How to Control and Customize LED Lights UGREEN NAS 2025

The UGREEN DXP2800 NAS is one of the most stylish and well-built two-bay NAS units in its class. Sleek, quiet, and compact, it’s designed for home users, hobbyists, and even prosumers. But one question that pops up frequently in enthusiast communities is: “Can I control or customize the LED lights on my UGREEN NAS?”

The answer is yes! While UGREEN doesn’t officially offer deep LED customization in their stock UGOS operating system, if you’re running a Linux-based OS like Proxmox VE, Debian, or Ubuntu, you can take full control of the front panel LEDs using an open-source utility called ugreen_leds_controller.

This guide will walk you through how to install, configure, and customize the LEDs on your UGREEN DXP to display meaningful colors and statuses.

Table of Contents

1. Why Customize UGREEN NAS LEDs?

UGREEN NAS units ship with default cycling or breathing LED behaviors, which may look cool but don’t tell you much about the system status or drive activity. Customizing your LEDs allows you to:

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Display drive activity visually
Signal system readiness or health
Show different colors for different drives
Turn off distracting lights during the night
Add a personal touch to your NAS setup

2. Prerequisites

You will need:

A UGREEN DXP running Linux (Proxmox VE, Debian, or Ubuntu recommended)
Root or sudo access to your NAS
Internet connection
Basic familiarity with Linux shell commands

Make sure the kernel you’re using supports modules like veth, tun, and other virtualization tools, especially if you’re using containers or VMs in Proxmox.

3. Installing the `ugreen_leds_controller`

First, install Git and build tools:

apt update
apt install git build-essential -y

Then clone the GitHub repository:

git clone https://github.com/miskcoo/ugreen_leds_controller.git
cd ugreen_leds_controller

4. Building the Kernel Module and CLI Tool

Navigate to the kmod directory and compile the module:

cd kmod
make
make install
modprobe ugreen_leds

Then build the CLI utility:

cd ../cli
make

You now have an executable named ugreen_leds_cli that lets you control the front panel LEDs.

5. Controlling LED States

You can manually turn LEDs on or off:

./ugreen_leds_cli disk1 -on
./ugreen_leds_cli disk2 -off
./ugreen_leds_cli power -on
./ugreen_leds_cli netdev -off

LED names include:

disk1 and disk2
power
netdev
all

6. Setting Custom Colors

The tool supports RGB values from 0 to 255.

Example: Green Power LED

./ugreen_leds_cli power -color 0 255 0

Example: Dark Purple for Disk LEDs

./ugreen_leds_cli disk1 -color 75 0 130
./ugreen_leds_cli disk2 -color 75 0 130

7. Creating a Startup Script

To preserve your LED settings across reboots, create a script:

nano /usr/local/bin/ugreen-leds-init.sh

Paste this:

#!/bin/bash
/root/ugreen_leds_controller/cli/ugreen_leds_cli power -on
/root/ugreen_leds_controller/cli/ugreen_leds_cli power -color 0 255 0
/root/ugreen_leds_controller/cli/ugreen_leds_cli disk1 -on
/root/ugreen_leds_controller/cli/ugreen_leds_cli disk1 -color 75 0 130
/root/ugreen_leds_controller/cli/ugreen_leds_cli disk2 -on
/root/ugreen_leds_controller/cli/ugreen_leds_cli disk2 -color 75 0 130

Then make it executable:

chmod +x /usr/local/bin/ugreen-leds-init.sh

8. Automating LED Colors at Boot

To run your script automatically when the NAS boots:

crontab -e

Add the following line:

@reboot /usr/local/bin/ugreen-leds-init.sh

9. Advanced Effects: Blinking and Breathing

You can add breathing or blinking effects:

Blink Every 0.5 Seconds

./ugreen_leds_cli disk1 -blink 500 500

Breathing Effect

./ugreen_leds_cli disk2 -breath 1000 1000

10. Troubleshooting

LED Not Changing?

Try turning the LED on first using -on
Make sure no other system service is overriding it (like UGOS or firmware-level daemon)

`modprobe` Fails?

Make sure you’re running a supported kernel (e.g., 6.2.x-pve for Proxmox)
Avoid using stripped-down or bleeding-edge kernels that lack necessary modules

LEDs Revert After Reboot?

Confirm your startup script is in crontab and marked executable

11. Final Thoughts

Customizing your UGREEN NAS LEDs may seem like a small tweak, but it adds both form and function to your home server. Whether you want to set the tone of your workspace or quickly glance at system status, custom LED control gives you new ways to interact with your hardware.

With the help of the ugreen_leds_controller and a few simple scripts, you’re no longer stuck with default behaviors. You’re now in control.

If you enjoyed this guide, share it with other NAS enthusiasts and drop a comment if you’d like help building dynamic LED behaviors based on system stats, drive activity, or alerts.

Happy modding!