Well it looks like we finally made it to the holiday season. Maaazal! But the even better news is that I have some smart home tech that can help make the holidays a little easier. I just got back from a very exciting shopping spree at The Home Depot and brought home a bunch of tech and gadgets to help automate, brighten and get me ready for all the festivities.

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to expand your smart home on a low budget, this blog should help spark some ideas! So here are some helpful tech tips to help you deck the halls with holiday spirit and upgrade your home for under $150 .

Light It Up

Nothing screams holiday season like lights . From smart bulbs to set the mood to smart lighting fixtures that come with a robust set of presets for all occasions and holidays and smart plugs that automate our lights.

Let’s start with the family room. If you’re looking for a way to spice up your personal space, these 4 inch Smart Color Selectable CCT Integrated LED Recessed Light Trim light fixtures are so cool. I love the ability to select the perfect mood lighting and highly recommend this light fixture as a party trick.

This light comes with a robust set of presets for all occasions and holidays along with manual controls that allow you to pick that perfect color for mood lighting. This light is color selectable for the full range of the color spectrum. My go-to color is red, and it’s perfect for Christmas or even just when our friends come over (we get so many compliments). The good thing about these is that these are permanent lights, but when the holidays end you can easily change lights back to whatever color you like.

I love that they are only $20- it’s perfect for getting started into the smart home category for homeowners/ renters who want to add a modern flair to a project or living space. When I’m away from home for a while, I like to schedule the lights to turn on in the evening so it looks like someone is home.

Pro Tip: Each light fixture comes with a unique QR code on the light and a separate card with the QR code imprinted for easy resetting and access to all features after installation. This light can be adjusted through a Bluetooth connection from a smartphone. This fixture emits a maximum of 700 lumens while only using 9.5 watts of energy. It’s super easy to connect to the rest of your smart home via the “Hubspace App.”

Just open up the app, scan the QR code, wait a second and then Viola, the lights are connected.
In the App you can:

+Assign each light to a Room or a Group

+Change the color, brightness and white balance of each light

+And setup daily/weekly schedules for each room.

In the app you can also connect the lights to a smart home assistant like google home or Amazon Alexa to control everything with your voice.

Ok now onto the LED strip lights. I am all about keeping things simple, and these 16 ft. Smart RGB and Tunable White Hubspace Smart Tape Light ($40) and 32 ft. RGB and Tunable White Hubspace Smart Strip Lights ($70) are impressive light displays that will make your neighbors jealous. They’re easy to mount and can be used everywhere in your home from behind your TV, beneath your kitchen cabinets ,shelfs and other furniture to add an aesthetic flair to any room-- all without having to call an electrician. Just measure, cut to size and peel and stick or use the included mounting hardware.

I personally like to have them in my entrance way to make my home feel festive the moment I walk in. And with only one roll, these strip lights provide bright, vivid light. In addition to the light that’s both bright and soft, these strip lights are fully smart-tech-enabled. You can control the lights using the included remote or connect and control these lights with your phone via the “Hubspace App” and they are compatible with both Alexa and Google Assistant, giving you the ability to power on and off and adjust brightness and color by simple voice commands.

Tips for setting up a Holiday Party Routine:
Play around with the bulb color to match the mood of your party.

Next up: Smart light bulbs. These A19 SMART Hubspace LED Light Bulb + Tunable White are truly an easy way to add some smarts to your home. And for only $8-- they are fully dimmable, affordable and light up the inside of your home for the holidays. I love these lights because they brighten any room and enhance those everyday moments, all while saving you money on your electricity bill! This smart bulb's estimated energy cost is only $1.14 per year, that’s 84% more efficient compared to incandescent bulbs.

Installation is super easy, I just switch out my old bulbs with the EcoSmart bulb, then I just open up the app, scan the QR code, wait a second and then Viola, the lights are connected.

One great thing about these bulbs is that I can turn them on/off through my existing light switch, the Hubspace App and with my voice assistant. I also really like how the light bulb is quick to respond to app and voice commands. Toggling the bulb on and off, switching and adjusting brightness all take effect within a second thanks to its Wi-Fi connection.

Ok now let’s kick things up a notch, and automate Christmas lights with the Hubsmart app.

Turn standard-dumb devices into smart ones: Don’t worry about plugging in the Christmas tree - a smart plug can take care of it. The Defiant Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled smart plug turns any old Christmas lights (or other electronics that plug in) into smart ones. This smart plug connects to Wi-Fi, allowing you to control your Christmas lights or other appliances through your phone with the Hubspace app or Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa. You can even set schedules to turn them on or schedule the lights. If you like easy, then you'll love the Hubspace App.

This plug is ready to go with just a scan of the Hubspace pairing code without downloading another app or registering for an account. To set this ip, all you’ll need to do is: plug it into the outlet. Plug in your lights into the outlet, set it up in the Hubspace app amd, set a schedule and that's it. I picked these 15 Amp 120-Volt Smart Wi-Fi Bluetooth Plug for $15.

Create a new Routine called “Holiday Living Room Routine” with the following actions:

Turn on Christmas lights at 5 PM

Turn on living room lamps at 5 PM

EXTRA:
The Defiant 15 Amp 120-Volt Smart Wi-Fi Bluetooth Outdoor Plug with 2 Outlets provides you with two convenient weather-resistant outlets, perfect for holiday lighting, fairy lights, and more. This plug uses Wi-Fi for connectivity, which allows you to connect it to your network without using a separate hub. This makes it ready to work with Hubspace in a matter of seconds, just plug in and scan to start upgrading your outdoor environment.

OK now I'm dreaming of a smart Christmas! These are just some of the best smart holiday tech that I’ve found for under $150. Thanks to the Hubspace App you can gift smart home products to anyone! The Hubspace app makes installing and operating your smart home products easy and simple for even the non-technical loved ones in your life. No matter which one you buy, these are sure to add a touch of holiday magic to your home. Check out THD’s selection of affordable smart home products today! Leave a comment below and tell me how you will be celebrating.

This blog post is sponsored by The Home Depot and contains affiliate links.