said, I personally don't make decisions based on Matter. Only HomeKit. I do think the Nanoleaf strips would be good for an installation like this. There are connectors for them that are easy to find and purchase, plus the Nanoleaf has really bright whites. So they would provide good functional lighting if that is of interest.
Shane, hoping you can help me with an issue. I am able to connect two stripes together (using the same connectors you did) but they are two different colors. Any suggestions on how to sync them? Thanks.
It just sounds like you don't have a good connection between one or more of the wires. I'd recommend tweaking and wiggling the connections and wires around to see if you can get a good connection and the colors should match up.
Someone please help, I did the exact same thing with the connection wire, the power goes through the other part of my oven but I can't control or turn off the second part, any help??
There must be some sort of connection issue. If you are using one power source/controller. Fiddle with the connectors to make sure you have made a solid connection where the line was cut.
Strange way to ask the question. Not sure how the fact that they were given to me has anything to do with the longevity/reliability of them. To answer your question, I am still using them.
No one said the lights have to be coloured! If you want one that is more for practical lightning, then try looking for lightstrips with RGBW, which means that there are dedicated white LEDs, which increases brightness and accuracy a lot.
Sounds like the connection is 100%. You can try adjusting the connections on either side to see if you can get a better connection. That's what I had to do.
Hey Shane! Excellent video, I followed your tutorial for the smart blinds and I struggled a little, but your video really helped me out and I followed all your suggestions to the T. I recently got some LED Strip lights from a different brand and used some of the supporting supplies like you did but it failed miserably. The other side of the gap didn't light up the same as the original and I ended up quitting. I noticed that VOCO doesn't recommend doing anything but a simple extension. I really need to have the option to gap, just curious what you recommend or if anything has changed since you did this video?
Hey thanks for the support! If the extension you cut is a different color, it's likely one of the connection points just doesn't have a solid connection. There are some other lightstrips out there now that advertise being "cuttable" and "extendable." The Aqara T1 Lightstrip and the Yeelight OBSID lightstrip are two that do. And both support Matter (Aqara LED strip requires Aqara bridge).
Great video. We'd like under and over cabinet lighting as well as toe kick lighting in our new kitchen. Our old kitchen had it but was halogen. Love the ability to set different scenes. Could you hook these light strips into a dimmer switch?
How warm do these lights get? I just purchased an Embrighten kit, which is basically a strip inside an aluminum frame. Gets WAAAAAAY too hot. So I need to change it out with something.
I’ve tried, but my better half just can’t get behind any home automation at all. Buuuuut, I think she’ll like it after it’s done. That is for the inspiration to get er’ done.
Shane can you change the color of each individual section of light? For example the above Blue counter top red and toe kick white? If I wanted to install toe kick as well as counter top and above cabinet all with Separate controls will they change or is RF frequency on same channel for the remote?
I’m doing this tonight but the connectors aren’t working. I’ve tried all different combinations of wire to connector, but the strip after the extension wire won’t power up. Thoughts?
Hard to say without seeing exactly what you've done. Something must not be connected right. You do have to get the connection just right for the colors and power to flow correctly.
@@ShaneCreates I noticed that your wires in the video didn’t align with the RGB on the LED strip. Would that cause the issue? Also, my LED strip has copper connection points with and without soldering between them. Does it matter which set of connections I’m cutting?
