Review on 📲 ALITOVE WiFi LED Controller SP108E: iOS Android App Wireless Remote Control for WS2812B SK6812 WS2813 RGB LED Pixels by Joseph Hamilton

Pros: - Theoretically ready-made solution with a decent amount of built-in templates/options - The phone app actually installs and opens, which I can't say for many of these cheap controllers (there are still a number of issues) - relatively cheap for what it is, with a wide range of usable voltages (tested at 5V and 12V, also rated at 24V). Another in-app copy of them has a 20-second on-time, during which you can "configure" the controller to connect to your wireless network, after which it becomes a hotspot again, which you can connect to right from your phone need to connect for use. Even if you manage to connect the device to your Wi-Fi network, the next time you turn it on it will forget about it. So if you're pairing it, turn off the power adapter that's powering it, then turn it back on, it won't pair anymore. The recommended schematic attached is just plain wrong. If you're hooking up a lot of lights, you can't just run a red +V wire, plug it in and expect it to work. You need to connect +V and GND at every point where you want to turn off the device. - The screw terminals for attaching the input wires are located on the bottom of the unit and require a very small, thin flat head screwdriver (including the tiny 3 inch long one) to turn them. With wall/ceiling mount they are at the bottom you can't get to the clamps so if you need to change something you have to unscrew it from the wall, flip it over and then unscrew the clamps at the bottom Cons, application specific because yes , it needs its own partition : - The application requires that you have activated your location for use. If you don't, you'll still be prompted for your location, not just every time you open the app, but every time you switch screens in the app or switch apps and switch back WHY? - The supposedly "correct" way to add your controller to your existing Wi-Fi network is to connect your phone to your Wi-Fi network, con Troller and then within 20 seconds. To turn it on, tap "Add Device" in the app, type in your WiFi password (hopefully type quickly or it's short), and pray. Because the app says "Setting" with a spinning icon and sometimes it goes away and your device is present and connected, sometimes it goes away and nothing happens, sometimes it doesn't go away at all (wait more than 10 minutes) and sometimes it just goes away The application crashes completely off. There's really no rhyme or reason why it does this or that. If I sat in the same spot without moving, I got different results every time I tried 20+ attempts. Internet, so you need to disconnect from the Internet, switch to the Wi-Fi network created by the controller, change settings and switch back. Even in hotspot mode, the app can recognize the controller. When I sit back in the same place, connected to the controller's wifi network, just open the app, close the app again, it just shows the controller and allows me to change its settings about 1 out of 4 times when I do the open app. The app forces you to insert multiple LEDs and multiple segments individually (segments) without explaining what they mean. Let me help: LEDs means the number of LEDs you want to use in each repeating pattern, and the number of segments means how many times you want the pattern to repeat. The maximum number of LEDs is 300 and the maximum total number of LEDs (multiplied by two numbers) is 2048. However, mine is connected to 1200 LEDs (60 LEDs x 20 segments) and cannot keep up with the requirement, stuttering and "blinking". " " randomly every few seconds. - If you manage to connect to the controller through the app, you have three pages of options: Manual, Template and Custom. Manual mode gives you basic stuff like Meteor, Breath, and Static and lets you choose whatever color and brightness settings you want for them. The pattern has "180 unique patterns" but is actually closer to 20 patterns, each repeating 9-14 times for different colors or directions. You can "love" the patterns you like, but there's no way to just switch between the patterns you like, it's just the same watch face, and the patterns you like are red and not colored blue. For each template, you can adjust the speed and brightness, which is nice. The custom one just shows a weird triangular wave pattern going around a circle that you can rotate. To be honest I have no idea what it's supposed to do or what to use it for and I can't find an explanation for it anywhere. I really can't speak badly enough about these unnamed Chinese LED controllers. I have yet to find one that is stable or has application (or update) support of any kind. Do yourself a favor and grab an Arduino and one of the many free LED libraries and just build your own controller that you can program to make literally any pattern you want or can imagine. Spend that or some serious cash on a "professional" grade controller.