RGBW Lighting is Great, But RGBWW Lighting is Better

At Gemstone Lights, we firmly believe that RGBW lighting is excellent but that RGBWW lighting is the absolute best. Here are four reasons why we love our RGBWW lighting so much, as well as some details about the technical differences so you can make the best choice for your home (or business if you’re looking at commercial track lights, for example).

RGB vs. RGBW Lighting vs. RGBWW Lighting: The Technical Difference

We’ll get a little bit technical here so we can compare the differences between them. It mostly comes down to the colors these lights emit, but here are the basics you need to know:

How do LED Lights Work?

LED stands for light emitting diode. A diode is a semiconductor that emits light when an electrical current passes through it. Some LEDs, like RGB and RGBW LEDs, are made up of multiple diodes that emit different colors when lit.

In these types of LED lighting, The red, green, blue, and white diodes are ‘mixed’ in the same way that you would mix paints. For example, if you wanted purple, you’d light up the red and blue diodes, but you wouldn’t need green so that diode would remain off. Which means you can enjoy millions of different shades, not just straight red, green, and blue.

Our lights each have three LED bulbs, which each house four diodes—red, green, blue, and warm white. That makes 12 diodes altogether. Using the app, you can mix these colors to create the shade and intensity you require. This essentially gives you more control than RGB LEDs with only three diodes per bulb because you have the extra warm white diode to mix with as well.

The warm white is the key difference here, and we’ll go through that in more detail in the next section.

What is RGB Lighting?

The acronym RGB stands for the color of the LED diodes contained within the light (red, green, and blue, respectively). This means you can achieve a wide range of colors and shades by color mixing, but the shades are limited compared to the other options below.

What is RGBW Lighting?

RGBW stands for red, green, blue, and white. This means you get a wider range of colors and shades to choose from because that white diode enables for greater color mixing and more variation in hue.

What is RGBWW Lighting?

Meanwhile, RGBWW stands for red, green, blue, and warm white. This small difference alters the color temperature of the white color, allowing for that cozy, warm white color that is harder to come across in many LED lights. We use RGBWW lighting in all Gemstone Lights, and we feel very passionately that they are the best option.

Why Our RGBWW Lights Stand Out

The main reason why we love our RGBWW lights is down to that different white diode, but there are a few reasons why we love our lights:

Warm White vs. Cool White

Many brands of LEDs don’t actually offer a true warm white. If you’ve ever bought outdoor lights (say, outdoor Christmas lights) and been disappointed in the lack of warmth, that’s how we felt, too.

Part of the reason why we love our lights is because we do offer a true warm white. Our LED lights contain warm white diodes, offering a softer, gentler ambience than you’d get with a cooler white. We love warm white because of the subtle glow it gives. And you just can’t find it as often with outdoor lights—we’ve often found lights that are either too cool, or more like yellow than true warm white.

While there’s certainly a place for colder white lighting (we love it as part of outdoor Christmas decorations on a snowy day!), in certain situations, it can come across as harsh or clinical, depending on the room/building and the brightness of the light. For homes and businesses, warm white is a really nice, relaxing alternative to that. It creates a happy and safe vibe that many people feel comfortable in.

Customization and Range of Shades

That extra white diode allows for greater customization. There are actually a huge range of color and pattern options available with our Gemstone Lights—over 16 million possible colors and countless combinations—so many that it would be almost impossible for one person to experience them all!

When it comes to our homes and businesses, many of us care very much about those little details—whether we’re thinking about the exact shade of paint we choose for our front doors, the right thickness of carpet for our bedrooms, or the exact shade of lighting we want. Those small, creative touches make a world of difference to how you feel in your space, which is why we love being able to offer our customers more choices and customization options.

And that doesn’t just come down to different shades of white, either. The extra warmth in the white has an impact on different colors, so you can find the perfect shade no matter what the occasion calls for.

Energy Efficiency

LED lighting can use up to 85% less energy than other types of lighting. This means not only do you get a ton of control, but you’ll also potentially be able to reduce your monthly bills. So if your current lighting is costing you a bomb in electric bills, switching to LED could see a real difference every month, which is a huge benefit.

You’ll still be able to enjoy the warmth and vibrancy of the warm white diode, but you’ll still be saving money, which makes the initial outlay worth it for long-term savings. LEDs are very low-maintenance, too, which saves you time and effort.

App Control for Maximum Control

Available on iOS and Android, our Gemstone Lights app is the conduit to your lighting system.

If you have both flood lights and track lights, you can access them via the same app. You can even separate specific bulbs, for example, to light up an entryway.

We’ve created a whole bunch of animations you can use. Animations are movements of lights – you can go for anything from a classic slow fade or twinkle to something more exciting like Gradient, which enables you to show off different colors in a fun way.

The color picker tool is great because it allows you to make full use of our RGBWW lights. If you’re looking for a specific shade of purple, for example, you can go wild customizing shades until you find the exact one that you like. You can save your favorites, too, so you won’t lose them once you’ve discovered them.

Plus, a note about smart home integration: You can use Gemstone Lights with your smart home system (like Amazon Alexa or Google Home). This means, once installed, you can use voice control to switch your lights on and off if you prefer to do that.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: Is RGBW Better than RGB?

Answer: We think so, yes. RGB lights may offer vibrant basic colors, but the missing white diode means you’ll have fewer color and hue options than you might like.

Question: What Can RGBWs Achieve that RGBs Cannot?

Answer: With RGB lighting, you can’t achieve pure white in the same way you can with RGBW lighting. And with RGBWW lighting, you can get even more access to more shades, including warm white, so you can find the exact right shade you’re looking for.

Question: How Much do Gemstone Lights Cost to Run?

Answer: There is an initial installation cost, which varies depending on your particular needs. Once they’re up and running, our lights cost roughly $4.24 per month in energy costs (this is based on an average-sized home using them for 6 hours a day. Of course, it varies depending on the size of your home/business and how long you’ll be using them).

Question: Where can I get Some Inspiration for my Own Outdoor Lighting?

Answer: That’s a great question! We have a ton of inspiration pics on our gallery, as well as our Instagram page: you can see real customers and how Gemstone lights work for their homes/businesses.

You can also browse through our blog, which includes posts like Permanent Holiday Lighting Ideas, Wedding and Party Decor Ideas, and the Best Outdoor Halloween Lights.

The best thing about our lights is their versatility: at Summer, Halloween, and Christmas, you can go for something fun and a little more wacky, and you can keep that nice, soft, warm white for the rest of the year.

To Sum Up …

If you want to know more about our RGBWW smart home lighting, get in touch with one of our Authorized Dealers; they can give you a quote for your home or business and get the ball rolling.