Govee Christmas Lights 2 Review

Brands like Govee and Nanoleaf release innovative smart lights throughout the year. Even so, their holiday-oriented products have a shorter window to shine during the festive season. The original Govee Christmas Lights brought many of the company’s popular features to indoor trees and outdoor spaces. Unfortunately, longer size options were absent, and the lights lacked Matter support.

The Christmas Lights 2 now works with more installation scenarios and syncs with a wider variety of lights. As with many of the best smart lights, AI-generated scenes promise to add more creativity to the holidays. I always look forward to this time of year to see how technology can make decorating more fun and less stressful. The Christmas Lights 2 are sold in lengths up to 328 feet, with Govee kind enough to send me a sample of the 66-foot version.

Contents of Package

The Govee Christmas Lights 2 are packaged in a compact square container, specifying the length of the LED string light. Although the 66-foot variety is not available with a white cord, there is no indication of color besides the box’s illustrations. Inside the box are the lights on a spool, a detachable power adapter, and user manuals stored in a Christmas card-style envelope.

Installation and Setup

The most popular destination for the Christmas Lights 2 will be indoor trees. Still, I received the lights early in the season and wanted to test their outdoor capabilities. With that in mind, I wrapped them around a deck railing. Even the shortest length was long enough to cover most of the deck, but installers may run out of lights on larger trees. With larger than a five-foot tree, I’d suggest moving up to the 99-foot or longer options. The Christmas Lights 2 isn’t extendable but can be synced with other lights in Govee’s app.

The Christmas Lights 2 comes in one long strip divided by a small section in the middle. Unlike most Govee lights, double-sided tape strips or clips are not needed. When securing them to a railing or tree, the only factor is desired lighting density, affecting how far the strip runs.

While the string lights and control box are IP65-rated, only the power adapter for the 328-foot version is resistant to water and dust. Consequently, owners will want to protect the power connection in a watertight box or somewhere indoors.

I wouldn’t recommend a plastic bag for a permanent installation, but it survived a few rain storms during testing. After screwing the cord and controller onto the bottom of the power adapter, the lights should be ready for action.

The remainder of the Christmas Lights 2 setup happens in the Govee Home app. Matter compatibility is one of the major additions to the latest holiday lights. The smart home protocol allows users to control the lights with additional software like Apple Home. Some of these apps were incompatible with older Govee products.

After powering on the lights, smartphone users should see a prompt from Matter-compatible software. Alternatively, pairing can be initiated using Govee’s software. Users will need a Matter controller found in many Google, Amazon, and Samsung smart speakers, displays, and hubs. A WiFi connection with a 2.4 GHz band is also necessary to communicate with the Christmas Lights 2 outside the Govee Home app. Usually, the preferred smart home app will ask you to scan a QR code printed on the lights’ controller or listed in the Govee software.

With the Christmas Lights 2, I didn’t experience the same frustrations with Matter pairing as with past smart lights. However, many of the more advanced features with the string lights aren’t available using this connectivity method. With Matter, depending on the app, users should have basic control like powering off the lights or scheduling. Otherwise, a Bluetooth connection in Govee Home is necessary to experiment with elaborate scenes and AI functionality. Consequently, I spent the majority of the time with the Christmas Lights 2, not using Matter.

Software

Govee lights continue to become more sophisticated, so an already congested mobile app must evolve. The number of tabs in the software and methods to control the Christmas Lights 2 seem endless. Scene mode is the quickest way to see what the lights are capable of. Govee now offers over 130 preset scenes designed for Christmas and other holidays.

Before trying any effects, it’s worth completing the Shape Mapping process. By taking a photo of the installed lights, the app recognizes where each bulb is and programs segmented colors and animations accordingly. After this sequence, it’s also possible to finger-sketch different colors and animations onto segments. This is more advantageous with the Christmas Lights 2 hanging on trees rather than running in one direction on a railing. Twinkly lights like the Strings have had this capability for quite some time, making a noticeable difference.

AI-created effects are now integral to Govee smart lights, introduced with TV backlighting products like the Govee AI Sync Box 2. Specific requests for scenes, unlike anything in the app, don’t always produce something satisfactory. The bot may not generate a cohesive-looking pattern, but it at least works as a shortcut to finding desired scenes.

I made simple requests for Easter or Saint Patrick’s Day-related scenes and was pleased with the results. Without AI, you would have to scroll through numerous tabs or user-shared DIY effects.

The Govee Home app becomes more confusing when exploring grouping features with compatible lights. DreamView isn’t intuitive to set up but can coordinate lighting with Govee monitor backlights and wall panel lights in gaming rooms. More critically, the software occasionally lost its Bluetooth connection with the Christmas Lights 2. While these issues were temporary, they made using the app feel disjointed. When displaying the lights outdoors, users are likelier to control them from a distance, which could exacerbate any problems.

Design and Performance

Compared to the Nanoleaf Holiday Lights, which has taller and thinner bulbs, the Christmas Lights 2 uses more compact LED beads. The 66-foot version spreads 200 lights along its cord, creating a bright, detailed display. As buyers step up in size, the number of beads grows to 300, 500, and 1000. I would have preferred a white corded option for the 66-footer, but the green wiring matches outdoor foliage.

One of the major changes to Govee’s festive string lights is the addition of RGBWIC technology. With a chip dedicated to white hues, the lights can now show subtle differences between warm and cool whites. I still think the string lights’ pure white borders on yellow, but white-colored scenes have more variety.

The new Shape Mapping feature leads to complex effects with customizable lighting segments. Most users won’t take the time to finger-sketch clusters of bulbs with colors, but many pre-set scenes maximize the lights’ potential.

The Festival section of Govee’s Scene mode has a treasure trove of Christmas-related patterns. Some selections have more of a wow factor than others, but all are attention-grabbing. After completing the Shape Mapping process, scenes that take advantage of precise animations are marked with an “M.” With these scenes, it’s possible to select both the speed and direction of the lighting.

Despite their name, the Christmas Lights 2 are ready for year-round celebrations. Govee’s expansive library ensures the lights showcase more than red and green effects. While the quality of the scenes varies, most Twinkly and Nanoleaf smart lights can’t match the sheer number of options.

In the colder months, the lights’ music-reactive capabilities are better enjoyed indoors. Even so, the Christmas Lights 2 responds quickly enough to holiday jingles to enhance gatherings. Allowing guests to ask Govee’s AI bot for custom scenery also adds some entertainment value.

Should the Christmas Lights 2 Make Your Holiday List?

Govee hasn’t always revolutionized its smart lights between generations. However, the Christmas Lights 2 addresses some obvious shortcomings of the first holiday string lights. Although I tested the 66-foot version, it’s now available in sizes up to 328 feet. Unfortunately, only the longest option ships with a water-resistant power adapter.

Many of the Christmas Lights 2’s new features are software-powered. Shape Mapping allows installers to wrap the lights around trees in any orientation while maintaining fluid animations. The AI Lighting Bot now effectively programs custom effects without scrolling through 135 pre-set scenes.

Until more capabilities become accessible in other apps, Matter support isn’t that appealing. Still, the Christmas Lights 2 can be simple, wirelessly controlled string lights with scheduling. Or, owners can unleash cutting-edge effects that never become stale. With either approach, buyers will be tempted to keep the Christmas Lights 2 up year-round.

Non-smart holiday string lights still dominate the marketplace, but more premium solutions are popping up. Twinkly’s product line is geared toward the festive season, and the 65-foot Strings with 250 bulbs are a safe option. Like the Govee Christmas Lights 2, they include a mapping feature but support Apple Home without needing Matter.

The Philips Hue Festavia String Lights are pricey options built to withstand weather during all seasons. Finally, Nanoleaf has upgraded its Smart Holiday String Lights since I reviewed the first version. The latest variation boasts 300 bright LED bulbs over 78.8 feet, slightly more generous than the Christmas Lights 2.

FAQ

Q: Can you use a smart plug with traditional Christmas lights?

A smart plug is a way to modernize string lights that can’t be controlled wirelessly. While this enables scheduling, the lights won’t have access to the complex scenes and other features available in Govee, Nanoleaf, and Philips Hue apps.

Q: Can you leave Govee LED lights on overnight?

Govee light strips and bulbs are relatively power efficient and safe to keep on for extended periods. However, for outdoor lights, it’s critical to ensure they are at least IP65-rated to resist water damage.