RGB, WW, CW: what the abbreviations mean

Updated 9 October 2026Lighty

On LED strips, in data sheets and on Lighty's terminals you keep coming across the same abbreviations. Here is what they mean and which widget type matches your strip.

The abbreviations

  • R, G, B: red, green and blue. The strip mixes every colour from these three primaries.
  • WW, warm white: cosy, slightly yellowish light like a classic light bulb, usually around 2700 to 3000 kelvin.
  • CW, cool white: bright, clear light similar to daylight, usually around 5500 to 6500 kelvin. Good for cooking, reading and working.
  • Kelvin (K): the unit for colour temperature. The lower the number, the warmer the light looks.

Why separate white LEDs?

Red, green and blue together do make white, but it often looks bluish and unnatural. Strips with their own white LEDs give a clean, pleasant white. That is why there are strips with additional warm and cool white.

Which strip, which widget type?

Strip Channels Widget type in Lighty
Single colour (warm white only or cool white only) 1 Light
Tunable white, also called CCT or dual white WW + CW White light
RGB R + G + B Ambient light, "RGB + 2 single"
RGBW R + G + B + W Ambient light, "RGBW + 1 single"
RGBWW, also called RGBCCT R + G + B + WW + CW Ambient light, "RGBWW strip"

How is it wired? RGBWW, RGBW plus 1 single, RGB plus 2 single

How to find out what you have

The connector or the solder pads of the strip usually show which wires there are, for example R, G, B, W or WW and CW, plus the common positive. Lighty's channels are labelled the same way: R, G, B, WW, CW. That way you match every wire to the right channel.

Good to know: addressable pixel strips such as WS2812 have a data line instead of these wires. Lighty deliberately does not support them.

Related questions

What can I control with Lighty?

Lighty controls all the lighting in your camper over 5 independent channels. Everything is possible, from a single white strip to full RGBWW lighting with colour plus warm and cool white. Or you connect up to five individual lights, such as kitchen, bathroom, bed left, bed right and outdoor light, each on its own. You set colour, colour temperature, brightness and entire light scenes just as you like.

Does Lighty work on 12V and 24V?

Yes, both without any changes. Lighty works in the range from 9 to 36V, so it is just as much at home in a 12V panel van as in a 24V motorhome.

Do I need a SmartKnob for Lighty to work?

Not necessarily. From firmware 0.4.7, a new Lighty responds to its push buttons straight away, without any setup. With Lighty Extension, each of the five push buttons switches its own channel. A short press switches, press and hold dims. With just one push button and no Lighty Extension, you switch channel 2. Even if your SmartKnob ever fails, your push buttons keep switching and dimming. The SmartKnob adds colours, white light (warm white and cool white as one light), scenes, the dashboard, automations, the wireless push buttons and the double tap for all lights.

How is Lighty connected, and what is in the box?

Connection is deliberately kept simple: power and light channels go into high-quality Phoenix lever terminals, almost tool-free, safe and reusable. You wire the push button to the supplied pluggable spring terminal connector and then simply plug it in. In the box you will find Lighty, four mounting screws and the pluggable spring terminal connector for the push button.

Which LED strips work with Lighty?

Lighty controls single-colour and multi-colour LED strips with shared colour channels, meaning normal single-colour strips as well as RGB, RGBW and RGBWW strips. Addressable pixel strips (such as WS2812), where every LED is controlled individually, are deliberately not supported. Lighty is not designed for them.

How many metres of LED strip can I connect?

What counts is not the length but the current: Lighty handles 20A in total. For example, a COB strip with 14W per metre draws about 1.2A per metre at 12V. Two strips of 3m each come to roughly 7A and fit easily. Several strips may also share one channel.

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