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How to add lights to bookshelves?

Hi!

I've recently purchased a couple of bookshelves and I'd like to add some kind of lighting to each shelf hopefully without needing to drill holes through the back.

Ideally i'd like to be able to turn them all on and off with an app, remote or a single button. I was thinking of a strip/bar attached to each shelf.

I'm not really sure of the best option for this - there are kits with 2-4 lights and a remote but I have a large number of shelves and would like to avoid having multiple remotes. I'm also unsure about diffusers/trim to hide the lights.

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Dave-1

Good Afternoon @ShannyH96

I have done a fewbookcase lights over the years, admittidly its only form top down but the lights do seem to work :) I use IKEA bookcase lights and you can also get a hub that an app can control from your phone. Its one of the most stable apps I know of. I originally bought the hub as I was too lazy to walk downstairs and turn the bookcase lights off after a blackout (They default to on for safety after an outage) so I got the hub. :) Works a dream even with long peiods (months) of non use it keeps on connecting everytime.

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/291774/bookcase-retrofit

Here is the downstairs bookcase lights.

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/148361/bookcase-retrofit-to-create-a-garage-library

The lights give out a resonable amount of light but on the down side if the books are too far in towards the bottom of the shelves it does create a bit of a shadow.

Dave

EricL

Hello @ShannyH96

It's great that you have received excellent advice from @Dave-1. I have had an extensive look and the only LED lighting strip that would satisfy your requests is the Arlec
White 10m 2000lm Grid Connect Smart LED Strip Light (special order). I understand that you are not keen to drill into the cabinetry, but this is the only way for the strip to connect to one another through the different levels. It is a smart light so it can be turned on and off using the Grid App. Plus, the brightness can be adjusted to your needs.

There is also the option of using Click 30cm Square Diffuser Opa Vanity / Cabinet Light which is similar in function to what Dave suggested. The light can be linked to a smart switch such as the TP-Link Tapo P110M Energy Monitoring Smart Plug as an example. It can be turned on and off using the app.

For larger more complex systems, I suggest engaging the services of a licensed electrician.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

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