These Easy-To-Use XMCOSY+ Lights Helped Me Add Holiday Warmth And Cheer To My Home

When the days grow cold and short, we gladly welcome any festivals celebrating light. Whether it's Christmas, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Kwanzaa, or another winter holiday, warm lighting is an essential part of all of them. As a human who bemoans limited winter daylight, cozy lighting is my go-to for making the long nights pleasant. Despite this, I'd never rigged up any holiday lighting other than a couple of feeble porch decorations. When I got the chance to spangle the exterior of my home in light in exchange for an article, I responded with a hard yes.

XMCOSY+ is a pioneering brand in the lighting field. The company is on a mission to reinvent home lighting with innovative technology and stylish designs that empower users to create a personalized atmosphere. The brand's remotely controlled smart lights marry convenience with customization — You can operate them through an app and by voice through a smart home system. The brand's retro solar lights meet environmental protection requirements for sustainable development. Needless to say, I was intrigued by this company's offerings and curious to see if these lights could positively impact my life.

XMCOSY+ sent me the 48-foot, 64-foot, and 123-foot Smart Outdoor String Lights and a pair of Outdoor Smart Wall Lights. While I was obviously excited about decorating for the holidays, I am also looking forward to customizing this lighting to match any season or occasion. Even though we would've missed out on a few hilarious scenes in "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" if Clark Griswold had decorated his home with these string lights, it would've saved him lots of frustration.

With my eyes sparkling like Christmas morning, I scrambled to open the boxes in front of me. Out came three high-quality strings of lights and two sturdy outdoor wall sconces that earned an out-loud "wow" from me. I could see why the word HEAVY was printed on the side of the delivery boxes. I could feel the quality the minute I pulled each product from its packaging.

The two shorter strings featured diamond-shaped acrylic bulbs, and the longer one was equipped with rounded Edison-style bulbs. The individual strings of lights are joinable to one another with a three-prong plug and an attached plastic fastener that screws tightly over the connection. Each unit also came with a screw-on cap that protects the plug if you're not linking several strings together. 

The wall lights were cylindrical with a black metal base and trim. Quality was evident in every aspect of the lights, from the thick cords and bulbs to the durable metal and antiqued-look acrylic of the wall lights. All of the items sport efficient LED bulbs encased in shatter-resistant waterproof acrylic.

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Often you have to choose between weatherproof versus waterproof when you're choosing the right outdoor lighting for your home. There's no compromising one for the other with XMCOSY+'s lights; built to stand up to rain, snow, wind, and temperature extremes, I felt reassured that they would be the perfect match for the wide range of weather and temperatures here in the Colorado mountains.

The XMCOSY+ string lights were ready to go right out of the box. They're created for easy hanging; they come with zip ties for temporary use and hooks, wood screws, and plastic wall anchors for long-term hanging. The fixtures at each light also have a hole in it for secure hanging, either with the zip ties or another material.

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A colleague at House Digest had researched the best way to hang string lights, giving me a great jumping-off point for decorating my own deck. I decided to edge the railings of our two-level deck with lights. By combining the 48-foot string lights with the 64-foot string lights, and the generous 123 feet of the other set, I had more than enough length to run lights along the railings as well as our stair railings. I even had enough to double up the illumination of our seating area.

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I was also pleasantly surprised by the XMCOSY+ Smart Wall Lights, which I found not only simple to install, but also easy and fun to use. From start to finish, it took me around 45 minutes to mount both lights, a process eased by the round universal mounting brackets included with the unit. They came in particularly handy after I pulled off the 30 year old existing lights to find not a junction box, but rather a single gang outlet box. Thankfully, attaching the mourning brackets to the boxes was a breeze, and I still made a fairly flush connection to the wall (inasmuch as that can be achieved on aluminum siding). A few easy wire connections and four hex screws later, and the lights were on and blinking.

If you've made or are looking to make your house a smart home, XMCOSY+ lighting options are a must-have. Even downloading and navigating the app was easy: I simply scanned a QR code, followed the prompts, and linked the lights via Wi-Fi, although Bluetooth connection is an option as well. I'm not the most tech-savvy individual, so I was relieved with how simple it was to set up and operate these lights through both the app itself and our Alexa device. In fact, it took longer for me to remember my Wi-Fi password than it did to download the app and connect the lights to Wi-Fi and Alexa.

I downloaded the XMCOSY+ app to my android phone in a flash. When two strings are linked, you can operate them as one string through the app. I'd linked the two shorter strings together, and by identifying them as one unit through the app, they all follow the same program. I followed the simple steps to connect the two strings of lights to our Wi-Fi, and I anxiously awaited sunset so I could see my new lights at their best. Once dusk settled over our abode, it was time to play.

The days of lighting options being a simple on, off, and twinkle setting are in the past. While clicking through the XMCOSY app, I was utterly dazzled by the things I could do with the XMCOSY+ lights. Even the simple on-and-off of these lights is impressive. If you're down the street or miles away from your home, you can turn the lights on and off through the app. You can even set a timer for the lights to illuminate at a certain time every day or just on one or a few days.

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Even better, XMCOSY+ has made energy conservation a focus by using only LED bulbs. Compared with incandescent bulbs, LEDs can be 90% more efficient, saving you both money and lowering your carbon footprint. That benefit lasts, too, since LED bulbs have an average 20-year lifespan, and that LED technology is what allows these bulbs to shine in a multitude of colors

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The XMCOSY+ app goes far beyond simply turning the lights on and off from your warm indoor spaces. You can change their color, adjust white light from cool to warm, and dim them, all from the app. Both the wall and the string lights can be programmed for different effects like settings that flash the lights in dazzling patterns. You can sync the lights with music or a game, or even pick a premade "scene" that takes the lights through flashing patterns and varied colors. There are scenes that are inspired by nature, events, or moods. You can also create and save your own scenes that are specific enough to control the colors of individual lights. The "music" function accesses the microphone in your phone to sync the rhythms it hears to the lights. 

Who could resist combining a holiday playlist with the perfect lighting to match? With all those settings combined, XMCOSY+ lights are going to make for my brightest and best holiday season yet.