Here's how to prepare your front porch for trick-or-treaters this Halloween

Whether you want to go the spooky or fun route for Halloween, preparing the front porch is a delightful affair that all the neighborhood kids will appreciate. Every year, we go all out with several Halloween-themed inflatables, decorations, lighting, and more. We even set up a projector and screen in the window with a companion speaker on Halloween night to provide the kids with a fun and immersive experience. While you don't have to create a full-on scary set-up, there are some handy ways to simplify a frightening front porch display for trick-or-treaters before curling up with some of the best spooky movies to watch once the kids go to bed.

Control everything with a smart speaker and app

Get everything Halloween-themed outside, from lighting to inflatables and music, set on a schedule and remotely controllable using a smart speaker and complementary apps, like a Google Nest Mini and Google Home. This will come in particularly handy for the days leading up to Halloween. For example, you'll want to keep the lights and inflatables going for a while after dark so those walking or driving by can enjoy the view. But with a smart speaker and other smart devices, you can ensure everything turns off automatically at a specific time each night (say, midnight) then comes back on again at the same time each morning or late afternoon.

This would also allow you to have some fun with older trick-or-treaters, remotely controlling lights, music, or other smart devices from inside the house to scare them as they approach.

Your Halloween hub

Google Nest Mini (2nd Generation Smart Speaker with Google Assistant

$25 at Amazon $25 at Best Buy $25 at Target

Control it all with one tap

With the right gear, from smart lighting to speakers and plugs, you can get everything going with one tap on your phone.

Set up the proper lighting

The primary indication kids trick-or-treating have that your home is giving away candy is the light being on. So, you want it to be bright and illuminate enough area so the kids get a good view of the front door and aren't startled by any spooky décor items that they can't see until they get up close (unless, of course, that's your intention!)

Pathway lighting is a good idea if stairs lead up to your porch, especially if they are steep, to ensure no one trips, falls, or gets hurt. Having them on a motion sensor prevents you from using energy when you don't need to but will illuminate the way only when someone approaches. You can also set these up along the walkway leading up to the house, whether you have stairs or not. Both kids and their parents will appreciate it.

If you opt for smart lighting, it will be possible to control everything via a smart speaker or app.

Light the way

Ring Smart Lighting - Pathlight

$30 at Amazon $30 at Best Buy $30 at Target

Safely sighted

Kids and parents will thank you for providing sufficient illumination for making it up the walkway or stairs.

Complement the look with music

Music, or even spooky sounds, can really add to the experience for kids, getting them excited for the night. This is simple to accomplish on the porch with a portable Bluetooth speaker tucked away in a corner. Ideally, you'll want one that offers long battery life, so you don't need to worry about it dying halfway through the night. One with weatherproof housing is also helpful if it starts to rain and your porch isn't covered. But there are pretty decent portable Bluetooth speakers you can get for under $100 as well. Want to go all out? Grab two that can work as a stereo pair and set them up on opposite sides of the porch. This way, no matter which way trick-or-treaters are walking from on the sidewalk or street, they'll hear your music or audio accompaniment loud and clear.

Small, but mighty

JBL Xtreme 2, Waterproof Portable Bluetooth Speaker

$223 at Amazon $350 at Best Buy $250 at Walmart

Spooky sounds

Able to stand up to just about anything and lasting up to 15 hours, the powerful sound is enough to keep the neighbors entertained.

Use smart plugs

For non-smart devices, like Halloween-themed inflatables, you can make them part of your smart system via smart plugs. Make sure to choose from the best outdoor smart plugs that come in weatherproof housings so they can withstand rain, snow, and extreme temperatures. Plug one into the outlet, then plug the device into it, and voila! It's now possible to control it from your smartphone using the companion app.

Since you likely only have 1-2 outlets on the porch, look for a smart plug that has multiple outlets so you can plug everything in without having to run extension cords.

Plug it all in

BN-LINK Smart WiFi Heavy Duty Outdoor Outlet

$20 at Amazon

Three-in-one

Transform a single outdoor outlet into three, plus be able to control non-smart devices with your phone or even voice.