HomeHouseGreenSmart If you are thinking of Christmas lights for your home, you are probably thinking of Twinkly lights (also sold on Amazon). The reason why we are sure that this manufacturer of LED bulbs will be your reference for decorating a tree, a balcony, a window is in the technology, comforted by the very positive impressions we had for our test. Follow us in this article and you will understand the reason for our opinion.
Twinky lights what they are
The basic Twinkly lights are LED strings at first glance they are no different from many others than those found on Amazon. What makes the difference (as well as the fact that we are talking about an Italian product) is the technology and the genius that supports them and elevates them above the competitors. These are lights that fully deserve the smart name ; the 16 million RGB color LEDs are connected via Wifi and Bluetooth, are managed entirely with an iPhone (or Android) app, and offer a mapping function that allows you to customize the effects and even draw custom animations. Finally, in the latest versions they are compatible with HomeKit.
Twkinky lights, not one for all
Twinkly lights aren't one for all seasons (… situations). We have in fact three main types , each of which is intended for different types of decorations. Alongside them there are also several other variants. Let's start with products of more general interest
Twinkly also offers other products. We point out: Cluster (similar to the String, but here the lights are arranged in a radial pattern around the main cable), Line (the classic extendable LED strip, with the lights embedded inside it), Flex (a moldable plastic tube) 10 meter festoons with colored lights and some Christmas trees (up to 4 meters high) with pre-installed LED lights.
There are also some small variations on some models. The amber and white version features LEDs with only these two colors, the RGB + W version produces over that RGB color also a warm white light.
Finally Twinkly also markets a USB microphone which syncs your music with the lights. In practice, by connecting this accessory to the Twinkly app you can make the lights dance to the rhythm of the music.
Specifications and choice of Twinkly
A relevant aspect for the choice of Twinkly is in their specifications. To find out if they fit what you have in mind you need to know aspects such as wire length, number of LEDs, distance between the socket and the first LED, power consumption. This information is not always easy to find at a retailer. But if you go to the Twinkly website you will find for each single product a table like the one you see below- On the Twinkly website there is also a calculator that is used to understand which will be the most suitable version for your installation.
Install Twinkly lights
Let's leave out the always boring unboxing process (inside the box, then, there is nothing other than the string of lights, meticulously wrapped with velcro) and let's move on to the installation experience . We bought and used both a Twinkly Icicle and one, or rather two (of this after) Twinkly String . We placed the Icicle under a porch, the two Strings on a fir tree we have in the garden.
Install the Twinkly Icicle
The installation of the Icicle is very simple because it is a wire with strings of hanging LEDs. Being imagined, as mentioned, for gutters or balconies the only precaution to be adopted is to calculate well the length of the space to be decorated . Then you have to work a little to straighten the sticks which, being close to each other, tend to overlap and tangle. After a couple of days we have to say that the force of gravity has also done its part, stretching the threads downwards.
The very simple controller ( water and moisture proof) of the Twinkly
Install the Twinkly String
We placed the strings, as mentioned, on a fir tree . We purchased two rows of 250 LEDs each (each is 20 meters long) which allowed us to cover our tree about 1.80 high and about one meter in diameter at the base, almost entirely. With the Twinkly String we worked a little more than with Icicle because it was necessary to distribute the lights evenly around the tree. Then it was a question of doing it with two Strings, a question that posed some problems… further logistical. Nothing very complicated, mind you but a little planning must be taken into account this also due to the fact that the tree being the result of a natural evolution is not perfect in its form and at least in part dictates the installation. If you want to decorate a tree, the advice is to spiral upwards, arranging the lights as you go.
Ready, go ..
At this point both with the Icicle and with the String we were ready to go. “Leaving” meant first of all downloading the Twinkly application from the App Store on our iPhone , then connecting the string to the phone. To do this, you have to launch the app, log in (you can also use Apple ID) and then hold down the main button of the Twinkly lights until it turns blue. At that point the string will connect via Bluetooth to the iPhone and will ask you to be in turn connected to the home WiFi network . If a WiFi network is not available or you prefer not to give the string a similar access privilege, it is always possible to connect Twinkly directly to the phone. It will work the same but you will need to be closer to the Twinkly. In the case of connection with the WiFi network, it will be sufficient to be connected to the same network. In practice, you can control the decoration from the living room even if the tree is in the garden.
The steps to connect the Twinkly lights
Firmware Update
If the lights need to have a Firmware update , the app and iPhone will take care of doing this. In our case, both the Icicles and the Strings have downloaded an update obtaining compatibility with HomeKit .
Last steps
At the end of these two steps the lights will be connected and ready to work. You will see appear in the appropriate section of the app the Twinkly you have connected with all its specifications and the network. By touching the name of the string you can also change its name or the Wifi network and activate HomeKit.
The panel to control access to the network and turn on the Twinkly lights
Twinkly's mapping
The mapping of Twinkly lights is the last of the preliminary operations to be carried out and also the most crucial one to get the best from LED lights. In fact, it is a question of telling the application through the phone's camera what exactly is the arrangement of the LEDs in our setup. In this way each of them is precisely illuminated and changes color according to the effects dictated by the application. For the Strings this is a crucial operation because many of the effects take place on a three-dimensional and non-linear space as for the Icicle. The mapping operation is fast, efficient and precise .
Combining multiple Twinklies
Since we had two Strings available, in our case we have a even united the two single units into one . This feature is in our opinion one of the great strengths of Twinkly. In practice, the app sees multiple elements as one and dictates the animations as if the LEDs were all of a single accessory. We have simply used this opportunity to have a tree with more LEDs but it is possible to create spectacular effects by carrying out animations on large surfaces, more trees or by switching the animations between various elements placed on the facade of a house.
Not necessarily smart
Once these steps have been done you are ready to unleash the Twinkly lights in all their power and options. First, however, let's say that if you are not interested in customizing the effects or experimenting with all that the lights are capable of, just press the Twinkly power button ; at that point the string will make the preloaded effects run “random”. This way you will miss the real fun that is customization but you will have zero worries.
The application and the customization
The great strength of Twinkly is the extraordinary personalization experience they offer through the application . A huge number of things can be done with it. Just to list a few: make a selection from dozens of effects and then customize them, download others from the Twinkly cloud, build new ones from scratch by drawing freehand, create playlists of effects. You can also turn the lights on and off at predetermined times or simply activate the lights with specific colors and solid colors. Still using the application it is also possible to turn the lights on and off or adjust the brightness.
HomeKit (and Alexa) with Twinkly
As we mentioned above by updating the firmware to version 2.8.3 of Twinkly Gen II (this does not apply to Gen I) support is added to HomeKit. This it does not allow you to manage the effects integrated in the app but on the other hand it allows you to create the classic scenes, control the Twinkly with your voice, turn them on and off, manage the brightness and the dominant tone. It is not all and perhaps not even much compared to everything that lights are capable of , but it is certainly something more than many competitors. The Twinkly also work with Alexa but we have not experimented with this function which, however, is in fact a duplicate of the HomeKit function, useful for those with an Alexa device.
HomeKit qualification
Twinkly effects
The great strength of the Twinkly, as mentioned, is the customization. In the app there is a panel with dozens of effects and animations preloaded and ready to run . The most interesting thing is that almost all of them can be customized and we are not only talking about colors but also about the speed of the transitions, the width of the colored bands, even the inclination and starting point and fading of the animation. Also for most of the animations, variations on the theme prepared by the Twinkly designers are already available but these variations can also be further customized. Various additional effects can also be downloaded from Twinkly, some of them really cute like Batman's signal, autumn leaves, a bunch of emoticons, a running reindeer and so on. Not all of them are easy to use, however, nor are they of sufficient quality for small installations. Others are suitable for linear surfaces only.
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The Twinkly effects playlist
An interesting feature of Twinkly is the ability to create a playlist of effects . It is a system for sequencing a certain number of effects giving each of them a time duration. In this way it becomes possible to make your installations more interesting and varied.
The Playlist with effects
FX Wizard
One of the most recent additions to the Twinkly app is in the FX Wizard panel, a real palette on which to draw a custom animation. You can create animations, manage multiple layers, apply different colors and even write freehand. In a nutshell it is a very powerful tool, a true showcase of the technology of these LED lights. On another front, however, we must say that our impression is that unlike the effects customization system, FX Wizard is not a tool for everyone nor for all installations . To be able to create something truly enjoyable, one must practice tools and have considerable creativity. Finally, if you do not have a large surface and an installation with many LEDs it is difficult to put together something pleasant.
FX Wizard, the custom effects creation system works like this
Conclusions
Twinkly lights in our opinion are really the ideal lights for a Christmas tree or home decoration to strike children's imaginations or amaze relatives and friends during the holidays . Available there are different versions of Twinkle that adapt to different types of installation from the decoration of a piece of furniture or that of the house to finish with the classic Christmas tree. The installation is easy, the activation of the smart functions via iPhone or Android intuitive, finally the application on the one hand allows maximum customization with a few taps and for the more experienced there is also a system such as FX Wizard that allows you to do the unimaginable even if its full enjoyment is not for everyone. The cost of Twinkly is not the most affordable but it is justified by the functions and their extraordinary flexibility.
Price and availability
The prices of Twinkly lights are different depending on the type and number of LEDs from 90 (for the two-meter Flex) to 500 euros (for the 4-meter tree with 750 LEDs). The most common Icicles cost around 100/110 euros, the 250 Strings (suitable for a 150cm sapling) cost around 120 euros. They can also be found on Amazon as well as on various online sites.
