I've been reviewing smart lighting for years. Here are tips on how to prep, what to choose, and the smart lights that work best in each room. The importance of light in our daily lives is often underestimated. It can motivate and make you feel energized or create a cozy feel and help you relax. We've never had more choice or control over the light in our homes, so if you're still using regular bulbs and lamps, it's time to switch to smart lighting. I've been testing and reviewing smart lighting for years, and I've learned loads about what works and what doesn't.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Make the holidays last all year round with these eye-catching permanent outdoor lights, all steeply discounted for Cyber Monday. Dread the prospect of climbing a ladder each winter to hang string lights from your eaves? With a set of permanent outdoor lights, you only must risk life and limb once to keep your home lit with holiday cheer. These twinkling smart lights are designed to stay put all year round.

Ready to turn your house into a smart home? Replacing your dumb bulbs with smart ones is perhaps the easiest way to start. Many smart bulbs can be screwed into existing light sockets, and they can be controlled remotely, put on schedules, change colors, and more. If you're feeling more ambitious, you can venture into smart string lights, light strips, wall and ceiling fixtures, smart lamps, and even smart lighting for the yard or other outdoor areas. Our guide to the best smart lighting can help you navigate the thicket of options, from the various smart light manufacturers (like Philips Hue, LIFX, Nanoleaf, and Wyze) to the connectivity standards (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, and Matter). We'll also let you know which voice assistants (like Alexa, Apple's Siri, and Google Assistant) work with which lights. TechHive's editors and contributors have been testing smart bulbs and lighting products practically since the category was invented. We continuously test the latest smart lights, accessories, and the apps that control them.

I tested three different string lights designed to go on a Christmas tree, and Twinkly's were easily my favorite. They're beautiful and easy to set up, and the black cord blends in nicely into the tree (the cord also comes in green). The app's Gallery tab has tons of premade light combinations to choose from, and you can also make custom effects in the app. It lets you design a light pattern by using an existing pattern, drawing with your fingers, or even uploading a GIF. The arrangement of lights on the tree works best for gradient and stripe-style patterns though--I love how the candy cane stripe effect looks.