Top pick
TP-Link Tapo TP25 Outdoor Plug
A smart plug
You can put string lights and other devices on a customizable schedule with this weather-rated outdoor smart plug.
Buying Options
The trick: Hang festive string lights around your front porch and put them on a daily schedule. For the big show, they’re a signal to Halloweenies that you’re open for business (and that you’ve run out of candy once the lights are off).
What you need: string lights, ideally orange or color-changeable ones, and an outdoor smart plug.
How to do it: Standard Christmas-style string lights are a quick, easy, and inexpensive way to add a festive feel to your entryway. I scored a cute little set of pumpkin lights one year for 50% off, but Christmas Lights Etc makes an $18 strand (one of our top picks) that you can get in a variety of colors, including Halloween orange.
An outdoor smart plug such as the TP-Link Tapo TP25 Outdoor Plug, our outdoor pick, makes it easy to trigger your lights on and off at your preferred times using the TP-Link Tapo app and Schedule; that way you don’t have to remember to plug and unplug them twice a day.
Outdoor-rated smart plugs are essential, as they can withstand rain, wind, and other fall weather (indoor models are unsafe for use outside) and should be plugged into an outdoor-rated outlet with a weatherproof outlet cover.
An alternative option: You can skip the smart plug entirely if you opt to invest in outdoor lighting like the Govee Outdoor String Lights. They are nice looking, can live outside year-round, and allow you to choose between different animated color schemes, including a few Halloween-themed ones, or to create your own.
