Subtle lighting or specifically placed light points in showcases and shelves put exhibits in the right light and provide chic lighting accents. Wardrobes equipped with smart LEDs or motion detectors also offer more overview.
Unfortunately, new furniture is not cheap and integrated lighting drives the price even higher. In addition, you often don't want to buy new furniture, but rather retrofit existing cupboards, shelves and showcases. We show how this works simply, cheaply and quickly.
Light bulbs
LEDs are used in various forms to illuminate shelves, cupboards and showcases. On Amazon there are more than 10,000 product suggestions under the search terms lighting & cabinet alone. While LED strips with and without housing are suitable for illuminating larger areas, spotlights specifically illuminate individual points. Such lighting is useful in a showcase or shelf, for example, to particularly highlight individual objects. The large lights provide a better overview.
When buying, you should also pay attention to the light color. In addition to colorful RGB lights and LEDs with different shades of white, many lights are only equipped with a fixed light color – ideally this should match the existing lighting. Experience has shown that you should only use RGBs to create colorful lighting accents, because the simulated white tones are not comparable to classic LEDs.
Power supply
There are three different options for powering the lamps. Let's start with the easier-to-install wireless closet lights. The cheapest models, such as our six lamps including two remote controls for 18 euros, rely on conventional AA or AAA batteries. Although both the lamps and the batteries are not expensive to purchase, in the medium term they are the most expensive and least sensible method of power supply.
Lamps with integrated batteries that are charged via USB are hardly more expensive, but significantly better. Although such lights have to be plugged into the charger after a few hours of lighting, if they are only used for short periods of time, for example in the pantry or wardrobe, the batteries will last for weeks. If you don't want to constantly change charging cables, you should pay attention to the plug connection of the charging socket. Many battery-powered lights, such as the tilting light from Forepin for 22 euros, use the old micro-USB plug. The three magnetic light strips with motion sensors from Mexllex for 18 euros, however, are charged with a USB-C port. You have to look closely here, as a higher price is no guarantee of up-to-date hardware.
If you want to illuminate a shelf or showcase for several hours a day, it is better to use a wired version. Although these require a little more work during installation, you don't have to worry about them afterwards. Another advantage – if you don't use a smart lamp, you can easily control the lamps via a WiFi socket and set a timer or couple the lighting with other smart home components. Our article about WLAN sockets in practice shows suitable sockets: models, intended use, prices. We show the best adapter plugs in the Top 10: Smart sockets.
Effort when retrofitting
The assembly and fastening of wired lamps is the most complex. Although you get particularly bright, flat and pretty lights here, the cabling and hiding the power supply and supply cables are not that easy and are usually associated with damage to the piece of furniture. If there is no free socket near the cupboard, lights powered by USB are an alternative option, as you can also use a classic, inexpensive power bank for power supply. We show suitable models in the top 10: The best power bank from 65 watts and 20,000 mAh from Anker & Co. from 38 euros.
However, with old and rented furniture, conversion work with a drill and saw is out of the question, which is why the only option is to use wireless lamps. These are attached to a shelf or cupboard using a magnetic holder for easy battery changing or recharging. The holder, often just a metal plate, is often just glued, but you have to work carefully and clean and degrease the contact surfaces. Screwing the brackets together is more reliable in the long term, especially when there are temperature fluctuations.
Special functions
Ultimately, any lamp will work for illuminating cabinets and showcases – but you should always ask yourself whether you actually want to switch the lights on and off by hand. Although there are remote-controlled lights with a timer function, you still have to be active every day.
In our opinion, smart solutions are more suitable for illuminating showcases. Simple wired spots and lamps can be switched on and off cheaply using a WiFi socket or timer socket. In addition to remote control and timer functions, smart lamps with WLAN also offer the option of using scenes or sensors for activation.
However, lamps in pantry shelves, wardrobes and tool cabinets do not have to light up permanently or at specific times. Lamps with a simple motion sensor are required here. These only switch on for a limited period of time when it is dark or there is movement, thus helping to save electricity.
Lamps that can be swiveled and tilted are also exciting, but there are big differences in quality. In addition to the tilting lamp from Forepin, we also bought a cheap model on Ebay for 22 euros. While the first light does a good job thanks to two strong magnets, the cheap no-name version fails. The round lamp can be swiveled in all directions thanks to the magnetic holder – but only theoretically. In practice, the magnet of the cheap lamp is hardly able to hold it. After pivoting, it either slides into a different position or falls directly towards you.
Prices
There are particularly cheap lamps on Amazon, Ebay & Co. starting at less than 5 euros. However, we can only advise against this, as batteries are used here and the quality of the workmanship leaves something to be desired. Cheap models with batteries are available from around 15 euros. Sets for permanent installation (price comparison) and with power supply via a 230-volt network are available from 20 to 25 euros.
Conclusion
Installing wired cabinet lights is significantly more complicated than using wireless lamps, but the effort is the least in the long run. If you want to illuminate a display case or shelf for several hours a day, you should use lights that are connected to the mains. Thanks to smart adapter plugs, the lights themselves don't have to be smart to be controlled by a timer or motion sensor.
For temporary lighting if necessary, wireless lights or those with USB power supply via power bank are just as suitable. Although there are numerous cabinet lights that are switched on by remote control or at the push of a button, models with a motion sensor are more convenient.
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