Philips Hue Light Strip Alternative 💡 Best LED Light Strips

Achtung: Links mit * sind Affiliate-Links. Als Amazon Partner verdiene ich an qualifizierten Einkäufen, wenn du dich entscheidest, über diese Links einen Kauf zu tätigen – ohne zusätzliche Kosten für dich!

---

Philips Hue has dominated the Smart Home lighting market for a long time. 

Meanwhile, there are many serious competitors and fantastic alternatives that can all keep up with the top dog of Philips Hue – and mostly even at a cheaper price and without the use of an extra-base station or bridge like Philips Hue.

In this article, the best alternatives to the Philips Hue LED light strip* are listed and presented individually. The following table summarizes all alternatives to the Philips Hue light strip: 

Image	Name	Link
*	LIFX Z WiFi LED Light Strip	Check Price*
*	SYLVANIA SMART+ LED Light Strip	Check Price*
*	Yeelight Smart Wi-Fi LED Light Strip	Check Price*
*	Koogeek Wifi Smart LED Strip	Check Price*
*	Govee Smart WiFi LED Strip	Check Price*

LIFX Z WLAN LED Light Strip

After Philips Hue, Lifx is the best option for smart light strips that change color. Now there are smart LED strips from Lifx* that can definitely keep up with Philips Hue. 

This light strip connects directly to your wifi router without the need for a base station like the Philips Hue system. They also have an interesting new feature with which you can “paint” the light strips with different colors. And, as we are also used to from Philipp Hue, the color palette is almost limitless with over 16 million colors.

If you choose the Lifx version of the LED light strip, you should start with the Starter Kit. This set contains two 1 m strips and the power supply. After that, you can still extend the system with single strips. The price is comparable to the Starter Kit from Philips Hue, but you don’t need a hub or base station, which saves you a lot of money!

Installation and Setup

Installation couldn’t be easier. First, you need to power the LED light strips. You can connect up to 10 strips with the included power supply.

For the assembly of the strips, there is adhesive tape on their back with which one can place them. 

Then all you have to do is install the Lifx App on your smartphone or other mobile device and continue setting it up. After you have connected the light strips to your WLAN, you are ready to go.

Functions and App 

With the app, you can adjust the colors very comfortably. You have the choice between 16 million colors, which you can adjust continuously. But you can also only use white light and vary its temperature – from bright white daylight to warm, more yellow light.

In principle, the light strip can be controlled just like other smart lights from Lifx or Philips Hue, but with the difference that you have another function here. You can have the individual LEDs of the light strip shine in different colors. 

Within the app, you can choose from all possible colors and then draw the color over an imaginary picture of the light strip in the app and paint the individual LEDs. The light strip takes over the change immediately, so you can achieve very interesting patterns and lighting effects. The Philips Hue light strip does not have this feature!

The feature is still unique and new on the market, so it is not yet perfectly thought through. On the one hand, you can’t save the settings yet and on the other hand, the painting within the app becomes more and more imprecise the more light strips you add to your system. The light strip represented in the app is always the same size, and so is the brush. However, you’re changing the system of light strips that’s lined up together, which means you’ll be addressing a lot more LEDs in one brushstroke than if you’re just painting one LED strip. 

Smart Home Compatibility 

As it should be for a proper Smart Home device, the Lifx light strip is also compatible with all current Smart Home systems and voice assistants. These include Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, HomeKit and IFTTT. 

This allows you to control your LED light strips by voice and program smart scenes and events. Especially with IFTTT the possibilities are only limited by your creativity. As an example, you could always have the light strip activated automatically as soon as the TV turns on. 

Pros & Cons: LIFX Z WLAN LED Light Strip

---

SYLVANIA Smart+ LED Strips

The Sylvania Smart+ LED strips* offer a wide range of features and compatibility with Smart Home systems. The Sylvania Smart+ LED Strip is especially interesting for Apple HomeKit users as it can only be connected via Bluetooth and thus saves the base station – this would save you almost half of the entry costs!

So you can connect the light strips directly to your smartphone – you don’t need a base station or hub like Philips Hue. This makes the installation and setup very quick. 

You only have to mount the LED strip in the same way as most other light strips, i.e. with the adhesive tape on the back. Then power them up and connect them to your smartphone and app. And you can control the light strip with a voice assistant like Siri from your smartphone or a HomePod or Echo. 

App and Performance

The performance is comparable to other light strips, but unfortunately it doesn’t come close to the almost perfect quality of Philips Hue*.

However, the app works very well and has a very structured menu. As long as you don’t control via Bluetooth, the commands also arrive instantly at the light strip. Transmission via Bluetooth is a bit slow from time to time and, as usual with Bluetooth, has only a limited range.

As with other smart LED light strips, you can adjust the colors continuously and change the temperature in white light. The brightness can also be adjusted continuously between 1% and 100%. You can also create scenes by grouping several lights together and providing them with an individual lighting. You can save these scenes and adjust them again and again.

It is also possible to program different events where the light strip turns on and off automatically or changes its scene. For example, you could turn on the LED light strip automatically when the sun goes down or when the TV is turned on. 

Pros & Cons: Sylvania Smart+ LED Strips

---

Yeelight Lightstrip

The smart LED light strip from Yeelight* is one of the cheapest options when it comes to smart light strips.

With smart LED light strips, the price is higher not only because of the smart features than with “stupid” cheap light strips, but also because of their higher quality workmanship. The Yeelight LED light strips are IP65 water resistant and have an extremely long service life.

The LED strip itself is very flexible, so you can even add an LED strip to complex contours of your interior. As with the other light strips presented here, there is an adhesive strip on the back with which you stick it to the desired object.

The design is kept in a slim white and looks quite modern. In principle, the only design element that differs between manufacturers is the cable and the control unit. This control unit, respectively the adapter, is also excellently processed and does not feel like a cheap product. There is a single button on the adapter that allows you to operate the LED light strip even without the app. Pressing once turns the LED strip on and off, and holding it down longer lets you browse through all available colors.

With the Sylvania Smart+ LED Strip* we presented you the perfect solution for HomeKit, but the Yeelight light strip is not compatible with HomeKit – but with Alexa And Google Assistant.

The app is compatible with Android and iOS devices. Within the app you can turn the light on and off, adjust the color temperature, adjust the brightness (up to 150 lumens!), change the colors and set a dynamic mode in which the colors are automatically changed over time. You can also use the app to set a sleep timer after the light turns off automatically and create individual schedules. Two other smart features that make the Yeelight LED Strip interesting are the creation of smart scenes and the synchronization of light with running music.

Pros & Cons: Yeelight Lightstrip

---

Koogeek Wifi Smart LED Strip

Even though Philips Hue* currently dominates the market for smart lamps, there are always impressive competitors such as the Koogeek smart LED strip. At a very fair price, this LED strip still manages to keep up with the giant Philips Hue with its features and quality.

Given the many features and the overall length of the strip, you get a really very good value for money. With the Koogeek LED Strip you will always find the perfect light to create the right atmosphere. Be it for a movie night with the family, gaming or to be gently awakened with light. In addition, there are the usual smart features through the integration via Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple HomeKit such as the setting of smart events and timers.

You can choose between 16 million colors and set the temperature of the color. In addition, the LED light strip is dimmable and powered via USB.

Installation and Setup

With the Koogeek Home App the setup is very efficient and easy. There is also an instruction how to mount the light strip. Inside the app, you can also connect the smart LED strip to your wifi.

As soon as the LED light strip is connected to your wifi, you can control it via the app or a voice assistant.

Smart Home Compatibility

Another advantage is that the LED light strip from Koogeek runs with many Smart Home systems. These include Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit and Google Assistant.

By integrating them into a Smart Home system, you can combine Koogeek’s smart light strips with smart events and chain reactions. 

The first thing I did with my LED strip was to put it in my home theater command for Alexa. When I give Alexa the home theater command, she instantly turn on the TV with all the peripherals, lowers the blinds and changes all the lights in my living room to create a cozy cinema atmosphere. I put the LED strip behind the TV to create a nice contrast and effect.

Koogeek also has many other ingenious Smart Home products on the market such as smart sockets, light switches, fitness equipment and more.

Performance

After the installation and setup is done easily, you can dive directly into all the many features. Everything works the way you want it to and you can really improve your home with the LED light strip and emphasize certain design elements.

What is also very advantageous is that the LED light strip itself is really very flexible and you can imitate and highlight any contour. Like I said, I mounted my LED strip behind the TV. But before that I have explored many other possibilities and am now thinking about buying a second and third one, because I can use the passive light of the LEDs to highlight my showcases and shelves and create a really cozy atmosphere. Considering how cheap the LED strips have become in the meantime, you increase the perceived value of your home by a multiple!

Pros & Cons: Koogeek Wifi Smart LED Strip

---

Govee Smart WiFi LED Strip

The Govee smart LED light strip* has a very good price-performance ratio and costs only half as much as the popular Philips Hue LED light strip*.

Govee not only manufactures smart LED light strips, but also other outstanding Smart Home devices at a very fair price for their range of features.

Like all other smart LED light strips on this list, the Govee LED light strip can take on over 16 million colors. The strip can also be illuminated in different colors at the same time.

This LED strip was explicitly designed to mimic every imaginable form of your interior and thus offers customizable lighting effects. 

With the adhesive tape on the back, it also sticks to the desired object for an infinite period of time and does not fall off by itself, as is the case with many other cheaper versions.

The light strip is connected to a controller with three buttons. With these three buttons you can switch the device on and off, set a color loop function or hold to run through preset modes.

The LED light strip is supplied with power by a normal power plug. So you don’t need an additional USB charging station. 

The Govee Home App lets you access the smart features of the LED light strip. This includes a smart timer, scenes, 4 DIY modes and a music mode in which the light strip pulsates to the beat of the music.

Through the integration with Alexa and Google Assistant, you can turn the light on and off or set a specific color for your voice assistant commands. To connect to an Amazon Echo* for example, you don’t need a base station or hub on the Philips Hue system*. 

Pros & Cons: Govee Smart WiFi LED Strip

---

Summary

As you can see, there are now many alternatives to the Philips Hue LED light strip*. In this article you were introduced to a number of LED light strips that can keep up with Philips Hue’s smart features, sometimes at a much lower price. 

The biggest price advantage of most of the light strips presented here is the fact that they don’t need a base station like the Philips Hue System with the Hue Bridge.

So you can use them completely without other devices or base stations and still access all smart features!

To keep the overview, here is again the table of the best alternatives to the Philips Hue LED light strip:

Image	Name	Link
*	LIFX Z WiFi LED Light Strip	Check Price*
*	SYLVANIA SMART+ LED Light Strip	Check Price*
*	Yeelight Smart Wi-Fi LED Light Strip	Check Price*
*	Koogeek Wifi Smart LED Strip	Check Price*
*	Govee Smart WiFi LED Strip	Check Price*

---

Achtung: Bitte beachte bei der Installation elektronischer Geräte unbedingt auf die Sicherheitshinweise des Herstellers. Um deine Sicherheit musst du dich selber kümmern. Die Informationen auf dieser Seite unterstützen dich lediglich beim Lernen.

Achtung: Diese Website ist Eigentum von Martin Lütkemeyer und wird von Martin Lütkemeyer betrieben. Martin Lütkemeyer ist Mitglied des Amazon Services LLC Partnerprogramms, einem Affiliate-Werbeprogramm, das es Webseiten ermöglicht, Werbeeinnahmen durch Werbung und Verlinkung mit Amazon.com zu erzielen. Die mit * markierten Links sind Affiliate-Links.