Light bulbs on windows and walls will not only decorate the house during the holidays, but will also complement the interior well at any time of the year.
Smart garlands are more convenient, reliable and safer than regular ones. You can control them remotely, turn them off using a timer, and fine-tune them more precisely to suit your needs. As a rule, they are quite expensive, but this has an advantage: the quality of materials and workmanship is higher than that of cheap models, so the risk of breakdown or fire is much lower.
We will not recommend specific models of garlands and will focus on the categories of what can generally be found on sale. Due to the seasonality of goods, the store assortment is constantly changing, and we cannot predict which models will be available for purchase in the summer or next winter.
The best choice: a regular garland with a smart socket
The most economical way to equip any garland with control from a smartphone or voice is to combine it with a smart socket. It connects to your home Wi-Fi, after which it can be turned on or off from anywhere there is Internet.
If you add an outlet to a Yandex smart home, Apple Home Kit, Google Home or other convenient system, you can give voice commands or add the device to scenarios. For example, in my house the garland on the window turns on automatically at sunset. It turns off on its own either at night, when everyone is already asleep, or on the command “good night†along with all the other lighting in the apartment.
With a smart socket it is convenient to use any ordinary garland without control, for example simple interior models. But you can also plug a garland into it with a control unit on a wire or with a remote control. The main thing is that you need a model powered from an outlet; battery-powered or USB options will not work.
Budget option: garland with remote control
Not the smartest, but a simple and inexpensive option. Most models with remote control allow you to turn the garland on and off and select different modes. But some additionally have a shutdown timer and fine-tuning of colors.
Multi-colored garlands are better suited for holidays, but even warm light looks more organic in the interior. A single-color garland can be left on the window or wall above the TV all year long so that it provides soft, muted light during evening gatherings.
The downside of a regular garland with a remote control is that the small remote control is easy to lose. Such models themselves are not always of high quality; users often complain about defects and brittle wires that become unusable when bent.
Controllable garlands can be connected to an outlet, via USB, or powered by batteries. The most universal option is with  a USB connector , because such a garland can be plugged into a phone charger or a portable power bank if there is no outlet nearby.
Advanced option: programmable garland
Advanced models can be flexibly configured from a smartphone via Bluetooth. Often they additionally come with a physical remote control.
A programmable garland-curtain can be used to display pictures or text. Or simply set your favorite shades if the preinstalled programs do not suit you.
Expensive models also have a module with Wi-Fi for control over a long distance and synchronization of several garlands into a single animation. But this system can become a loophole for access to the home network, since garlands are usually poorly protected from hacking – and attackers can take advantage of this.
Most of these models are equipped with a USB connector instead of an electrical plug. The garland can be connected to a power bank or charging adapter from an old phone – LEDs consume little energy, so any will do. Occasionally there are even battery-powered options.
Programmable garlands can be expensive, up to 20,000 rubles. The price is influenced by the convenience and stability of the application, the number and brightness of LEDs, the quality of the cable and the security rating. Thus, outdoor models with reinforced cables and water protection are much more expensive and reliable than inexpensive garlands for home use.
The programmed garland can be supplemented with a smart socket for integration into a smart home, but you won’t be able to control the switching of modes and colors by voice.