We live in the age of smartphones and high-speed internet, so why do we decorate for Halloween like we’re still in the ’50s? There are tons of high-tech Halloween decorations to take the spooks at your party to the next level. Whether decorating for the kids, work, or your friends, I’ve got Halloween party ideas to fright and delight.
High-tech Halloween lighting
Consider upgrading to LED smart lightbulbs. Smart bulbs are energy-efficient, long-lasting, and a gateway into some amazing effects you wouldn’t believe.
Smart lights come in all shapes and sizes, which is a boon for your Halloween planning. You can put these computer or smartphone-controllable lights just about anywhere, but they do require two things:
- A power source
- A Wi-Fi connection
Which smart lights are right for your Halloween party?
The great thing about using smart lights is that you can control them remotely. This means you can set up all sorts of routines for them to run through. You can have a steady orange hue for general decorations or set them up with the pulsing red of a heartbeat. The sky is the limit, but I recommend pre-planning your setup before committing to a purchase.
There are many different brands of smart lights out there, but the major thing to watch out for is connectivity requirements. Some brands are hubless, so they can connect straight to your computer or smart device. Others require a bridge that connects to your phone or PC and then sends orders out to the groups of lights under its control.
It’s possible to connect several different brands of smart lights. However, if this is your first time using them, you’ll probably want to stick with one manufacturer.
You’ll also want to ensure that you plan out where to place each light. Some bulbs screw into an existing fixture. Others require an AC outlet or run off batteries.
Halloween Party Sound
Halloween sound effects and music make a party come to life. Thanks to wireless technology, you can put a speaker almost anywhere. This means your spooky soundtrack can fill the whole house instead of just one room. When it comes to a sound system, you can go as cheap or as expensive as you desire.
If you’re looking for a sound system to use for Halloween only, there’s no reason to go for broke. You can use a computer or smart device as a hub and connect a series of cheap, battery-powered speakers.
One disadvantage when using wireless Bluetooth speakers is range. Most low-end Bluetooth devices have a range of 10 meters (33 feet) or so. If you need to cover more than a few rooms, then consider using Wi-Fi speakers.
Wi-Fi speakers have a much longer range than Bluetooth speakers, but are more expensive and slightly more complicated. These devices give you a lot more flexibility when it comes to placement. If you use Wi-Fi extenders to expand your network, the range of your sound system could be even longer.
How to control your high-tech Halloween lighting and sound
How you manage all your dynamic Halloween decorations depends on how complex you want to go. Your phone’s regular Bluetooth connection can handle basic lighting using whichever branded app the instructions tell you to download. Most smart product design focuses around ease of use, so as long as you follow the instructions, you can’t go wrong.
Some smart devices require a hub combined with an app to control them, which makes things a bit more complicated. You’ll have to connect the hub to your local network via Wi-Fi or an Ethernet cable. Then each device needs to sync with the hub via an app.
A custom light show can be more difficult. Setting up a show can require hand programming the lights. But if you’re willing, you can create stunning arrangements of light and sound.
High-Tech Halloween Decorations
Once you have the lighting and sound setup, there are great high-tech decorations to elevate your Halloween decor to the next level.
A projector is a great addition. By itself, you can show scary movies for a whole crowd to enjoy, and it can be the key to some impressive effects. A fog machine is a staple Halloween fixture, but when you use a projector to shine a pattern through the fog, it makes it pop. You can also use window projection material to transform a glass surface into a screen. With the right video file, you can project onto your windows and craft the illusion of vampires, zombies, and all sorts of frightening creatures lurking right outside your house.
Animatronics have come a long way in recent years, and you may consider making them a part of your party design. Many of them are motion-activated. With a little planning, you can link them with other effects, like lights, sound, or fog, to truly add some scares to a room.
With a little technology, you can turn your celebration into something special this Halloween. Hopefully these ideas helped spark your creativity.
This article is AT&T sponsored content written by Jason Faulkner, a TechBuzz contributor. The statements in this article are his own and don’t necessarily represent the positions, strategies, or opinions of AT&T.
