Bring the Whole Neighborhood Together with Christmas Lights Synchronized Between Houses

Home Christmas decorations — light shows in particular — have reached incredible levels in recent years with many people going all-out to create displays that rival world-class professional setups. Those are almost always contained to one especially spirited homeowner’s yard. The blinding lights may flood their neighbors’ yards but it is still a localized show. Instructables user CarlS wanted lighting technology that could bring the whole neighborhood together. That’s why he designed these awesome ESP8266-controlled LED lights that are synchronized over a WiFi mesh network so that the entire block becomes one gigantic light show.

The Espressif ESP8266 is a low-cost microcontroller module with built-in WiFi connectivity. It was designed specifically for IoT applications and is very affordable, making it perfect for this project. You can purchase complete ESP8266 development boards for just a few dollars each - an ideal price point for these lights since they could easily get damaged or stolen. Most importantly, the ESP8266’s WiFi capabilities can be used for a mesh network. No internet connection is required and you don’t have to worry about the lights being within range of a WiFi router. As long as there is one unit for every two or three houses, the mesh network should cover the neighborhood and will keep the lighting animations in sync.

CarlS used the Wemos D1 Mini board for this project but any ESP8266 board should work. The lights are a string of WS2811 individually-addressable RGB LEDs, which can be arranged in a variety of patterns and that are easy to program with different animated effects. Power can come from either a 5V DC power supply or a battery pack. A waterproof enclosure is required to protect the development board and connections from the elements. The LEDs can be fit into pre-made boards that are manufactured specifically for this purpose or you can make your own by drilling some holes in plywood. CarlS provides the code for the development boards, which is based on the Painless Mesh and FastLED libraries. If you’re feeling generous or you can get your neighbors to pitch in some money, you could quickly build dozens of these to line your street and create a winter wonderland that everyone can enjoy.