Explained: How To Connect LED Lights Together In Minutes

Guess what? My best friend Alex’s boyfriend Chris has planned a proposal for her, and I am the in-charge of the decoration part. Harrowing, isn’t it? While I am head over heels excited for the big day for my friend, I am super worried that nothing should go wrong because of me. The plan is that Chris will take Alex out for dinner, and when they return home, he will propose to her in the backyard in a fairy-tale ambiance set up by yours truly. 

Knowing my love for LED strip lights, you all must have an idea of how I am planning to create this larger-than-life setup. I have decided to make a background full of flowers and many LED strip lights all over the place to create a mystic-forest look. To bring life to my idea, I needed a lot of flowers, a lot of LED strip lights, and a means to connect the lights together. And definitely, an insect repellent as LED lights attract spiders and other insects.

Well, if you are wondering, ‘can you connect LED lights together?’, the answer is YES! There are several ways you can connect LED lights hassle-free to realize your creative lighting dreams.

You can connect several LED strip lights together depending on your light’s power output and source. To connect your LED strip lights together using a connector, you will have to purchase a 2 or 4-pin connector. Alternatively, you can connect your lights by cutting and soldering the strip.

This article will discuss the steps to connect the LED lights with and without a connector. We will also learn whether you can connect multiple LED lights or not.

Can You Connect LED Light Strips Together?

LED lights can accentuate the mood of the place within seconds. A dull and somber place can turn vibrant and romantic only if you light it up using LED strip lights. LED lights are flexible and hence, can accommodate well in any setting. 

Another significant part about using LED strip lights is that you can connect LED strip lights together if you need an extended length. There are two ways you can connect your LED lights, i.e., using a connector or without a connector. All you need is strip connectors or soldering tools, and you’ll have your LED lights connected in no time! In this article, I will discuss both methods. 

How To Cut LED Strip Lights To Connect Them?

As mentioned in the above section, you can use a connector for easy attachment or a soldering tool for a more stable connection to connect your LED strip lights. However, to do so, you will have to cut the LED strip light at the designated cut point so you can make the connection.

Here are the steps to do so.

Step 1: Measure Your Space To Know The Length Of LED Strip Light Needed. 

As they say, measure twice and cut once. First, measure the dimensions of the light needed to cover your space to cut your LED strip light.  No matter if you are using the LED lights to light up your room, border the window, or decorate an outdoor area, like me, you’ll need to measure the length of the LED strip light required. 

Step 2: Mark Where You Would Be Cutting The LED Light

Once you have measured the length of the LED strip required, mark where you need to cut the strip to avoid any mistakes while cutting. If you need to extend the LED lights and do not require measuring them, cut your light from the end so you can make a connection.

Step 3: Cut Your LED Strip Light At The Designated Cut Points

Your LED strip light will have markings or cut points along the strip telling you where you’re allowed to cut. Locate the closest cut point to your measurement and cut your LED strip light at the mark. Cutting your LED light from somewhere else than the designated marking can lead to your LED lights not working.

How To Connect LED Lights Together With Connector?

The easiest way to connect LED strips together is using an LED light strip connecting clip. There are a few kinds of connectors available on Amazon, and you can choose the one that suits your needs. 

First, LED strip light connectors can be classified based on the number of pins it has. There are 2 pin LED strip connectors, and 4 pin LED strip connectors used to connect the LED strip light.

The 2 pin LED strip connectors are used for white LED strip lights. They only require a two-port connection, i.e., one positive and one negative connection.

The 4 pin LED connectors look the same as 2-pin but include 4 pins that match the connection points on RGB strip lights. These connectors have one common positive line and a connection for each of the Red, Green, and Blue colored LEDs so that they can all be controlled separately.

Both 2 and 4 pin LED strip connectors can be of two variants- strip-to-strip type LED connectors and strip-to-wire type LED connectors. As the name suggests, the strip-to-strip connectors connect strips from end to end to form an extended LED strip light. Whereas the strip-to-wire connectors connect to your strip and run wires to the other end to connect to your power source or another strip light 

Connecting LED Strip Lights Using Connectors

Once your LED lights are cut along the ends and are ready to be connected, you can connect them within a few minutes using the connectors.

Here’s how

• Step 1: Choose the LED strip connector that suits your LED strip lights and needs.
• Step 2: Lift the clear plastic cover and slide the LED strip light into the connector. Slide the strip carefully to avoid any damage.
• Step 3: Align the wires of both the strips with the correct color. For example, if you are connecting RGB lights and the connector has 4 pins, align them with the B, R, G, and 12V connection dots and if you are connecting white strip light and using a 2 pin connector, align the + and – signs.
• Step 4: Once aligned, push the tab down, ensuring both the strip lights are in place. 

Following the above process correctly, you should have been able to connect your LED lights together. Your lights are now ready to be used and powered in.

How To Connect LED Lights Together Without Connector?

Alternatively, you can connect your LED strip lights by soldering the wires directly to the strip. Though using connectors is a great and easy way to connect your LED lights together. However, the perfectionist me did not want to leave even a slight possibility of a mess up on my best friend’s proposal. Since the connectors can accidentally open, leading to your LED lights disconnecting, when I was looking for how to connect my Govee lights together I chose to solder my strips instead. 

If you are also looking for how to connect two LED strips using a soldering tool, follow the given steps after cutting your lights correctly.

• Step 1: Plug in your soldering iron to the power supply and let it heat up. Keep the soldering powder ready for soldering.
• Step 2: Take the end of one of your LED strips and pre-tin the wires using the soldering iron. Pre-tinning the wires means adding a little solder to the ned of the wires. This step prepares the wires for final soldering.
• Step 3: Use the soldering iron to attach each wire to the corresponding contact points on the other LED strip. If you are connecting RGB lights, align the wires with the B, R, G, and 12V contact points and if you are connecting white strip lights, align the + and – signs.
• Step 4: Allow the solder to cool down for around 5 minutes before moving your LED lights.

While carrying out the soldering process, ensure that you are in a well-ventilated room and have taken all the necessary precautions to avoid any accidents. Keep the solder strictly away from the reach of children and pets. Once the solder is solid, your LED strip lights are ready to be used.

Point To Keep In Mind While Connecting LED Strip Light

While connecting your LED strip lights is not a difficult task, if you make any error while making the connection, there is a possibility that your LED lights may burn out. To avoid your LED lights from any damage, keep the following points in mind.

• Align The Wires Correctly While Connecting The LED Strip Light
  
  While connecting your LED strip lights, ensure aligning the wires of all the strips correctly. For example, if you are connecting RGB lights, align them with the B, R, G, and 12V connection dots and if you are connecting white strip lights, align the + and – signs.

• Calculate The Wattage Of Your Connected LED Strip Light
  
  To ensure that your LED light does not burn out upon connecting to the power supply. You can do so by multiplying the LED strip light’s length by the strip’s wattage per meter. For example, if you use a total 4 m strip light and the wattage per meter is 5W/m, you need a more than 20W power supply to illuminate your LED light.

• Plug-In Your LED Strip Light Into A Compatible Power Outlet
  
  Once you have calculated the power required by your LED strip light to function normally, you need to plug in light into a compatible power outlet. If your LED light wattage requirement is 20W, you need a power outlet of around 25W to avoid overheating and damaging your LED light and the power outlet.

• Choose The Connection Of Your LED Strip: Series Or Parallel
  
  
  
  While connecting the LED strip lights, it is crucial to choose whether you want to connect your LED lights in a series connection or in a parallel connection. In a parallel connection, the current across all the light strips remains the same, but the voltage gets distributed. However, in a series connection, the current distributes amongst the light strips, but the voltage distributes. If the power required to run your lights is not too high, you can choose either connection. However, in the case of high power, a parallel connection reduces the risk of voltage drop. Also, parallelly connected LED strip lights can be controlled independently, but the case is not the same with the lights connected in series.

How To Connect Multiple LED Strip Lights?

You can connect multiple LED strip lights similarly to two LED strip lights. However, if you are connecting three or more LED strip lights together, I recommend calculating the wattage of the connected lights before plugging them into a power source. You can do so by multiplying the LED strip light’s length by the strip’s wattage per meter.

In the US, generally, houses have a 15-20 amp circuit, which can handle 1800-2400W of power. Since electricians recommend keeping the power usage at 80%, ensure that the multiple LED light strips connected do not exceed the wattage from 1400-1900 W. 

Also, if you are looking for how to connect multiple LED strip lights, I advise a parallel connection than the series one.

FAQs

Q1. Can I connect LED strip lights from different brands together?

Answer – You can connect LED strip lights from different brands together if they have the same voltage. If you try to connect two LED strips with different voltages, they won’t work.

Q2. How many LED strip lights can I connect together? How to connect multiple LED strips to one power source?

Answer – You can connect any number of LED lights together until they do not exceed the wattage capacity of your power outlet. You may calculate the same by multiplying the LED strip light’s length by the strip’s wattage per meter. Usually, the power outlets in the US can handle the wattage of 1400-1900 W depending upon the circuit. Read the steps given in the article to connect multiple LED strips to one power source.

Q3. Can we cut LED strip lights from any point?

Answer – LED strip lights have designated marking from where they can be cut. Cutting your strip lights from anywhere else may result in damage to lights.

Conclusion

LED strip lights can make any setting look like a dream. Not only are they great accent lights, but also excellent lights for decoration purposes. For either purpose, needing to extend your LED light is obvious and common. Connecting two or more LED lights together is a straightforward process that can be done easily with the help of connectors or a soldering iron. If you are somebody who is looking for how to connect led lights together with a connector or soldering iron, this article must have helped you.

If you have more queries about connecting LED light strips, write to me in the comment section.