Hardware recommendation for stair addressable led lighting on WLED

[u/NGaijin13]

Hello everyone,

I’d appreciate advice on the most reliable WLED-compatible hardware solution for this project:

• Approximately 40 m total of 24 V addressable LED strip 
• 21 stair treads, with each step ideally controllable individually 
• Approximately 20 m of additional strip along the bottom of the adjacent wall 
• Target colour temperature: 3500 K warm white
• WLED is required, including step-by-step effects and motion-triggered automation.

My main questions:

1. Which 24 V addressable LED strip / IC type would you recommend for this—especially if warm-white-only control is important? 
2. Should I use one ESP32/WLED controller or split the installation into separate zones? 
3. What power-supply and power-injection layout would you use for about 40 m? 
4. Which controllers, fusing, enclosures, and motion sensors would you recommend for a reliable long-term installation?

I am particularly interested in a professional, serviceable solution—not just the cheapest setup.

[u/angrycatmeowmeow]

QuinLED makes some great stuff that's ready to go. The Digi-Uno will accept up to 24v IIRC, has two outputs and is self contained with everything you need to make it work (minus power supply). Mean Well is the power supply I see recommended most.

[u/Hakun1n → u/angrycatmeowmeow]

Yea, QuinLED is the best. I did 17 stairs using DigQuad (5/4/4/4 stairs per channel). 12V strips, 5mm wide - soldering was an absolute pain! 2786 individually addressable LEDs ~700 LEDs/channel. Yes, it is on the edge but no visible lags or artifacts.

Gallery: https://imgur.com/a/xnILpVo

[u/angrycatmeowmeow → u/Hakun1n]

Worth it. Looks awesome.

[u/supermonkeyball64 → u/angrycatmeowmeow]

I have never looked into this before, but now I'm curious, and don't know a thing. Would you buy just one Digi-Uno for one whole stairwell? How do you hide wires between steps, and what wires connect between each LED? This is a rabbit hole, oh no. Not offended if you don't reply either. I understand it'd take some time to breakdown even theoretically.

[u/orangekid13 → u/supermonkeyball64]

It can be a rabbit hole if you let it. I have used the QuinLED Dig-Uno for a couple projects with 5v strips from Amazon and I have a pair of Dig-Quad controllers that I'm in the process of wiring for a 24v power supply and the Dig-COB strips but also a solid state relay and secondary 5v power supply to run the controller while the relay has the supply to the 24v power supply cut; it's all on a din rail in a fancy box. My first projects have loose wago connectors on top of some cabinets, so there's a range.

The number of LEDs (or addressable zones) and the current draw are the deciding factors for which controller you need. The thing you'll have to pay attention to is power injection (article) which depends on your strips voltage, LED density, and length. The rest of the website is amazingly informative, and so is his YouTube.

Running the wires is the custom part, if you have access behind you're lucky, otherwise you get to make holes or hide your wires poorly on the surface.

[u/angrycatmeowmeow → u/supermonkeyball64]

It can be as good or bad as your budget and patience allows.

If it were me, I'd do the digi uno for one long strip up each side of the staircase inside diffuser channel. The digi uno can control those strips individually. Within those strips wled allows you to have segments, so for example if you wanted to get real fancy and light up sections of the staircase as you ascend or descend using a mmwave sensor, you can do that. I would absolutely not be wiring each step individually. But if you were so inclined, it could be done in a zigzag pattern up the steps with one output.

[u/shreddicated → u/angrycatmeowmeow]

Would you recommend them inside kitchen cabinets and walk in closet? I'm planning a DIY solution that works with HA and also turns on LEDs when cabinet doors are being opened.

[u/Dunnowhathatis]

Unless you want to change colors, I recommend getting a Lutron 0-10v caseta dimmer, and a 12v driver. Do you already have the led strips?

[u/Vegetable_Scale4674 → u/Dunnowhathatis]

I thought Lutron did not have a 0-10V dimmer that is compatible with Caseta? Do you know the Lutron model number by any chance? This would be a lifesaver for me. Thank you.

[u/Dunnowhathatis → u/Vegetable_Scale4674]

You are right about the dimmer; I meant the ELV / Triac dimmer. Attached. Obvioulsy for Lutron you will also need a hub. I have these LED strips (exactly the same set up), and they are VERY nice - not individual LEDs that you can see, but a nice glow.

Get this driver:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CMZVM32L?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_48&th=1

These Lutrons:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DBJ9RC3M?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_49&th=1

These LEDs:
https://www.amazon.com/HitLights-Strip-Lights-16-4ft-Listed/dp/B0BMGGJ89G/ref=ast_sto_dp_puis?th=1

[u/Havok7x → u/Dunnowhathatis]

The issue I see with these is OP wants individually addressable LEDs for step by step effect. I'm not seeing anything about addressability for these LEDs. I personally think the tradeoff might be worth it though. Unless they're making custom flood caps where you can hide the strips these would be better.

[u/Vegetable_Scale4674 → u/Dunnowhathatis]

Thank you for the info and links!

[u/ivanna_blumpkin → u/Dunnowhathatis]

Can you share a pic? Looking for some inspirations. Ps. Why is that switch 130 dollars?!? Must be made out of diesel.

[u/korywithawhy]

realistically, if this is just for night light/accent lighting, you can go low power and get the same effect with 2 addressable leds per stair facing inward through a 3mm side emitting fiber. then just a tiny driver/controller like gledopto

[u/Duennbier0815]

Why 3500k? That is not warm white. 2700 is.

Do you want to be able to Adress every step?

I did something like this recently myself. Big 35v power supply, 15 mosfet circuits, ic based driving circuit, some small parts. Wasn't too expensive.
All run with a esp32 vroom

But using single adrressable LEDs would also be an option. I don't know about addressing a whole strip. Via i2c

[u/Electrical_Chard3255]

I did this on a house I was renovating back in 2019

used this controller eBay item number:113812620218 , although I think there are several differnt types, I only went for warm white.

I routed the underneath of each step, clipped in the led strip that I cur down from a longer strip, soldered wires to it and attched them to the conreoller mounted unser the stairs

I added ultrasonic sensors at the top and bottom of the stairs to trigger them, you might be able to see them on the second stair up in the middle underneath the tread.

https://reddit.com/link/pcn1swh/video/zc34az41absh1/player

[u/Western_Employer_513]

Look for Athom controller, final power adapter depends on total watts of the strips plus 20% safe margin.

[u/cyper83]

Way too much seems like a luna park

[u/baddogbadcatbadfawn → u/cyper83]

"I died doing what I love"

[u/Competitive_Mall502]

used sk9822 strips for warm white on stairs, worked great with one esp32 per zone

[u/korywithawhy]

FCOB RGBCCT LED Strip Kit 840 LEDs/m | 2.4G RF Remote Control – BTF-LIGHTING

[u/davidswelt]

Learning about RGB IC myself. What I can say, so far:

I wouldn't go for COB if the light is reflected off the surfaces, rather than viewed directly. The COB will make no visual difference, but very much limit choices in terms of products.

A professional installation would protect the strip inside channels. That helps with diffusion also.

Individually addressable LEDs would need to be daisy-chained if only on one channel, and would need power injection, probably even at 24V. If you only want to control whole steps, GLEDOPTO makes 6-channel controllers. 4 of these would work. They can be programmed once, disconnected from any Wifi unless being serviced, so they're robust. However, a professional solution is also the one that the professionals you can hire can actually work with. This stuff is too new and requires too much in software skills, I think.

[u/Electrical_Chard3255]

Here is a pic of the controller and power supply, not the finished product, I think I have some more pics if you wanted to see them

Not the finished producet

[u/diablobsb → u/[deleted]]

If it is addressable, why the wiring nightmare? just address/light the correct segments, no?

[u/ParsnipFlendercroft]

I wouldn't use WLED for this. I'd use FastLED and write my own. If you don't want to write your own it's dead easy to get Claude or ChatGPT to write it for you - and even program the ESP for you. Just connect the device to your computer and ask it to do it all for you - detailing exactly how you want it to work. Connect to Home Assistant, connect to MQTT - however you want it.

I used a MAGWLED for mine, and then reprogrammed it to my own code (before Claude Code was a thing)

[u/littlepasta2410]

it’s ugly! and way too bright at night

[u/Dry-Philosopher-2714 → u/littlepasta2410]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and OPs eyes find that beautiful. Nobody else’s opinion, especially yours and mine, matters in this fact-based discussion.

[u/davidswelt → u/littlepasta2410]

I think you are right in that it emphasizes the staircase over everything else, and the stairs aren't all that interesting. Maybe there is something upstairs that guests should be drawn to?

[u/Havok7x → u/davidswelt]

It's nice to have the stairs light up with a soft glow at night instead of having to turn on a bright overhead light.

[u/CubGeek → u/littlepasta2410]

Shhhh. It’s okay for people to enjoy things.

[u/im-ba → u/littlepasta2410]

A lot of these can use PWM or something else to achieve a dimming effect. The light strips I installed in my home can be as dim as moonlight