Smart Christmas tree lights can be so inexpensive and simple to set up that you will feel like a grinch if you don’t do it.
Smart Christmas lights are simply a way to make your Christmas lights more useful. This allows you to turn on or off your lights at preset times and can be controlled remotely.
Smart home tech is something I love, and I love Holidays. So it was only a matter of time that I installed smart Christmas tree lights.
Here are two ways to do this. The first is so easy and inexpensive that you will want to go a little further once your lights are set up. You will find more information on this process later.
I don’t mean to offend, but it is very convenient to have your Christmas tree lights turn on and off automatically at certain times.
It’s easy to save 20 dollars and not have to climb behind the tree every night to plug it in.
For only 30 dollars more, you can say “Alexa Merry Christmas” to have your Christmas tree lights turn on Pandora.
You can do all the above and with your deck lights on outside for an additional 20 dollars.
This is the basic idea.
It gets more complicated and enjoyable the deeper you dig into smart home automation.
Smart plug to light up Christmas tree
All you need to set up this automation is a smart-plug. This in-depth guide will help you to understand smart plugs.
First, you need to purchase the Kasa TP–Link Smart Plug.These plugs don’t need a smart hub, but they can be integrated with any smart hub if you have one (or buy one later).
After the plug arrives, download the Kasa app to your phone and set-up your smart plug
Go to the Kasa app and click “Scenes”. If you have already added scenes, you will need to click the + symbol in the top right. Then choose “Custom” to create a new scene.
Next, select the smart plug that you have just added to your Christmas tree.
Before you click next, make sure you have clicked “on” beside the plug.
Select an icon, then give the scene Christmas tree lightsas the name. Finally, click save
Go to Smart Actions in the app, and click “Add an Action”.
Select “Schedule A Scene”
Step 1: Select “Christmas Tree Lightings” beside SELECT a SCENE
Next, select the time you wish your lights to turn on. You have the option to have your lights come on each day at the same hour or you can change the time depending on the day.
Save, and you’re done!
Repeat steps 1-12 to schedule an off-time. However, at step 6, make sure you click “off” next your plug.
Here’s a quick tip/hack to help you get the setup done.
This plug is ideal for people who have multiple plugs but want to switch them all on with one smart.
You might have one plug for your Christmas tree lights and one plug for your star, and both should be turned on together.
Don’t buy two smart plugs. Instead, get an outlet converter. You can now control three plugs with one smart plug by plugging in the outlet converter.
Here’s how my setup looks:
You may also have an outlet with a lot of plugs you don’t want to use in your smart Christmas tree lights set-up.
If this is the case, I suggest this setup:
To continue using an outlet with regular plugs, plug your smart plug into an outlet converter.
Summary
You now have smart Christmas lights!
What’s that? You’re now hooked. Do you want more? Continue reading, friend.
Smart Christmas lights that cost less than $20
You’re here if you have extra money and want to have more fun decorating your Christmas tree.
This one was a great deal of fun for my wife and me. This will give you a brief overview of the automation process and the steps/products involved with setting it up.
First, don’t forget to adjust the video so that everything looks exactly like it is.
It’s possible to do 2 or 3 things but still achieve the same effect. You don’t even need lights outside to say “Alexa, Merry Christmas!”
- Summary of automation
- IF I Say “Alexa Merry Christmas”,
- THEN make your Christmas Tree Lights
- Turn on my Deck Lighting
- Turn off my dining room lights
- Turn off my Kitchen Lights
- Play Pandora’s “Today’s Christmas”
- Amazon Echo: Set volume to 10
- Setup products
- Samsung SmartThings hub x1 Note: This hub connects everything down below.
- The Echo Dot will eventually set up the “routine”, but this won’t work without the smart hub.
- Echo Dot 3rd Gen ( ) Note:
- This allows you to control your automation with voice and play Christmas music.
- Kasa Smart Plug HTML2 ( ) In my setup, I use one plug to control the Christmas tree, and the other for my outdoor deck lights. Although these plugs are not intended for outdoor use, I have left mine outside this winter (covered ofcourse) and it worked great.
- Kasa Smart Lighting Switch by TP Link x3 – Note These switches control my Kitchen lights as well as my Dining Room lights.
- To set these switches, you will need a neutral wire.
- You don’t have to rewire a switch if you don’t want to.
- Instead, use a few smart lights! These bulbs work great with this set: Innr smart bulb white A19 , x4
Summary of the steps involved
Install the SmartThings App to your Samsung SmartThings hub
All the above devices can be added to the SmartThings App (except the Echo Dot, which is optional).
Once SmartThings is done, set up your Echo Dot and then download the Amazon Alexa App to your phone
Add the “SmartThings Skill” to the Amazon Alexa App. This will allow you to sync your Echo with your SmartThings hub, and enable Alexa to control all of your devices.
Once the “SmartThings” skill is added, create a new routine called “Alexa Merry Christmas”.
Add the action to the application
You’re done!
You can follow the exact same steps as above, but reverse the action result on each device.
Summary of automation
- If I say “Alexa The Grinch Stole Christmas”,
- THEN, turn off my Christmas Tree Lightings
- My Deck Lights are Off
- Turn on my dining room lights
- Turn on my Kitchen Lights
- My Amazon Echo is disabled
Conclusion
I hope you found this introduction to smart Christmas tree lights helpful. It also clarified the steps and helped me understand the process.
It is entirely up to you how involved your automation should be!
