Are you trying to turn on the LED lights in your room or home but you can’t find the remote controller? Maybe you have set the hue of the LED lights to one color and you would like to change it. but the remote control doesn’t seem to work.
We all have our issues with the LED lights’ inconvenient infrared remote controllers. In this article, we will look at how to turn on LED lights without remote control by infrared connection.
How can I control my LED lights without a remote?
Failure to control the LED lights in your room can be caused by a fault in the LED controller infrared receiver, a faulty or broken remote controller, or the remote control could just be missing.
It is normal for one’s instincts to suggest replacing the broken remote control with another one from the local electronics shop, but chances are you will not find the one to work.
Expert Tip: Most brands of LED lights pair the remote control with the LED controller infrared receiver, making it impossible to use another remote control even if it’s of the same brand and model.
If for whatever reason, the remote control of your LED lights is not accessible or doesn’t seem to work, there are ways to still control the LED lights without the remote control. The four ways you can do this are:
- Using a mobile app for the controller receiver
- Bypassing the controller receiver
- Adding a switch
- Changing the controller receiver
Let’s discuss each one of these solutions for how to turn on led lights without the remote detail below.
4 ways to turn on LED lights without a remote
Let’s assume you just got back home and you’d like to lift the mood in the room to relax by bringing in that colorful LED ambiance. But the remote for the LED lights can’t be found. Here are the options that you’ll have to turn on the LED lights.
Use the LED controller app
Most brands of LED controllers are manufactured for smart LED lights. Unless you are using a very old model of LED controller, your LED lights must be compatible with its particular mobile app.
Look up the model of the LED controller online to see if there is an application to install on your phone, to use the phone as the remote control. The best place to start searching is the website of the LED controller brand manufacturer. Some apps can be found on Google Playstore and Apple AppStore.
The installed app can be connected to the LED controller, and the LED lights will be controlled from the phone. Let’s discuss the two ways in which the app installed on your phone can connect to the LED controller.
WiFi connection
All mobile apps for smart LED lights use a WiFi connection to communicate with the LED controller. All it takes is to connect the LED controller to your home’s WiFi and pair it with the app on your phone.
Once the two devices have been paired, you can connect to your LED controller from anywhere over the internet and turn on the LED lights.
Infrared connection
Some phones still come fitted with an infrared port. If the app for your LED controller allows an infrared connection, you can use this port to point at the LED controller receiver to turn on the LED lights and adjust any other settings.
There are also external infrared adapters for phones that can be connected as peripherals to your smartphone to connect with the LED controller.
Bypass the LED Controller Receiver
If you can’t find the app associated with the brand of LED controller that you have, you can simply remove the whole LED controller and supply power directly to the LED strip.
The LED lights setup consists of three main components, the LED strip or tape, the LED controller, and a step-down transformer. The LED strip is the tape of LED lights taking its power from the LED controller. The LED controller receives direct current from the transformer and controls how much of it goes to the LED strip.
The LED controller does not only control the current to the lights, but it also controls the hue and intensity of the lights. The transformer converts the alternating current from the grid outlet to the direct current. The transformer can also be in form of a power adapter connected to the LED controller.
To bypass the LED controller, all you have to do is to connect the strip of LED light directly to the transformer. Detach the wires, that come from the transformer and those that come from the lights, from the LED controller. Connect these two sets of wires according to their polarity.
If the LED controller uses a power adapter, you will have to remove the connector to expose the pair of wires. You can connect the setup to the electricity to turn on the LED lights after securely bypassing the LED controller.
Expert Tip: Note that control of the lights will be limited to turning them on and off. You will not be able to make any other adjustments.
Adding a Switch
If you have removed the LED controller from the setup, you can add a switch to have some level of control of the LED lights. Some switches can be connected between the power transformer and the strip of LED lights, others can be placed between the grid outlet and the transformer.
There are two types of switches that can be added to the LED lights setup to turn on the lights without a remote. You can use either the LED dimmer smart switches or the 3-key LED controller.
LED smart light switches and dimmers
An LED smart light switch is like a regular light switch connected between the grid outlet and the transformer. It differs from other ordinary switches because it can be connected to your WiFi and you can control it remotely from your phone. The LED smart switch allows you to remotely turn the LED lights on and off.
A variation of the smart switches is the smart dimmer switch. These are smart switches that allow you to adjust the brightness of the LED lights from your phone. You can also use a 3-way smart switch for two different light intensities.
3-key LED controller
A 3-key LED controller is a small controller with 3 keys, that is connected between the transformer and the LED strip of lights. There are 2 types of these 3-key LED controllers. The single-color 3-key LED controller and the 3-key RGB LED controller. These small manual controllers can not be accessed remotely from your phone.
The single-color 3-key LED controller allows you to install a small switch to have some controls like turning the lights on and off. changing the speed of the flickering, and some preprogrammed modes.
The 3-Key RGB LED controller allows you to switch on and off the LED lights but also allows adjustments in the intensity of the individual RGB hues.
Change the LED controller receiver
To regain control of the lights and all the possible adjustments, consider replacing the LED controller with a new smart LED controller. This is the best way to restore the full functionality of the LED lights and more.
You can buy a new LED controller of your choice online and connect it to your LED lights. The two sets of wires from the LED lights and the transformer should be attached to the new LED controller in the same configuration as the last one.
You can also check the manual for the LED controller for directions on wire configurations.
After connecting the new LED controller, make sure you install the app that connects your phone to your home LED lights. The connectivity to WiFi should be one of the specifications to look for when buying the LED controller. It is also a good idea to buy an LED controller of a similar brand as the LED lights.
What do I do if my LED lights remote breaks?
When the remote control for your LED lights breaks, it is not the end of you illuminating your home with beautiful and colorful lights. We have seen that there are a number of steps you can take to take back control of the LED lights.
We have discussed 4 ways how to turn on LED lights without remote controlling them with an infrared remote controller.
As discussed above, you have the option of bypassing the LED controller receiver, connecting the LED controller receiver to a mobile app to manage it remotely, replacing the LED controller, or adding a switch to the setup.
Note that all smart LED controllers and smart switches can also be managed using other mobile tools like Google Home and Alexa. That is in addition to being remotely manageable through their normal apps. You can set different modes of lighting and save them for particular moods, or schedule them for certain days.
Google Home and Alexa allow you to issue voice commands to control the LED lights.
Making that switch from using the infrared remote control to managing your LED lights remotely is the best solution to all problems that come because of the infrared remote control.