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Compare our favorite smart Christmas lights
honorable mention
Here are some of the other smart string lights we tested for this story that are still available this year.
Photo: Nanoleaf
Nanoleaf Essential Smart Holiday String Lights $150: These lights work with Google Assistant, Alexa, and HomeKit, and they’re similar to our top picks in looks, style, and price. The only major difference is that the cord is split into two parts – the idea is that you start in the middle of the tree, not the bottom, and wrap one cord around the top and the other around the bottom. It’s a bit confusing, and the cords can be more of an eyesore depending on your tree placement.
Olny Christmas cluster lights for $50: If you want something a little simpler, Ollny’s warm and welcoming Christmas lights are affordable. We tested this 49-foot light string, which contains 1,000 LEDs in a beautiful warm white color. They are IP44 rated and come with a handy wee remote control making them ideal for the outdoors in your home. You can choose from eight effects, four brightness levels, and set timers to automatically turn them on or off after a few hours.
How to use a smart plug with regular lighting
If you don’t want a whole new set of Christmas lights but still want to add something smart to your holiday decor, one Smart plug Could be the perfect solution. These plug into your outlet and make the outlet smart, giving you Wi-Fi based control over it.
With smart plugs, you get a simple level of control: on or off This is especially great for lighting, as you can technically leave the light on and the smart plug will remember when you want to turn it on or off. You can also sync it with a smart speaker to control voice commands. You won’t get custom colors like the truly smart Christmas lights we recommend above, but if you mainly want a remote control to turn your lights on and off, these smart plugs will do the trick.
FAQs
What makes Christmas lights “smart”?
Smart devices, be they smart Christmas lights or Smart bulb or Smart speakerAll have the ability to connect to Wi-Fi and can be controlled with an app For smart Christmas lights, this means you can use the app to create light designs, set timers for when the lights should turn on and off, and take advantage of other features such as scenes or presets depending on the app’s features. This opens up many more lighting options, from a “dumb” string of lights to your string of single lights that can only be set to color and offer no custom controls.
Are smart Christmas lights worth it?
It’s worth it for anyone with time to take advantage of the features, or anyone who gets frustrated trying to remember to turn their holiday lights on and off every morning and night. It will take a bit more time to setup than a regular set of string lights, but smart Christmas lights are a great device to make your holiday decor exactly what you want it to be. Also, you can easily control the light while lying on your sofa.
Are permanent outdoor lights too smart?
So far, all of the permanent outdoor lights we’ve tested have smart capabilities Features may vary based on which brand you choose, but the idea is that you can install them once and from there customize your colors to use year-round. Due to their permanent nature they are much more complex to install, and are not suitable for every type of home. You can have them professionally installed for you.
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