Shelly LED Control Comparison

Smart Brilliance.

Shelly RGBW Controllers Compared. Find the Perfect Solution for Your Lighting Setup.

Two form factors. No compromises.

Whether you want to elegantly hide your lighting in the ceiling or build professional wiring in the fuse box – Shelly offers the right hardware for 12V and 24V DC LED strips. Both devices operate entirely locally if desired, do not require a cloud connection, and reliably measure power consumption.

Shelly Plus RGBW PM

Shelly Plus RGBW PM

The invisible helper. It's so compact that it fits directly into deep flush-mounted boxes, behind switches or into suspended ceilings.

  • 4 channels for RGBW strips or 4 individual LEDs.
  • Extremely small form factor for concealed mounting.
  • Up to 10A total power (approx. 240W at 24V).
  • Ideal for quick retrofitting in existing rooms.
Shelly Pro RGBWW PM

Shelly Pro RGBWW PM

The profile solution for the distribution box. Developed for clean mounting on the DIN rail in new builds or during full renovations.

  • 5 Channels (also supports CCT for variable warm/cold white).
  • Industrial standard DIN rail mounting.
  • Up to 16A total output (approx. 384W at 24V).
  • LAN connection (Ethernet) for maximum stability.

The specifications in detail

A direct look at the technical specifications shows that the Pro version particularly scores points in performance, connectivity, and security for large installations.

Function Plus RGBW PM Pro RGBWW PM
Assembly method Concealed / Ceiling Consumer unit (top hat rail)
Operating voltage (DC) 12V or 24V 12V, 24V (up to 48V depending on model)
Output channels 4 (RGBW) 5 (RGBWW / CCT / 5x White)
Max. Output (Total) 10 A 16 A
Network Wi-Fi & Bluetooth LAN (Ethernet), WLAN & Bluetooth
Current Measurement (PM) Yes Yes
Scripting (mJS) Yes Yes

Installation und Verdrahtung

The concept of Shelly LED controllers relies on switching the ground (GND). This means that the LEDs are permanently connected to the positive pole of the power supply, and the Shelly regulates the negative pole to mix brightness and colours via PWM (Pulse Width Modulation).

Important information regarding PWM frequency: Both Shelly devices work with a high PWM frequency. This ensures that the light remains flicker-free when dimming – a huge advantage if you often film or photograph in the room.

Step-by-step installation guides

Take a look at how the connection looks in practice and what you need to pay particular attention to when wiring the two models:

Installation: Plus RGBW PM

Installation: Pro RGBWW PM

Official connection plans

Here you can see the exact wiring of the two models according to the specifications from the official Shelly forum. Attention: Only work on electrical installations if you have the relevant expertise!

Connection Plan: Plus RGBW PM

Schematic Shelly Plus RGBW PM

Connection Plan: Pro RGBWW PM

Shelly Pro RGBWW PM wiring diagram

Limitless Smart Home Integration

Shelly is known for its open architecture. You are not tied to a single manufacturer's app. The devices can be integrated seamlessly into professional and open-source systems.

Home Assistant ioBroker openHAB MQTT REST API Webhooks

Local control via MQTT

Both the Plus and Pro controllers support the MQTT protocol out of the box. Once activated, the Shelly communicates in real time with your local server (e.g. Home Assistant), completely bypassing the internet. This guarantees response times in the millisecond range.

On-Device Scripting

Thanks to the integrated ESP32 chips, you can run small programmes (mJS scripts) directly on the Shelly. Make the LED strip flash red when your alarm system is armed, or simulate a dynamic sunrise in the morning – all autonomously on the device.

Typical use cases

Which Shelly is the right one for your project? Here are three typical scenarios:

The TV backlight

Selection: Plus RGBW PM

You want to retrofit a 3-metre LED strip behind the television or sofa. The compact Plus Shelly simply disappears behind the sideboard or in the wall socket. The 10A power is perfectly sufficient for this.

The kitchen worktop

Selection: Pro RGBWW PM

For bright work lighting, you use CCT LEDs (cool white for working, warm white for eating). The Shelly Pro sits securely in the distribution box, and you have perfect control over the colour temperature via the 5 channels.

Architectural lighting

Selection: Pro RGBWW PM

A 15-metre long indirect ceiling light in a new build. Higher currents flow here. The Pro-Shelly offers 16A, a LAN connection for 100% redundancy and is professionally mounted on the DIN rail.