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Source: Christine Persaud / Android Central

Setting up holiday lighting is one of the most interesting parts of holiday decoration. But it can also be frustrating, especially for outdoor lighting. Limited sockets make placement tricky, and bad weather makes outdoor power strips risky. Having to go outside to turn on and off lights is a pain. In each case, smart plugs or smart bars can really help here, just like in other settings such as Halloween. Here are how they can simplify and improve your holiday lighting inside and outside.

The best way to maximize a single power outlet is to get one of the best outdoor smart plugs with multiple outlets so you can plug more than one string of lights into it. For example, if you have two power outlets on your porch, getting two smart plugs with two outlets each will turn them into four so you can plug in more lights and holiday inflatable toys and the like.

For interiors or covered porch areas that are seasonal but not in extreme weather, the power strip can easily be plugged into multiple items at once, all of which can be controlled not only through a smartphone app, but also through a manual switch. Did you know that there are smart power boards? Yes, these are very cool, because anything you plug in them will instantly become smart and controllable by the app. These are ideal choices for holiday lighting, because usually, you need to activate or deactivate your decorations at once instead of one by one.

Use this weatherproof smart plug to turn one outdoor socket into two, and it also allows you to control anything you plug in from your phone.

You can plug up to three AC and four USB devices into this power strip, and then use Alexa, Google, Siri or apps to control everything by voice.

After setting up a smart light or a normal light connected to a smart plug, use the companion app to set a schedule for automatically turning the light on and off. For example, you may want an outdoor light to turn on at 6 or 7 pm, depending on when the sun sets in your area, and then stay on until midnight-if you want passersby to enjoy the performance, stay on until 6 am whole night.

Indoors, when you are lying on the sofa or cooking dinner in the kitchen, use the app to manually turn on the lights-even the tree. If the smart plug is used with a voice assistant (which many people do), you can even issue a command like "Hey Google, turn on the Christmas lights."

Plug holiday lights into these smart plugs, then just use Google or Alexa voice commands to turn them on, and use the app to set them up as planned.

Work harder and add smart plugs to the various scenarios you set up with the companion app. Control them to make holiday music play while the lights are on at night, for example, when your outdoor security camera is activated. Then, set up a morning scene, the lights are turned off, the music is played again, and the thermostat starts to work. When you leave for the day, the smart coffee machine will start to prepare your Java fuel for the morning.

Grab some of these smart plugs for holiday lights, music, small appliances, etc., and create a holiday scene to set your mood.

Chances are, most of your holiday lighting (except for trees) is outdoors. Therefore, make sure to get a smart plug that is suitable for outdoor use and does not require a hub to work. These should be sturdy design and waterproof to withstand splashes of rain or snow. They should also be able to operate at extreme temperatures.

Some outdoor plugs even have built-in port covers to protect them from dust, debris, or sneaky animals when you don’t plug in anything. After the holidays, you can use them to power security cameras and landscape lights, or move them to the backyard to use summer technologies such as swimming pool pumps.

This smart plug adopts a heavy-duty design and can work safely outdoors without being affected by the weather; in addition, three grounded sockets will come in handy.

Thanks to the weatherproof design and built-in port cover, you can protect them when not in use, allowing this smart plug to be placed outside fearlessly.

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Smart lights are not just for living rooms. They can also be used to enhance your game settings, whether you want to make your desktop more shiny, or install lights that react to the game you are playing. Here are some of our favorite options.

If you want to integrate smart lights into your home, but want to do something different-then start with Nanoleaf first. This is the best product provided by Nanoleaf, bringing a unique look to your smart lighting journey.

There are a large number of smart lights similar to Philips Hue bulbs at almost half the price. Most of them can also be easily managed through designated applications on smartphones or tablets.