3 Ways To Fix LED Lights Wrong Color

LED lights are one of the many great energy-saving ways of adding a bit of color and dynamic to your home or garden without having to spend more than you need to. However, what to do when the newly installed LED lights are giving the wrong color? Please read on.

In recent years, they have become more and more common, and competition in the market has driven prices way down.

So, given that these lights are no longer more than double the price of their traditional and less energy-efficient counterparts, pretty much everyone has them.

How they work is also quite interesting and we will help you to understand how and why things can go wrong with them every now and then.

What is LED?

LED stands for ‘Light Emitting Diodes.’ This technologically advanced method of producing light requires far less wattage to run on a daily basis, cutting down on your electricity bills.

Not only that, but LEDs also have a whole lot more features built-in that aren’t possible with more traditional bulbs. How they work is that the electric current is passed through a chip which then illuminates these tiny light sources (the LEDs).

Following on from this, the LEDs then manage to pack enough punch to light up the bulb itself and regulates the temperature changes, which can result as a side effect of this process.

There is also a heat sink built-in. This prevents there being any performance issues in the long run. So, though they are most certainly built to last, you can see that there is plenty that can and will go wrong at some point.

Known Issues with LED

Of all of the things that can go wrong, possibly the strangest of the bunch is when your LEDs begin lighting up the wrong color.

In recent times, we have noticed that many of you have taken to the boards and forums to express your confusion about this problem.

Not to worry though, the problem isn’t all that severe. Nor is it all that difficult to remedy once you know how it is done.

To that effect, we have put together this little guide to help you get everything back to normal again.

LED Lights Wrong Color

How To Fix The Problem

One of the features that really attracts people into using LEDs instead of regular lighting is that you can have the option to choose from a whole range of colors to light your spaces as you see fit.

This allows for mood lighting or even have a range of colors in the same space. It can feel a bit like Christmas every day of the year if you really want that!

Unfortunately, as is the case with any bit of tech – the more features there is, the more potential there is for something to go wrong every now and then.

Many of you have thus reported that this exact feature is the one that seems to be letting the whole system down. Wrong colors being displayed at the wrong time being the most common gripe.

Unfortunately, there are so many different reasons as to why this issue can occur. As a result, we can’t really narrow it down to one simple cause.

However, what we can do is run through a whole range of fixes that should get things back to normal, whatever the cause.

So, if you want to get it fixed, follow the simple steps below:

1. Check that everything is plugged correctly.

Of all of the reasons for this issue to occur, the most common is because your LED lights may not have been plugged in correctly.

Luckily, this is a relatively easy problem to fix.

• To begin, all you need to do is to make sure that the black wire on your RGB strip connector is on the same side as the +12V is.
• Next up, make sure that the + end of the connector lines up right with the positive side of the strip.
• While you are doing this, you should also ensure that your R, G, and B wires are connected correctly.

This can be a pain when it happens, and on occasion, users have reported that their wires have been mislabeled at some point.

Unfortunately, when this happens, the only thing to do is to mess around with the cables until you find the magic combination that gets everything working as it should again.

2. Resetting the LED Lights

The previous step will have worked for most of you, but if it hasn’t, here’s the next thing to check off your list.

Though this fix might sound way too simple ever to work, you would be surprised at the power of a simple reset.

In fact, this fix works so often and on so many devices that IT professionals often joke that they would be out of a job if people just did this before calling in for help.

So, for this fix, all you need to do is to reset the lights and the controller. Doing this brings everything back to the original settings that they had before they left the factory.

Over time, changes can be made to your settings that cause your lights to malfunction. Resetting is the easiest way to wipe out those changes and get rid of any bugs that might have crept in overtime.

As a side note, though we would love to be able to run through the procedure needed to reset your lights, there are just too many brands and models out there, each with its own set of controls.

• However, in nearly every case, there seems to be a dedicated reset button for you to press.
• If not, there is generally a way of doing it that involves holding down the power button for a period of time.
• If neither of these works, it might be a good idea to look up the manufacturer info on the net to save any further guesswork.

3. Replace the Controller/LED Strip

At this point, we’re afraid to say that you might just have run out of luck.

In general, if the two fixes above haven’t worked, it means that either your LED strip or the controller may have developed a malfunction.

Unfortunately, there really is no cost-effective way around this and the best option remaining to you is to replace one or the other or both of these components.

To narrow it down, you could try using another controller to work your LED strip.

If this doesn’t work, you are definitely going to have to replace your LED strip.

The Last Word: LED Lights Wrong Color

Though LED strips are a great and relatively inexpensive way of adding an extra bit of character and charm to your living areas, they aren’t exactly immune from defects.

So, if you have made it through all of these tips with no success really, the best thing to do is to replace everything.

That being said, we are always aware that some of you out there will have found new and incredibly creative ways to fix the problem yourself. If you are one of these people, we would love to hear all about your methods in the comments section below.

That way, we can pass on the information to our readers and perhaps save some more people a headache further down the line. Thanks!