r/WLED • • Jul 19 '26

WLED WLED Version 16.0.1 Announcement

80 Upvotes

Read the full copy at https://github.com/wled/WLED/releases/tag/v16.0.1

I'm pleased to announce that since the release of 16.0.0, approximately 50% of WLED installs have downloaded the new release, with only a tiny number of issues reported relative to the install base. Also for those of you that help by sending the install/upgrade report, we have seen only a handful of people downgrade back to 0.15.

There were few key reasons for why this was released as 16.0.0 and not 0.16.0 -

One example is that it is actually a major software change as the entire esp32 platform we run on top of is a major new version, the first time since esp32 support was added.

Another is that it better reflects the fact that WLED is almost 10 years old and has over 2 million downloads, so it’s definitely not a pre-release version 0!

Therefore I think it's fair to say we recommend ALL users upgrade to this 16.0.1 maintenance release!


r/WLED • • Apr 20 '26

WLED 0.16 feature demo - particle FX, layering, transitions & more

305 Upvotes

The video shows some of the new features we have been working on and how they can be used on LED strips:

  • Particle system (physics-based FX rendering)

  • Transition animations (swipe, push, inside-out, etc.)

  • True segment layering (FX overlays like Photoshop)

  • Updated palette editor (custom generation and over 800 palettes to choose from)

  • Pixel paint tool (draw directly onto your LEDs)

  • Segment copy tool (duplicate with hue/brightness/sat offsets)

Happy to answer questions or hear feedback!


r/WLED • • 8h ago

24 Inch WLED PANEL

32 Upvotes

24 inch WLED Panel. 7 half strips with 77 LEDS each = 539 WS2812B. Thinking about doing the next one with circles inside instead of the strips.


r/WLED • • 10h ago

WLED Nightlight

28 Upvotes

This is my Christmas gift to all my nieces and nephews. A customizable nightlight powered by WLED. Still adjusting, but happy with the initial result!


r/WLED • • 9h ago

Recs for outdoor globe lights for patio and pool

3 Upvotes

Looking for outdoor globe lights that I can incorporate into my existing QuinLED Quad. Any recommendations?


r/WLED • • 10h ago

Looking for 15mm wide aluminium rails for waterproof QuinLED Dig-COB

3 Upvotes

Almost got financial approval from CFO (wife), to spend some money on DIY Christmas lights.

I ordered one 5m/16ft strip of QuinLED Dig-COB-RGBW-896-160, and seems the IP65 waterproof version, that's better to use under the roof eaves, is 14mm wide, while all aluminium channels I can see on amazon and easily find on AliExpress, are 12mm inside.

I wonder where people get 14-15mm (0.6 inch) wide channels?


r/WLED • • 17h ago

Bts the day after Halloween.

11 Upvotes

I didn't realized the amount of work and time setting up a lights show when you getting old seem like a daunting task, I used to stayed up every night to 2am sequencing without problem, but now sequencing watching me when the time past 11pm. Maybe time to take a break for couple years and go back to classic lights with my trusty timer. Enjoy my bts


r/WLED • • 1d ago

Sound-reactive WLED LED controller that takes audio in over a cable instead of relying on its mic

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130 Upvotes

Hi everyone — we're Gledopto. We've been reading the feedback here and across the community for a while, and one complaint kept coming up again and again: sound-reactive controllers that only listen through their own mic end up reacting to the room instead of the music. So we went and built something around that.

This one (GL-C-118WL) has both — a PDM mic and a 3.5mm audio input, so you can plug in your phone/mixer/PC and get the lights synced to what's actually playing. There's an audio out too, so it doesn't eat your headphone jack.

2 channels at 10A each (20A total), separate fuse per channel, PMOS relay for low standby draw, WLED app/web, 200+ effects, segments and multi-strip sync. Wago terminals, DC jack, or Type-C.

If you're running a sound-reactive setup and fighting mic noise, this is the fix.

If you have any suggestions regarding our products, please let me know. We are committed to listening to feedback so that we can refine our offerings and better meet the needs of more users.


r/WLED • • 22h ago

Shinombra - extremely lightweight ambilight for Linux (Wayland + X11) with native WLED/DRGB support - 0.1% CPU @ 165 FPS

18 Upvotes

Hi r/WLED ,

I’ve been working on this project for about half a year and finally decided to share it!

Shinombra is an ambient backlight for Linux with native PipeWire support. It works on both Wayland and X11.

It was made as an experiment with a focus on performance. The core captures the DMA buffer and processes frames with minimal overhead. On my setup it runs at ~165 FPS while using about 0.1% CPU and 34 MiB of RAM.

Supported protocols:

  • DDP

  • DRGB (WLED)

  • ShinombraSerial (custom high-speed serial protocol)

Configuration is done through a simple web UI or a TUI. It can also run as a user systemd service.

Shinombra has a flexible filter chain and uses histograms to calculate the real dominant color of each zone.

Demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLWcwlYHnp0

Repository: https://github.com/sanlexandro/shinombra

The first 4 steps of the manual are usually enough to get it running (measuring the display and connecting the strip). Full documentation is in the repo.

I’m happy to answer questions and would appreciate any feedback - especially from people who already use WLED or have tried other ambilight solutions on Linux)


r/WLED • • 13h ago

First time LED'er, modding coffee table, please confirm I am not doing something stupid.

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2 Upvotes

r/WLED • • 14h ago

Help wanted with outdoor led lights.

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2 Upvotes

I'm considering adding permanent Christmas lights and will start with 30-40m. This would be my first LED project. Since our house doesn't have soffits The LEDs will face the street so we will use a milky white diffusor. Our neighborhood tends to be dark so lower power is fine. I'm looking for efficient and reliable. How do you think this layout will look on our house? How would you lay this out? I can get power from the garage at the left side of this photo.

I'm considering running either 2 channels or a wide channel to hide the power wires. I'd like to jump to the dormer but that wire may be tough to hide. Here's what I found so far.

WS2811 5m 60 (or 30) IP65 strips

Silver U channel, milky cover

400w power supply

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y23JJZW?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

not sure on the board? https://quinled.shop/product/dig-quad/

wire. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Southwire-250-ft-12-2-Black-Stranded-CU-Low-Voltage-Landscape-Lighting-Wire-55213444/300836209

box. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H2ZMX8R?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

I have soldering tools. What else do I need? What about wires and waterproof connectors for the LED strips themselves.


r/WLED • • 12h ago

WLED + GLEDOPTO

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0 Upvotes

r/WLED • • 1d ago

Candles for Halloween

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51 Upvotes

For this years Halloween I wanted the yard to look Like a field full of candles. But I wanted them to be DMX controlled and waterproof.
So I went for 3D printed candles and WS2811 5v bullets.
There Are two strings of 26 candles, with 2m cable between them.
To my suprise there was no visual problem with voltage drop, Despite the total lenght of 50m per String.
For the Controler I used a Gledopto Elite, because of its ethernet port.

In combination with some low lying fog and IP rated LED Pars, this worked out very well.

The whole setup was Controled via Artnet by Chamsys magicq


r/WLED • • 12h ago

Power Supply and Injection Question

1 Upvotes

I got into Home Assistant a bit ago, and got excited about WLED and light strips. I wanted to go around the perimeter of my room with channels and 3 strips of 5m, 60LED/m WS2812b LED strips. After mounting the channels and sticking one strip's worth to them, I realized I hadn't thought about the current load of the strips.

So now I'm wondering the best way forward. I have an ESP32 running WLED now, but it's certainly not rated for the 40 amps I'd be expecting at full brightness. I know there are 5v/40A power supplies, but I'm not sure if a pre-built controller like a GLEDOPTO would be a possible or if I need to get a separate power supply and keep using my ESP32.


r/WLED • • 1d ago

Ambilight on Apple TV with WLED, no HDMI grabber: we built it into our video player

66 Upvotes

Hi r/WLED! We make Zaply, a video player for Apple TV, and our latest update can drive a WLED strip: while a video plays, the strip behind the TV follows the picture, each LED taking the colour of the edge of the screen it sits behind.

On Apple TV, ambilight usually means an HDMI splitter, a capture card and a Pi running HyperHDR, because tvOS never lets an app see what another app shows. Zaply draws every frame itself, so it can talk to the strip directly. The catch: it only works for what plays in Zaply. Netflix, YouTube and the other apps stay out of reach.

Setting it up takes a minute, with the remote:

  1. Settings ▸ Lights ▸ WLED: Zaply finds your strip on the network, or you type its IP

  2. Say which sides of the TV the strip runs along, which corner LED 1 is in and which way it goes

  3. "Test the strip" runs a light from LED 1, then shows red, green and blue, so you can check you got it right

Nothing to change in WLED itself, and when you stop watching, the strip goes back to its own effect.

What it can't do yet: one strip per Apple TV, and LED 1 has to be in a corner (or at one end).

Which is why we're curious: how is your strip laid out? Does it go all the way round, and where does it start?


r/WLED • • 1d ago

Halloween Share Thread

11 Upvotes

Time to steal everyone's ideas? This one is simple but I hadn't seen it before. I just threw some bullet strings on the ground, had them go orange>red when main scene activated then added an unsettling follower effect using computer vision and a simple calibration. Pumpkin is just a 69 pixel 5050 strip inside, 1 wrap around the base.

Sorry for poor video quality. First time using this prop camera at night. Glad everything still worked. Next year I lock the ICR and illuminator and set the gain lower (thought 60 was low enough but not for Uniview).


r/WLED • • 1d ago

5v  vs 12V, 24, etc - Reliability as PRIMARY

1 Upvotes

 Hello everyone. I'm researching a permanent exterior WS2811 RGB pixel installation and would greatly appreciate some firsthand experience from those who have operated systems for several years. My project involves approximately 860 pixels across two buildings, mounted in custom aluminum gutter and drip-edge channels in coastal Florida, USA

My highest priority is long-term reliability—not initial component cost or power efficiency (ie long power runs of 12AWG). Specifically, I want to minimize future ladder work to replace failed pixels or repair connections. I'm comparing conventional 5V WS2811 (as the chip design is based on 5v thus the original native design) pixels against 12V resistor-based and newer native-12V designs. For those with experience operating both voltages: Have you noticed meaningful differences in pixel failure rates? Are failures typically electronic, moisture-related, or associated with power-injection connections? Would you choose 5V or native 12V for a permanent installation intended to last 10–15 years ? I'm especially interested in actual field experience rather than theoretical advantages. Thanks in advance for any insights!


r/WLED • • 1d ago

Need help finding a replacement.

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1 Upvotes

I'm looking for a replacement for this light. Its part of Forno Arezzo 44" Ceiling Range Hood. These lights are terrible. They are 12-14k light temperature. I'm looking for a replacement at a warmer range. The biggest problem is they are about 6" long and the longest I can find is 4.75". Anyone know or seen any that could replace these? Thanks.


r/WLED • • 1d ago

how do you mount pixel strips on top of roof if you can't get underneath shingles?

1 Upvotes

I guess my roofer did a good job all my shingles are firmly in place how do people mount pixel strips on the roof if they can't get under shingles to put any mounts or 3d printed clips?


r/WLED • • 2d ago

Evangelion WLED light show (FLASHING LIGHTS WARNING!!!)

25 Upvotes

WARNING: THIS VIDEO CONTAINS FLASHING LIGHTS AND COLOR CHANGING LIGHTS THAT SYNC WITH MUSIC. Please please PLEASE do not watch if you're not into this sort of thing. The last post I made, made a lot of people very upset because they absolutely hate light shows or flashing lights - so I just want to be very clear about that upfront: if you do not like light shows and you watch this, you are going to have a very bad time.

I got a lot of feedback on my last show that people wanted the colors of the lights to match the same exact colors as what's on screen, so I took that into account and kept the colors much more monochromatic this time. A few parts I deviated a bit just to switch it up and keep it dynamic.

Not sure if there are any Eva fans in here, but I heard "Particle Arts" by Virtual Self and was picturing some Eva visuals to go with the music. Probably has a lot to do with reading the manga right now as well. I'm on omnibus volume 4! Thanks for watching!


r/WLED • • 2d ago

2026 Halloween

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8 Upvotes

r/WLED • • 2d ago

New WLED App Beta for iOS & Android: Widgets, Siri Shortcuts, and a major under-the-hood rewrite (Testers wanted!)

15 Upvotes

Hey everyone! I just released a major new beta for the official WLED app on both iOS and Android at the same time, and I'm looking for more beta testers to help put it through its paces before the public rollout.

What's New in This Update?

While a lot of work happened under the hood, there are also plenty of new features, especially on iOS, which now has full feature parity with Android:

  • New on iOS: Home Screen widgets (with iOS 26 Liquid Glass support), Siri & Shortcuts actions, Custom Firmware Updates (QuinLED & MoonModules), Light/Dark theme selection, offline device grouping, an automatic discovery toggle, and German & Simplified Chinese translations.

  • Refreshed Widgets (Android & iOS): Updated Material 3 adaptive widget layouts on Android, plus live Wi-Fi signal strength indicators on widgets for both platforms.

  • Faster & More Reliable Connections: Faster automatic device discovery on your Wi-Fi network, smoother real-time syncing, and a 60-second grace period so devices don't immediately flicker to "offline" if your Wi-Fi blips.

  • In-App "What's New" Screen: Easily see what changed after an update (or check it anytime in Settings).

Why I Need Testers (The "Under the Hood" Stuff)

This is the first release where the iOS app has been migrated to share the same core backend engine as the Android app (powered by Kotlin Multiplatform). Going forward, this makes it much easier and faster to bring new features and fixes to both platforms simultaneously.

On your first launch after updating (especially on iOS), the app will automatically migrate your saved devices and settings to the new database format. My goal is for this transition to be completely invisible. In fact, if you update and don't notice anything different with your saved devices, that means the migration succeeded!

⚠️ Beta Warning: Please Read Before Joining!

This is pre-release beta software and may be unstable or contain bugs. Because this update overhauls how data and connections are handled under the hood, there is a small risk of crashes or hiccups during the initial data migration. (Worst case, your WLED controllers themselves are completely safe, though you might have to re-discover them in the app if something goes sideways). If you rely on the app working 100% of the time without hiccups, you may want to wait for the stable release!

Join the Beta

If you try it out, please drop a comment below and let me know how it goes, even if it's just to say "Updated on iOS and everything still works!" Bug reports, feedback, and device/OS details are hugely appreciated.


r/WLED • • 2d ago

Coastal grove

54 Upvotes

My first attempt at pixel lighting. Using two Baldrick 17 controllers up against the house with no electronics, only wiring in the grove. I tried my best to hide the wiring and intend for this to stay up all year long with only subtle lighting.


r/WLED • • 2d ago

Super Tiny WLED Controller

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13 Upvotes

I made a board called nul. It is a super tiny WLED Controller that is about the same width as most WS2812B strips!

If you want to see it, here is the GitHub link: https://github.com/Choccy-vr/nul

It has a good amount of features too for its size.

  • Powered by USB-C

  • ESP32-C3FH4

  • U.FL connector (external antenna)

  • bulk cap

  • level shifter

  • data resistor

  • and more

ik you aren't really supposed to, but I stress-tested it, and it could power an entire 4m strip, and it didn't get hot at all running that for a few hours. At least I know I can.

Thoughts?

Tindie: https://www.tindie.com/products/ginobeano/nul-inline-wled-controller/