WLED its built to work with ESP8266 / ESP32 So I recommend just getting an ESP8266; its the older and cheaper of the two at $15 for 5 (clone)
I was asking about RGB strip because using WLED effectively means you will be using one of some sort. I don’t think I would build it the same way but if I wanted to solve the problem with LED Strips I would get this
This strip is nice because it has cutlines after every LED (some strips have the cut lines at every 3) If you are comfortable soldering you can cut the LEDs apart and use wire to connect them together to get things from house to house
Nah, the investors don’t see it as a benefit to your growth to pay people you don’t have to