Why hang the same boring strings of regular lights every Christmas when you can do something unique with modern smart Christmas lights? And let's not forget the exhausting work of turning them on every sunset and remembering to turn them off before bed. But worry not.
It’s time to change your usual Christmas decoration into something unique and better with smart Christmas lights.You can either use smart lights or use smart gadgets like relay switches or smart plugs to turn them into smart lights.
Without further ado, let’s head right into everything you need to know before you start your own Christmas decoration!
- Why Buy Smart Christmas Lights?
- How To Build Smart Christmas Lights With Christmas Light Controllers?
- Difference Between Indoor And Outdoor Christmas Lights
- Best Christmas Lights Controllers - Indoor Christmas Lights Ideas
Why Buy Smart Christmas Lights?
It might seem like buying smart Christmas lights is kind of a waste since most of us have been using regular Christmas lights all our life. Let me change your mind and show you why exactly you would want to convert.
Smart Way To Save Money On Energy Bills
Most smart lights consume 75% less energy than regular incandescent lights to function and remove vampire draw or leakage. As a result, you are getting more output with less power input.
So, even though, initially, it may seem like you are wasting money by purchasing smart lights for Christmas, in the long run, it is cutting down energy costs and shrinking your electricity bills significantly.
No More Boring Christmas Light Every Year
The second attribute of the value of smart Christmas lights is their versatility. Most smart lights, especially LED light strips, have options to divide the strips into multiple color zones. So, you can come up with more ideas and options for decorations. You can even set the individual bulb at an individual color to match every aesthetics.
Plus smart lights are less conventional than usual Christmas lights. So even after Christmas has ended, you can use these lights all year round for different holiday decor by changing the color and aesthetics.
Forget About The Routine Work
We can’t talk about the convenience of using smart lights for Christmas. They are easy to set up smart plugs and can be effortlessly controlled through related apps on your phone. Even if you have completely forgotten to turn them off before bed, they will automatically do the work for you.
You can even sync these smart Christmas lights with different virtual assistants like Amazon Alexa, google assistant, Apple Siri, etc to voice control them.
Prevent Safety Hazards In A Smart Way
Unlike regular lights, smart lights consume less power thus they don’t heat up as much. Especially if there are small children at home, it makes the decorations safe for them to reach out and hold. So, they pose less of a safety hazard.
How To Build Smart Christmas Lights With Christmas Light Controllers?
There are a bunch of techniques to build smart Christmas lighting using tools like smart bulbs, smart switches, smart plugs, etc. here are some ideas to boost your brain for more.
Smart Bulb
Smart bulbs are one of the main elements to build a smart Christmas lighting decoration. They are just like regular bulbs but better in every way. They are energy efficient, reduce energy bills, are versatile and efficient, and most importantly extremely easy to control via apps and syncing with different virtual assistants.
Smart Switch
Controlling and maintaining the different lighting in different parts of the house can be a lot of work. For this reason, smart Smart switches are becoming a popular addition to Christmas lighting. These switches connect all the lighting and provide control over them through a single point which is a related app. You can do pretty much everything on this app from changing the color to turning them on/off without moving an inch.
Smart Plug
With the number of safety hazards that happen every year due to unsafe Christmas decorations, everyone should give smart plugs a try. Smart plugs take all the routine work off your hand like turning on the Christmas lights at sunset and turning them off at night before going to bed. Just set a schedule for them and you are free from worry for the rest of the holiday season.
Difference Between Indoor And Outdoor Christmas Lights
There are some differences between indoor Christmas lights and outdoor Christmas lights. This is why it’s advised to not use indoor Christmas lights for outdoor decoration.
Indoor Christmas Lights
Picking out lights for indoor purposes is comparably easier since they don’t need to withstand any harsh weather conditions, unlike outdoor lights. In fact, you can use almost any kind of lights as indoor Christmas lights as long as they pass the basic safety level. Usually, the UL safety tag for indoor Christmas lights comes in green or in green writing on a silver tag.
Outdoor Christmas Lights
As for outdoor Christmas lights, they need to pass a series of basic safety concerns. For starters, they need to be waterproof or rain-resistant. Most incandescent lights are not waterproof so they can lead to serious damage when in contact with water or snow. Solar lights are a good option in this case since they are designed to withstand the outer environment.
The best way to make sure you have the right lights is to look for the UL tag. For outdoor lights, the tag is red. Even then, always make sure to turn off the lights in extreme rain or storms. Also, the outdoor lighting should be clear off of the pool area. And finally, make sure there is no electric plug out in the open when setting up the lighting system.
Best Christmas Lights Controllers - Indoor Christmas Lights Ideas
Here are some products that you can use to make your smart Christmas light dream into reality. Without delay, let’s get right into it.
Govee Smart Outdoor String Lights
Govee has been making Christmas lights for years and they never disappoint with their product. Their smart outdoor String lights can be the perfect addition to your Christmas decoration.
Each of the bulbs can be set to a different color and even be scheduled to change color after a certain period. Also, the bulbs are durable enough to withstand rough wind and rain.
And most importantly they sync perfectly with music and media to create the perfect Christmas-y mood.
Pros
- Strong robust bulbs can survive rough handling
- Real-time music syncing mode
- Closely resemble any media or photos to recreate the lights’ color ambiance
- Safe to use outside
Cons
- The power adapter is not rain-resistant
Evvr In-wall Smart Relay Switch
To have systematic control over all the Christmas lighting in your house, Evvr has just the right product for you. Evvr in-wall relay switch works as a great controller in these cases where you want to have a way to work the decorations remotely. These switches can be set up without rewiring the whole wall.
As for the performance, they can turn on/off the lights wirelessly from anywhere. Even if the main switch is turned off, the relay switches remain connected so you don't need to go to the wall switch every time.
Pros
- No neutral or wiring is required for installation
- Small enough to fit behind the electric board
- Supports various voice assistant techs like Apple home kit, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, etc.
- Stay connected even when the wall switch is turned off
- Can schedule automatic on/off
Cons
- Does not include lights
- Bit pricey
Twinkly Smart String Light
You can up your decoration game this Christmas with the smart string lights from the trusted Christmas lights brand Twinkly.
These string lights have one of the widest color combinations and you can even set each of the bulbs to a different color. On top of that, they can almost perfectly sync and change their color with any music, media, or photos to match the aesthetics.
As for control, you can connect them on your smartphone via an app or with your virtual assistant device. Being waterproof, you can change these light strings anywhere you want.
Pros
- A wide range of 16 million color combinations
- Can be customized to different design
- Can be used both indoors and outdoor
Cons
- Expensive
- Can’t be connected end-to-end
Evvr Smart Energy Monitoring Plug And Relay
We have another Evvr product on the list which is their smart energy monitoring plug and relay combo. The installation process requires them to just plug in and they are ready to take care of your Christmas lighting schedule.
But the reason these monitoring plugs are perfect as Christmas light controllers is because of their safety features. The plugs are locked with a button so little kids and pets get to them and cause an electric hazard accidentally.
Moreover, it has all the other desired functions you may require in a controller if not more, so definitely a win in our opinion.
Pros
- Can monitor energy consumption in real-time
- Can maintain pre-set schedule to operate the connected devices
- Ease of installation
- Comes with button lock features to keep it away from kids and pets
- Saves energy
- Small and compact size
Cons
- Doesn’t include any lights
- Bit expensive
- Can control only one device at a time
Final Thoughts
As time goes by, more people are getting into smart lights not only for everyday use but also for decoration purposes. So, it’s about time you changed your decor game this Christmas with amazing smart lights both indoors and outdoors. Hope these ideas will help you get started. To know more, please reach out to us and we will guide you in the right direction!
