I have an apology to make. In a previous article, I recommended the Gledopto GL-C-008 LED strip controller and its brethren as a cheap alternative to Philips Hue Lightstrips. As it turns out, previous products from Gledopto, those that aren't Pro models, had some serious flaws of which I wasn't aware off at the time.
Fortunately, Gledopto has addressed these flaws in the recently launched Gledopto Zigbee 3.0 LED Controller Pro and other Pro models. But, should you still trust them?
The biggest flaw in previous Gledopto LED controllers was that fact that they weren't capable of acting as routers. Having mains-powered devices act as routers is what makes Zigbee such a useful protocol. Thanks to the meshing capabilities, an endpoint can be unreachable for the hub and yet, it will still be part of the same Zigbee network.
Mains-powered devices, such as those from Gledopto, should all act as routers. As energy consumption isn't an issue for them, they can help expand the coverage. Because you're likely to have more than just a single LED strip, they would make for great routers.
Many users have reported this issue, so it's safe to assume that it applies to most, if not all, previous Gledopto LED strip controller. There are examples to be found on GitHub and Reddit, both of which show a graph in which the controllers aren't routing.
While the above-mentioned issue potentially could have been fixed with an update, Gledopto doesn't and, according to their statement, can't provide any at this time. According to the official Gledopto Reddit account, this is due to them not having their own hub. That reasoning is believable, as IKEA TRÅDFRI bulbs also can't update when connected to a Philips Hue hub. But they can be updated when using IKEA's own hub.
While Gledopto products are generally cheaper when compared to their counterparts from larger companies, they aren't exactly cheap either. Gledopto should, in my opinion, start investing time into finding a solution. At the very least, they could provide firmware updates to those of us using Zigbee2MQTT, ZHA, SmartThings, and the like.
Though I haven't been able to confirm it myself, some Reddit users are claiming that firmware updates for Gledopto products do indeed exist. They claim to having received the same product as they already had, but running an updated firmware. If this firmware updates actually exist, the very least Gledopto could do is publicly publish them.
As far as I can tell, the Pro labelling basically means that this LED controller is the next-generation model. The best way of identifying the newer controller is by its colour: It is black instead of white. According to Gledopto, the Gledopto Zigbee 3.0 LED Controller Pro has the following improvements:
While I have not tested the Gledopto Zigbee 3.0 LED Controller Pro (yet), many of the upgrades are plausible due to the new chip it is using. It is overall faster, has more RAM and storage, and perhaps most importantly, it has up to over twice the amount of output power.
| Product | CC2530 | EFR32MG21 |
|---|---|---|
| Output Power | Up to 4.5 dBm | Up to 10 dBm |
| RAM | 8 kB | 64 kB |
| SoC | 8051 Microcontroller Core | ARM Cortex-M33 |
| Flash storage | Up to 256 kB | 768 kB |
While all the upgrades do sound promising, there are still good reasons to wait until the Gledopto Zigbee 3.0 LED Controller Pro has been thoroughly tested. As a reminder, my order is already placed, and I will be reporting on it as soon as I have it in my hands.
As with all other products from Gledopto, the Gledopto Zigbee 3.0 LED Controller Pro is not certified by the Zigbee Alliance. While the product, as it is, might fulfil the requirements and could in theory be certified, it would be nice to have it confirmed. The certification does confirm that the product works as you would expect it to and would give proof of interoperability.
There aren't many reviews on the latest LED strip controller from Gledopto to be found. Despite that, one review on Amazon does stick out. According to one customer, the LED strip flickers at low brightness. This wasn't something I've experienced with my non-Pro models, but as the Gledopto Zigbee 3.0 LED Controller Pro has a lower minimum brightness, it could be possible. On the other hand, it could also be down to the power supply and LED strip the customer is using.
As things stand, I do not recommend you buy this product. At the very least, wait for reviews to be published and further reports to be filed on Amazon. I do hope the Gledopto Zigbee 3.0 LED Controller Pro is everything the previous model should have been, but despite that, Gledopto does have some catching up to do, especially when it comes to OTA updates.
Mind the difference between Gledopto 1ID and 2ID RGBCCT controllers.
1ID works like the color bulbs, either you have RGB leds or CW/WW, but not both at the same time. With 2ID you can have The RGB and the CCT LEDs on at the same time, which gives way much more flexibility in terms of saturation.
As far as I recall, the Pro controllers are only available in 1ID.
I can confirm that the Pro is only available in 1ID (I have purchased one). I don’t mind as I never mixed the white and RGB LEDs in my previous setup.
Very good writting, I second every word you said.
What a pitty that GLEDOPTO is not providing firmware updates that we could apply with ZHA/Zigbee2MQTT. They could do it for free and have happier customers.
Totally agree.
Is this a bug or a feature?
When I send (through z2m on HomeAssistant) rgb_color:[0,0,0] to a GLEDOPTO (I happen to have quite a few of them, the Pro ones) the LED strip lights up in blue while I expected it to black-out. Anyone can let me know if that is an expected behavior and why – please lemme know by email.
Thank you in advance.