What Are ‘Smart’ Christmas Lights?
Definition of Smart
Appliances are “smart” whenever they can connect wirelessly to other devices through WiFi, Bluetooth, smartphones, or other means. By doing so, the technology is available everywhere and can adjust to your needs. Most of the time, smart devices need only a few prompts before they can function on their own. Smart kitchen appliances are another example of unprompted smart devices. Common examples also include lights that open just as you walk into your living room. Every year, creating a smart home becomes easier. Many companies produce appliances that can connect to WiFi or Google Home. Whichever medium they use, they for sure function with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). Smart Christmas lights are not exempted from this. There are actually many types in the market today that can bring more joy and festivity to your holidays.
Smart Christmas Lights
Often going viral on the internet, smart Christmas lights are beautiful additions to anyone’s home. Because of their versatility and ease of use, some even use smart Christmas lights throughout the year. Bars, home patios, and local coffee shops can use smart Christmas lights year-round. As you may see from this list, some lights can give vine or hanging effects while others give a certain ambiance to your furniture. All listed on here, however, will make your Christmas trees even merrier. The appeal of smart Christmas lights comes from their ease of use. Like robot vacuums, smart Christmas lights make a mundane task more fun to accomplish! With a few pushes of a button, you can automatically spread holiday cheer to your friends and family. It is only a matter of how smart you want your lights to be and what your budget is.
Price Range
This list includes many types of smart Christmas lights. High-end options like Twinkly lights, the ones often going viral on YouTube, can cost around $100-200. Cost-effective options, however, can cost only about $20. Thus, anyone with any budget range can get their own smart Christmas lights. The same cannot be said for smart kitchen appliances, which are often all high-end options. So, if you want to get started on your smart home, getting smart Christmas lights may be the first way to go.
Installation
Process-wise, there is no difference between installing smart Christmas lights and normal Christmas lights. You will still have to drape them where you need them or have a professional do it for you. This, like everything else, will depend on the type of lights you are using and your budget range. The difference between the two, however, will be stark when it comes to ease of use. Smart Christmas lights can be controlled through your phone, Google Home, or corresponding apps. The Christmas lights most people know and grow up with have to be flicked through a hidden switch (as to not disrupt the aesthetic of the room it is in).
Smart Christmas Lights for the Holidays
Now that you can imagine the charms of having smart Christmas lights in your home, check out all the best options for you on this list!
Smart Christmas Lights: Pros and Cons
These string lights are your best choice if you are looking for smart Christmas lights that have it all. With an easy Bluetooth and WiFi setup, you can use these lights almost as soon as you get home. App-controlled, these lights can sync to the music playing in your house. Its performance will not be stale, either. Its multicolor light effects, which help you create custom light changing displays, make this a vibrant addition to your holidays. This will never go out of style, either. Twinkly Generation II gives people more than 16 million colors to customize their decorations. If you do not want to go through the hassle of custom-decorating each lights show, that is okay too. These smart Christmas lights give you the option to download pre-set lighting effects. You can even group them with other Twinkly lights in your home. The Twinkly Generation II is app-controlled for both iOS and Android phones. Besides using a phone, the Twinkly Generation II also has a remote control of its own. Through the Twinkly app, you can create effects, apply timers, and even switch strings ON/OFF. These string lights, which are 157.5 ft., can also work with over 16 million colors. These 600 RGB multicolor lights also have the latest 4.3 diffused RGB lens. Without getting too specific, these ensure that your LED lights have intense and effective light effects. Like other Twinkly lights, you can find effects for these from Twinkly’s online gallery. One can use these for either indoor or outdoor set-ups because their bulbs can operate even after it is burned out. You can thank these smart Christmas lights’ LED technology for that. These smart Christmas lights are shaped like light bulbs, which give every home a warm and rustic feeling. This is why businesses can use these all year, especially cafes that want artisanal style touches. Besides aesthetics, the design of these lights also makes them less susceptible to destruction in harsh weather conditions. Change these cafe lights’ white light settings, color combinations, presets, and dimmability. By doing so, you affect their aesthetic value. Control these lights with its included wireless remote or through its “myTouchSmart” outdoor smart switch. By doing this, you can pair these lights with your voice, phone, or home assistant. These bulbs are 23.6 ft long, which is shorter than other ones on this list. However, it can connect to over 40 sets of the same product, so you can use this for as much as you want. Whether you want it on your Christmas trees, patio, wreath, or pergolas, these Wide-Angle Multicolor Outdoor LED Lights are a smart choice. As an added bonus, these lights are also waterproof and LED corrosion-resistant. Broken lights will not affect neighboring lights, which makes this a long-lasting choice for anyone interested in buying smart Christmas lights. Each set contains 10 lights in the shape of an icicle, which is a great choice for anyone who wants a Frozen or White Christmas holiday theme. Moreover, these lights are steady-burning, which means that they can survive long periods of lighting. Bringing festive glows, these are not as feature-heavy as other smart Christmas lights. Its steady burn is as far as it can go, so this is more of an aesthetic addition than the main event. As for lifespan, these lights can go for hours plugged. Switch from flashing lights, slow fade lights, or other modes without having to drain the life of these smart Christmas lights. You can also use a timer for them: they can go six hours on and 18 hours off through this function. The next natural question is if these lights can survive heavy weather conditions. They can fit any indoor and outdoor setups, but can they survive some rain? The answer is yes. Ever Smart LED smart Christmas lights are waterproof and made with high-quality PVC and copper strings. These make it durable and versatile for anyone’s use. Zerpoc’s smart Christmas lights are sold by the hundred, but you do not need to worry about controlling them. With wireless controls, these string lights are compatible with any iOS or Android device. Through these means, you can control the lights’ over light, sound intensity, and other functions. This light has a built-in timer and many other lighting functions. The pulse and disco function, for example, can make these lights dance to your music and relate to sound in a different way. Change lighting schemes, light syncs, and your house’s atmosphere with Zerproc’s lights. It has 64 scene modes, over 15 different colors to choose from and is 32.8 ft long. You can change several rooms from your household in just one go. Like other smart Christmas lights on this list, Govee is controllable through Alexa, Google Assistant, or the usual on/off button. Through these methods, you can also adjust the brightness of your colors and how long these lights are on. As a bonus, there is even a dual music mode that can make Alexa sync Govee lights to your favorite music. This 100 RGB and 32.8 ft light makes the perfect addition for patios or Christmas trees. Setting this up is short and easy, and you even have seven classic modes to choose from. Choose among Steady On, Single Flash, Alternant Flash, Fade In and Out, Auto Fade, Auto Flash, and Combination lighting modes. You can even time how long these lights are on, changing the ambiance of your decorations whenever and wherever. A disadvantage of using this is that it cannot survive harsh weather conditions. This is mainly for indoor use only. However, if you do use it indoors, you have many features to use and benefit from. Wireless controls, timers, and auto on and offs can be programmed into these smart Christmas lights. Moreover, you can sync these RGB Bluetooth string lights to four to five devices. It depends on whether you are using iOS or Android. Like other choices on this list, the NIDENIONLED’s functions include 20 different light modes. There is a mode for combination lights, flash, strobe, and even music. Choose from 120 rainbow chasing modes and colors, a variety of lighting speeds, and brightness settings. This 35 ft. LED light is also waterproof, so apply these whether you are inside or not. Use these lights for your Christmas trees, pergolas, or patios. Events can even use these, including weddings, birthdays, and baptisms. These lights offer the best varieties. Because of this variety, these smart Christmas lights can even be used for Halloween or other holidays. Let your imagination run wild with possibilities—when you do know what you want to do, simply control everything with your voice. These lights can work with Alexa, Google Home, and a remote control. It also has an app that comes with it. Control these smart Christmas lights however you want to. Like a few choices on this list, these smart Christmas lights are waterproof. Its material is durable and flexible, and not just any water condition can destroy it. Unlike other smart Christmas lights, the app for LuxLumin can be used anywhere in the world. Control your home decorations even from another country! You can opt to use Google Home or Alexa for this. Standard controls like color changing, brightness adjusting, and music syncing are included. It had 20 built-in color modes that can follow the flow of whatever music you are playing. Set this up using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Connection. No need to be connected to the same source to turn these lights on; control it wherever you are. There is also no need for you to worry about these lights surviving a night under the rain because they are IP65 rated. Long story short, these smart Christmas lights are customizable and weatherproof. A lot of smart devices offer convenience and ease, maybe not in setting them up, but in using them. Smart Christmas lights are no different: imagine only having to control these using an app or through Google Home. There may be no need for you to stand up anymore. Moreover, these can sync to music and ambiance by themselves. A lot of these smart Christmas lights have over a few dozen colors to choose from. By using this function, one reaps the benefits of using smart Christmas lights. With functions like these, you can even use smart Christmas lights all year-round, even for your businesses. A downside of smart Christmas lights would be their price points. This goes for any other smart appliance, to be fair. Smart Christmas lights can be tricky buys, especially on the internet. As flexible as they are, there is no telling if you are getting a bad set of lights. Sometimes one bad light can cause others to wither, and unless your lights have functions that counter this, you might not be confident with your buy.
Final Word
Ultimately, it is your decision what smart Christmas lights fit your home. It is also your call what you will be using them for and for whom. For those that use Christmas lights on a yearly basis during the holidays, consider getting at least one from this list. At the end of the day, these lights are investments for your next year of parties, events, and holidays.
