Now, who doesn’t need a softly lit backdrop as you play your favorite game on the desktop, watching a movie or writing down a piece of an article for the next cover story?
Here we’re going to cover the best LED strips for behind desks that have a brighter, more smooth, as well as a more flexible use than compared to the traditional halogen, fluorescent, or incandescent light.
LEDs serve as the perfect item for top-quality decor and can be used by anyone in need of stylish lighting on the interiors. In this buyer’s guide, we will help detail the top-ranking LED strips for gaming desks to help you pick the most suitable from the lot.
Best Overall
- The Brightest Light Strip
- Extremely Vibrant Colors
- Use Siri, Google & Alexa
Also Great
- Doesn’t Require A Hub
- Works with Your Wi-Fi
- Use Siri, Google & Alexa
Budget Pick
- Uses Bluetooth Controller
- Very Affordable
- Memory Function
Top Rated LED Strips for Your Desk or Workstation
LED strip lights are perfect for illuminating the areas in your home or bedroom that add a sense of visibility and safety, especially if the place doesn’t have proper lighting. Placing these lights behind your desk provides a playful glow to the entire area while eliminating any strain to the eyes.
So, before you go ahead and purchase one for yourself, let us take a peek at some of the trending names in the market with this comparison table listed below:
Now that you know about the features provided by the products being reviewed in this article, let us jump straight into an in-depth review of all these LED strips listed above.
Read also: Best Desks for Gaming
The Best LED Strips for Behind Desk in 2020
1. Philips Hue LightStrip Plus – Best Behind Desk LED Strip
Although a bit on the expensive side, the Philips Hue LightStrip Plus is most definitely a reliable add-on to introduce bright and beautiful hues to the back of your desk. The LED strip works perfectly with the Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, as well as Apple Homekit. The ease-of-use provided by Philips is something you can always rely on. It can be easily set up just like lamps or basic bulbs.
Our Pick
If you are looking for a colorful, bright, and fun element added to your home, the Philips Hue LightStrip Plus is just what you need for behind the desk. The strip is very responsive in its operation which is just something you would expect from any Philips make
When talking about smart lighting options, there isn’t a brand better than Philips & its range of LED strips. In terms of design, this LED strip feels just like any other out in the market. The packaging consists of an 80-inches long strip that can be chopped as per requirement. Philips hue do not need internet to work, but you will need a Philips hue bridge. Moreover, you can add extensions to this strip by purchasing the separate extensions for this setup. You can pick from a collection of 16 million options in terms of colors. This LED strip by Philips is known to provide 20,000 hours of usage.
Related: Best Desk for Dual Monitors
Pros
- Responsive
- Easy to use
- Brightly Lit
- Works with various ecosystems
Cons
- Expensive
2. LIFX Z WiFi – Multi-Color LED Light Strip
LIFX has always enjoyed the popularity of being the top-ranked among color-changing light bulbs of the smart variant. However, it had never offered a model for LED light strips that change color. It has recently been changed with the release of its LIFX Z variant, which is a color-changing option that can be attached behind your desk, TV cabinet, or under the cabinets.
Also Great
With this LED strip, you get access to exciting new color themes like “Hanukkah,” “Intense,” “Exciting,” and many others. With LIFX Z, you get to control multiple light zones with 8 for every 1-meter strip in the setup. Tap onto a theme, & each zone switches to random colors that really heighten the lighting effect.
They can be connected directly with the router with the use of Wi-Fi while allowing you to paint each of these strips with several colors. It is something you surely can’t do with the Philips variant. With the starter kit, you get two strips of 1 meter each along with the power-supply plug-in. The LIFX Z is a perfect alternative if you are looking for RGB LED strips that do not require any bridge or hub to be plugged into the router for network connection.
Pros
- Doesn’t Require A Hub
- Works in a zone pattern
- Works fine with Cortana, Google Assistant, etc
Cons
- Can get a bit buggy
- Slow to respond at times
3. L8star – Budget LED Strip for Behind Desk
Flaunting both dimming & brightness controls, the L8Star Color Changing LED Strips is another one in our list of top-ranking Smart LED strips for behind desk usage. The makers have introduced a double-layered copper atop the PCB board in order to keep its mixed colors rather even. If needed, the strips can be chopped after every 3 LEDs.
Our Budget Pick
A perfect option for home entertainment or party setup, these LED strip lights come with a range of features that can be customized in accordance with your individual needs. The packaging comes with two reels of 16.4 feet, each making it great for wide coverage.
The lights come with self-adhesive tapes that can securely fit behind your desk, bed, or any corner that you want to be beautified with colors. Moreover, the MagicStrip app connection with the LED provides you access to a humongous collection of 16 million variants for colors. You can also choose from pre-set themes, which include “Breathing,” “Flashing,” “Gradient,” and so much more.
Read also: Best Desks for Dual Monitors
Pros
- Memory function to revert the last setup
- 24-remote options for personalization
- Syncs perfectly to the beats of the music
Cons
- iPhone users can only sync music from the iTunes
4. DayBetter LED Strip Lights
If you have been looking for a top-quality LED strip that is waterproof as well, you will definitely find that the DayBetter LED Strip Lights fit your specific needs. All thanks to its 600 LED bulbs, the lighting is super bright, so no complaints of unwanted dimming. Apart from this, the LED light has been designed to work at the 12Volt power. It means the strips are perfectly safe as well as stable.
The DayBetter LED Strip Lights are low-power options with a better lifespan that serves as the perfect starter kit for someone looking to renew their home decor. The strips also come with IP20-rating. It means they can easily withstand any accidental contact that happens with heavy items.
Best yet, these LED lights come with a long lifespan of 50,000+ hours. The LED lights come with an easy installation protocol with the help of self-adhesive tape. With the cumulative length of around 32.8 feet, this LED strip can easily be placed in any area of your choosing with no shortage in terms of length.
Pros
- The company guarantees replacement within 18 months if bulbs stop functioning
- Long lifespan
- 44 remote control features
Cons
- Lights aren’t bright enough as other in the list
- Not waterproof
5. Govee Waterproof LED Strip Lights
The Govee Waterproof LED Strip Lights is an all-in-one kit that houses a power adapter, 16.4 foot-long strip light, Wi-Fi controller, 5 fixing clips, as well as 3M of adhesive tape. This particular light strip comes with a collection of super bright 5050 LED lights that are known for their reliability and longevity.
With the Govee LED Strip light, you can create an amazing vibe for your home that can be regulated with the timer function for certain colors to shine at a given time frame. These LED lights give you a truly immersive experience when it comes to making the area “Pop” with colors.
The lights can be synced with your Wi-Fi in order to control the same via smartphones, Google Home, or Alexa. In order to take things to the next level and opt for remote monitoring, you can download the official Govee app & turn the lights on or off when not needed.
Pros
- Easy Set-Up
- Quick Pairing with Connected Devices
- Multiple features for customization
Cons
- Lag during settings change
How to Choose a LED Strip for Behind Your Desk
LED Strips have achieved immense popularity in home decor lighting. LEDs are nowadays preferred over incandescent and halogen bulbs. They are normally brighter, more efficient, long-lasting, easily controllable, produce less heat, and easily programmable. LED strip lighting has become the most sought-after. They are affordable for both commercial as well as home lighting purposes. Buying behind desk LED strips may be completely straight forward, but there are some of the points you need to keep in mind to choose the best one:
- LEDs/length: In order to have better light quality and brighter output, you should always go for the LED strip lights having the most number of LEDs per length.
- Brightness of the LED strips: With the improvement in LED technology, LED strips have thrived to achieve brighter capabilities. But that doesn’t come with all the LED strips being super bright; hence, you need to choose them very keenly.
- Color of the LED strips: LED strip lights come with a wide range of colors. You need to choose the perfect warm hue suitable for the location you want to fit it in.
- Colour temperature of the LED strip: Colour temperature carries great importance as that provides the perfect ‘cool’ or ‘warm’ shade required.
- Behind Desk LED strip wattage: You need to know about the total wattage in order to provide the exact power supply needed for it.
- Whether the LED strips are waterproof or not: Waterproof LED strips are usually more preferable and choose to be the best option.
What are the advantages of LED Strips?
Behind Desk LED strip lights are a kind of flexible light and come with adhesive support. Light-emitting diodes are wrapped in a silicone cover and mounted over the strip. LED strip lights are used for numerous purposes, such as a task light, accent light, and decorative purposes too. Below are some of its advantages:
- Energy-efficient: Behind Desk LED strip lights are blisteringly energy efficient. Traditional lighting not only requires more energy but also ends up heating up the entire room. As a result, a lot of energy gets wasted, which ultimately gets reflected in your electric bill. LED strip lights are almost 95% more efficient in comparison to a normal light bulb.
- Flexibility: They are totally flexible and can be used for numerous purposes such as home decor and to provide a pleasing aura to your office space. Behind Desk LED strips are also used for gaming purposes.
- Eco-friendly: Unlike the incandescent and fluorescent lights, LED strip lights do not carry any toxic chemical with them, which can be hazardous to the environment.
- Superior light distribution: Because of its quality of reduced light usage, it ends up providing finer light distribution. Light is emitted in all directions by LED light strips. As such, fewer LED strip lights are needed in order to illuminate an entire room.
What is the Best Way to Use an LED Strip Behind Your Desk?
Integration of Behind Desk LED light strips as a part of your overall home decor must have sprung to your mind before. LED strip lights shouldn’t overwhelm an area with their immense brightness. They are mostly preferred when they provide a mysterious and subtle look. Some of the best ways to use them are:
- Behind Desk LED strip lights can be attached to consoles or underside of wall-mounted cases, and they highlight the place in a modern and cool fashion without being too bright. The warm hue is usually preferable because of the soothing golden glow it provides which ultimately helps in maintaining a welcoming and warm ambiance.
- A particular accessory or furniture piece can also be highlighted using LED strips. You can make your desktop look attractive enough with the help of Behind Desk LED strips. They can also be installed vertically instead of horizontally to make the decor look even more eye-catching and interesting.
- The kitchen is one of the most common places to make better use of the LED light strips. You can attach them underside of your wall-mounted cases or cabinets. They provide gorgeous task lighting in your prep area and for the counter space.
How to Prep the Place Before Using the LED strip
Before you buy LED strip lights for any place, you need to have a clear-cut idea about its setup. Installations can sometimes be very difficult to mount, cut, and wire up the strings together. We will provide you with a list of factors you should always keep in the back of your mind in order to perfect prep the place before using the behind Desk LED strips:
- You must find out the total length of behind Desk LED strips needed.
- Have a rough idea about the total number of breaks you need in between the lights and the number of separate strips.
- You must know about the voltage requirements and the strip’s power.
- Make sure to focus on the flexibility of the light strips.
- Find waterproofing LED strips in case you want a long-lasting and durable one.
- You need to have all the components, such as any extra wire or connectors, for its perfect installation.
- You must decide the way you want to control, dim, and program the light strips.
LED Strips FAQs
How many LED strips can be connected together in one go?
You can have limitless options on how to hook the light strips up. Resistance gradually increases with an increase in distance. Hence, we recommend you to use at most two consecutive light strips connected together in one go in order to reduce the complications.
Are LED Strip lights safe for home or office use?
They are completely safe and in fact, enhance office productivity by lifting up one’s mood. They also regulate circadian rhythm. They are eco-friendly, produce less heat and free of noise. They are a very good option for home decor.
Do the LED strips consume a high amount of energy?
No, the LED light strips consume very little energy and work on low voltage, unlike the traditional lights. Therefore, they can work even in low or dim power supply. They don’t get fused easily even if they work in low voltage supply.
What should be the efficient power supply for my LED strip lights?
You just need to find out the total wattage of your LED strips and make sure the wattage is at least 20% less than the rated wattage of the power supply.
Can I cut my LED Strips as per requirement?
Yes. As the LED strip lights usually have half an inch width and length of about 16 feet, they can easily be cut as per your requirement using a pair of scissors along the dotted lines.
Conclusion
The LED world is really vast & it can be seemingly difficult for a novice buyer to navigate through the Dos and don’ts of purchasing these lights. From the above 5 top-ranking LED strip lights, our personal favorite is the Philips Hue LightStrip Plus.
It is due to the fact that showcases amazingly seamless sync with movies and music, while others might be prone to certain glitches.
What’s more? The LED Strip can last as long as 22 years, and you can even extend the existing length with the 3-foot extensions sold separately.
Moreover, the light strip has been designed to provide protection from any water seepage, or moisture in the room with a strong silicone build around it.
But, at the end of the day, it boils down to what you need. So, any option from this list would be a great choice for behind desk lighting needs.
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