Compare our lovely Christmas lights
Honorable Kubuka
Here are some of the other smart string lights we reviewed in this story that were available this year.
Photo: Nanoleaf
Nanoleaf essentials smart holiday lights for $150: These lights work with Google Assistant, Alexa and Domekit, and match our look, style, and premium price. The only big difference is that the rope is split in two directions – you start from the middle of the tree, not the bottom, and then wrap one rope at the top and the other at the bottom. A little confusion, and the wires may be more than the eyed akes depending on your tree placement.
Olny Christmas Cluster Lights for $50: If you’re looking for something simple, warm Christmas lights and a cheap Christmas welcome. We tested this 49 light string, with thousands of others in warm white color. They are IP44 rated and come with a wee remote control that makes them manageable outside of your home. You can choose from eight effects, four brightness levels, and set timers to turn them on or off automatically after a few hours.
How to use a smart plug with regular lights
If you don’t want a whole new set of Christmas lights but still want to add some smarts to your holiday decor, a smart plug could be the perfect solution. These plugs into your receiver and convert the SMART output, giving you Wi-Fi based control over it.
With Smart plugs, you will get a simple level of control: On or off. It’s great with lights especially, because you can leave the light on with the technology on the smart plug and it will remember when you want it on or off. You can sync with a smart speaker and, voice control the controls. You won’t get custom colors like you can with the real Christmas lights we recommended above, but if you especially want a remote control to turn your lights on and off, these smart plugs will do the trick.
Azolumbo
What makes Christmas lights “smart”?
Smart devices, whether it’s smart Christmas lights or smart ladders or smart speakers, all have the ability to connect to Wi-Fi and can be controlled through an app. For Smart Christmas lights, that means you can use the app to create lighting designs, set timers when the lights turn on and dim other features like App features, depending on the features of the app. This opens up more lighting options with your single string of lights than a simple “Dumb” string that can only be set to colors and doesn’t offer custom controls.
Aren’t smart Christmas lights worth it?
They are perfect for anyone with time to use the features, anyone who is frustrated trying to remember to turn on their holiday lights and turn them off every morning and night. It will take less time to set up than a standard set of string lights, but smart Christmas lights are a great device to make your holiday decorating exactly what you want. Also, then you can easily control the lights while you are sleeping in your bed.
Are permanent outdoor lights smart too?
The outdoor infinity lights we’ve tested all have smart capabilities so far. Features may vary depending on the type of product you choose, but the idea is that you can install them once and customize your colors for year-round use from there. They are designed to be very economical due to their permanent nature, and are not suitable for every type of home. You can find them and they are well installed.
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