# A little help needed on connecting ws2811 5050 12v strips

**URL:** <https://wled.discourse.group/t/a-little-help-needed-on-connecting-ws2811-5050-12v-strips/2528>\
**Category:** Questions\
**Created:** [March 19, 2021, 8:29pm UTC](https://wled.discourse.group/t/a-little-help-needed-on-connecting-ws2811-5050-12v-strips/2528 "2021-03-19T20:29:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![emzperx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@emzperx](https://wled.discourse.group/u/emzperx)\
**Post date:** [March 19, 2021, 8:29pm UTC](https://wled.discourse.group/t/a-little-help-needed-on-connecting-ws2811-5050-12v-strips/2528/1 "2021-03-19T20:29:57Z")

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Hello,

I have recently bought and installed 4x5m strips of w2811, 5050, 12 volt leds which have 60 leds per meter and are adressable every 3 leds. So there are 20 adressable units or “pixels” per meter. These strips have 3 pins 12v+ GND and DATA.

Right now I have each 5m strip of led completely separately connected to the PSU and several cheap DMX controllers so they don’t even share DATA signals or anything and I think I couldn’t even address 2 strips with a single DMX universe anyway.

If I’m going to use WLED can or should I solder together the DATA pins of each strip? I will still power them separately.

If I do so, will I be able to use it as a long continous strip and address it as such? It’d be easier to program for light shows I think and look better because with the cheap controllers I think there’s some latency and most (pre programmed) light shows don’t cross over strips.

Do I have to worry about latency at this length?(20m)

Do I have to worry about the strip being too long to be adressable? At 20meters it’d have 400 “pixels” or adressable units. I’d like to use the DMX/ArtNet feature of WLED later if possible.

This is my first home project and I couldn’t find a clear answer after reading the wiki because it is more hardware oriented. Thanks in advance for any help!

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**Author:** ![srg74](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/wled.discourse.group/srg74/32/3018_2.png) [@srg74](https://wled.discourse.group/u/srg74)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2021, 2:22am UTC](https://wled.discourse.group/t/a-little-help-needed-on-connecting-ws2811-5050-12v-strips/2528/2 "2021-03-20T02:22:05Z")

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Better if you come over to WLED discord. You will talk to live people 🙂
