Smart christmas tree lights? (2018)

I found 2 options on amazon, based on reading some reviews…

Light Rhapsody-they get horrible reviews due to app/alexa/bluetooth issues but when they occasionally work , the bulbs look great

Tree Dazzler-not really smart, in-line control switches and won’t even turn back on if you toggle them via wall switch or smart plug. they get great reviews though

Any other options? Please don’t say 100 $50 hue bulbs ;-). would be cool to sync with hue though.

Not able to integrate with Smartthings but I got a set of lights made by Twinkly. Setup had some finicky parts, but afterwards, work amazing. App controlled from your phone, 225 RGB individually addressable bulbs, built in designs, create your own designs, scans bulbs to recognize their individual positions and WiFi connected. $160 from Target.

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There are options. You could go with something as simple as a Raspberry Pi with either a rPi Relay Hat, or an external relay board, or go snazzy with an Arduino board, WS2812B pixels (Neopixels) and some basic programming. I’ve actually done both of the below projects, but now I’m working on something bigger for this year.

For further inspiration (external house lights):

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My first question would be what do you mean by “smart” in this context?

One) do you just want to be able to schedule the lights to go on and off based on other smartthings events ( for example, someone arriving home)

Two) do you want to be able to control the colors of the lights?

Three) do you need to be able to change between display patterns which the tree lights normally handled by a button press pattern?

Four) or something else

The details will matter a lot in this kind of project. :sunglasses:

BTW, A friend of mine had an amazing display last year. He set up a tree with tiny dim twinkling white lights and a whole bunch of hanging small mirrors.

Then underneath the tree he had a toy train on a track, and just inside the track running parallel with it, a Hue light strip.

As the colors on the light strip changed, the mirrors reflected the light all around the tree, and the twinkling lights fooled the eye into thinking the mirrors themselves were changing colors.

It was very cool, and not that expensive, relatively speaking. :fireworks::sparkler::fireworks:

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STOP GIVING ME IDEAS!!! LOL :wink:

(By which I really mean AWESOME IDEA!!!)

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I was hoping for more than just off and on with smart plug. Individually addressable bulbs like the Twinkly would be ideal but a bit pricey ($159). The dazzler is in better price point ($36), but not smart at all.

Twinkly is really cool actually, it uses camera on phone during setup to locate the bulbs

Twinkly has Google Assistant integration but that is it so far.

https://www.twinkly.com/

I was leary about getting the Twinkly lights thinking it would be vaporware junk, but was very pleased with them. The app had a little jank getting the lights connected to WiFi, but no issues aside from that. I laid the lights out in my floor and used the app to detect the layout so it knew where each bulb was located. This is needed so animations work fluidly. Afterwards I was very impressed with them. Here is a short video of my actual lights, not a fake promo video, showing the bulbs going through a carousel of effects.

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As for dazzler, good price, but only 64 ginormous bulbs that look very unattractive to me. I considered them before going with Twinkly. I’d say if you’re on the fence, download the Twinkly app. You can play around with it and check out the effects and create your own.

Maybe helpful too, you need to understand how long of a string of lights you need. 6 foot tree needs around 60+ feet. That light Rhapsody would need at least 3 sets, then you’re close to the price of Twinkly but only have 75 bulbs versus Twinkly with 225. I did lots and lots of research on this already, so may trying to help.

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Got my tree up and Twinkly lights on. Seriously happy with them! Made a short video of a few effects.

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