All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links.
Invest in the best outdoor lights, and you can spend more time in your backyard partying, sipping a drink on your porch, or reading in your tent after the sun goes down. Outdoor garden lights and solar lights add ambiance, floodlights improve your security, and you can use spotlights to pick out features. I’ve tested all of these lights in my own yard—I won’t lead you down the garden path.
Read our lighting guides for more, including the Best Smart Lighting, Best Smart Bulbs, Best Philips Hue Smart Lights, Best Nanoleaf Smart Lights, and Best Govee Smart Lights.
What You Need to Know About Outdoor Lighting
Here are a few things to keep in mind when you go shopping for outdoor lights.
Power: For most outdoor lighting, you need to run a cable to a power outlet, so you will want an outdoor socket. If you don’t have an outdoor socket, it’s usually a pretty cheap and quick job for an electrician to install a weatherproof one. Just be aware that large power adapters and awkwardly shaped plugs will not fit in outdoor sockets, so you will likely also want some kind of weatherproof box. I like the large Dri-Box ($42) because it has plenty of space and scores an IP55 rating. I have also used the smaller Masterplug Weatherproof Electric Box ($45), and it’s fine. If an outdoor socket isn’t possible, consider running a cable indoors, but it can be tricky and messy if you have to drill through a wall. Solar-powered lights are a good alternative. You could even consider using a portable power station in a shed or other outbuilding. Whatever way you go, always plug the lighting in and connect it via the app before you install it in any outdoor areas.
Photograph: Simon Hill
Control: Most smart backyard lighting connects via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi and is controlled by an app on your phone. You need a decent Wi-Fi signal or to be within Bluetooth range. While it might seem desirable for simplicity to have lighting connected directly to Wi-Fi or to use Bluetooth, there are advantages to systems with dedicated hubs. With Philips Hue, for example, lights are much faster to connect and react to commands using the Hue Hub than through Bluetooth in the app. Hubs can also allow for better group control and greater range. Most smart lighting can be controlled by smart voice assistants, like Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Siri, but ensure you check compatibility before you buy.
Lumens: The brightness of lighting is measured in lumens. To give you an idea, a standard 60-watt light bulb puts out around 800 lumens.
Color: RGB (red, green, blue) is standard and mixes those three to make other colors. RGBW includes a proper white alongside red, green, and blue, which offers greater flexibility and is important if you want high-quality white light. Color temperature is measured in Kelvins (K) and listed as a range (for example, 1200K to 6500K). This range dictates how warm or cool your lighting can get. Reds and oranges are at the lower end of the scale, and blues are at the higher end.
IP Rating: IP stands for Ingress Protection and determines how well a device stands up to water and dust, giving you a clear indication of how weather resistant it is. We have an IP rating explainer that focuses on phones, but all devices, including outdoor lights, use the same IP scale. We have listed the IP ratings for every light we recommend. While an IP44 rating might be durable enough for a wall-mounted light that only has to cope with rain, you will want IP65 or higher for a light on the ground that may be submerged or covered in snow.
-
Linkind
SL5C Smart Spotlight
Whether you want to highlight a path, garden sculptures, or your favorite plants, these solar-powered spotlights from Linkind make it easy. You get eight solar lights in a pack, and they can be sunk into the ground with plastic stakes, mounted as post lights, or fixed on a fence or wall. A simple thumbscrew allows you to angle the focused light on walkways or wherever you want. Provided they aren’t in the shade, the built-in solar panel charges them quickly, and the energy-efficient LED lights provide at least 14 hours of light when fully charged. You can turn them on and off with the physical button, which also cycles through colors, but they’re designed for use with the AiDot app, where you can change the color and color temperature, schedule them to turn on at set times, or when dusk falls, and even pick dynamic lighting modes or have the mic in your phone sync them with music. Each spotlight can emit up to 150 lumens, but you can also tweak the brightness of this landscape lighting in the app.
For reliable pops of color and tunable white light when the sun goes down, with no need to worry about cables, the Linkind SL5C Smart Spotlights are perfect. The dynamic effects and music syncing are a bit gimmicky. The app can be cumbersome, especially if you connect the lights individually, and you must be in Bluetooth range. Your other option is to pay an extra $30 for a hub that lets you group up to 32 lights and control them all far more easily.
Weatherproof Rating: IP67
-
Best Outdoor Lights
Photograph: Govee
Govee
Permanent Outdoor Lights Pro
These permanent color lights from Govee highlight your home’s exterior and make it the talk of the neighborhood, instantly boosting its curb appeal. Each adhesive-backed spotlight can output up to 50 lumens in any color. The 16-foot strips have screw-on waterproof connectors and score an IP67 rating. Mine have been up through howling gales, snow, and torrential rain and are still securely fastened and working perfectly. DIY installation can be tricky (my window cleaner helped me), and some overhang is required to get the best from this exterior lighting because each light should be at least 2 inches away from the wall (4 inches is better). Outdoor sockets also make life easier.
Govee’s app is packed with animated scenes covering different holidays and many colorful styles. You can also highlight your home in white light for a classy look. These lights are pricey, so wait for a discount before you bite. Plan your setup before installation, and thoroughly clean the surface you are sticking the lights to. The sections make it reasonably easy to tailor, but you can’t cut these, and they are unlikely to be the perfect size for your roof. If visible bulbs and cables annoy you, these aren’t for you. The newer Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights 2 ($330 for 100 feet) are also good, usually a bit cheaper, and have closer spacing for the lights, but they are not as bright (40 lumens each) or as good at displaying true or cool white tones.
Weatherproof Rating: IP67 (Control Box IP65)
-
Best Outdoor Spotlights
Each Lily spotlight from Philips Hue contains an LED bulb capable of putting out 640 lumens, enough to act as pathway lights, illuminate architectural features, or light up garden ornaments. The bulbs are wrapped in a tough, black, sealed aluminum tube with spikes for sinking them into the ground and mounting holes for fixing them to walls or fences. A simple thumbscrew on the side makes it easy to adjust the angle. You get 23-foot power extension cables for each light, a couple of T-shaped connectors, and a plug that fits in an outdoor socket. They are IP65-rated (mine have survived wind, rain, and snow). Like the rest of the Hue range, you can choose the brightness, color, temperature, and theme you want in the app, schedule the lights, or link a trigger, like a motion sensor.
The price is the only obvious con here, and if you don’t already have Hue lights, you need to buy a Hue Bridge ($40) on top. That said, the Lily lights are high-quality, versatile, responsive outdoor lights capable of weathering rough conditions. They are an obvious pick for folks who already have some Hue lights.
Weatherproof Rating: IP65
-
Best Outdoor String Lights
Photograph: Twinkly
String lights are not just for holidays anymore. You can use them to brighten up any area, including your garden. Twinkly’s colored string lights are the best and come in various lengths, from 26 to 197 feet. You can set the brightness and color, but these lights top our best smart Christmas lights tree because of the premade effects. Twinkly’s excellent app allows you to map the position of your lights to make the most of the animations. You even have the option of creating effects. You can sync multiple strings for larger areas, too.
The Generation II lights have a physical button for Bluetooth pairing and to switch between effects manually, but you can also control and schedule them from the app on your phone. You can add the Twinkly String Lights to Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, or Google Home for voice controls. If you want party lights that react to the music, Twinkly sells a Music dongle ($30) that plugs in via USB.
With an IP44 rating, the Twinkly String Lights are fine with splashing water, so rain shouldn’t be a problem, but they are probably best situated somewhere sheltered. The plug must be in a covered outdoor socket or weatherproof box. Twinkly also splits its string lights in two and has the power cord in the middle, which can be good or bad depending on where your socket is and how you plan to place them. If you want dense clumps of lights, I also love the Twinkly Cluster ($100) string lights.
Weatherproof Rating: IP44
-
Best Wired Floodlight
Philips Hue
Discover Floodlight
Fans of minimal design will appreciate the Philips Hue Discover Floodlight. It is a hardwired outdoor wall light that’s easy to install if you’re swapping it for existing exterior lighting, but otherwise requires wiring, so you may need an electrician. This floodlight can emit up to 2,300 lumens, enough to illuminate driveways and backyards. You can set the color and color temperature in the Hue app. You need a Hue Bridge ($40) to unlock all of the functionality, enabling you to set schedules, use Philips Hue’s presence-mimicking feature to make it look like you’re home when you’re away, and link motion sensors, switches, and cameras.
I used the Philips Hue Secure Camera to trigger this floodlight when it detected motion, saving me from stubbed toes when putting the bins out at night and doubling as security lighting. If security is your chief concern, you might also consider something like the Eufy Floodlight Cam E340 ($200), the floodlight pick in our Best Outdoor Security Cameras guide. The Philips Hue Discover Floodlight is pricey and best for folks with a Hue setup in their homes.
Weatherproof Rating: IP44
-
Best Outdoor Lights for Camping
This inflatable and rechargeable solar camping lantern is such a smart idea and emits a lovely warm glow that’s perfect for camping or walking at night. There are 31 warm white LEDs inside, emitting up to 360 lumens. It is IP67-rated, durable enough to withstand 150 pounds of pressure, and packs down flat for easy carrying. A full Luci Charge 360 offers up to 110 hours of illumination at three brightness levels. You can charge it via the USB-C port in around two hours or use the built-in solar panel to top it off, though you’ll need several hours of good sunshine to fully recharge it this way. It’s not primarily a power bank, but the 4,000 mAh battery in the Luci Charge 360 can also charge your phone in an emergency. Biolite offers other solar lights, including the smaller Charge 150 ($50) with a 2,000 mAh battery inside.
Weatherproof Rating: IP67
-
Best Portable Lamp
Courtesy of Wiz
Maybe you don’t have outside power or lighting fixtures, or you simply don’t want to install outdoor lights. You can still add lighting to your garden or other outdoor spaces with a portable smart lamp. I love the Wiz Portable Lamp because it puts out 400 lumens, supports all sorts of colors and dynamic lighting effects, has an easy-carry handle, and sports a rechargeable battery that’s good for around six hours. It’s perfect for outdoor dining or party ambiance, but it is only IP20-rated, so avoid using it in the rain. It’s also pricey.
Weatherproof Rating: IP20
Other Outdoor Lights We Tested
Here are a few other outdoor lights we tested and liked that didn’t quite earn a place above.
Photograph: Simon Hill
Govee Outdoor LED String Lights for $70: Perfect for a patio or balcony, these hanging bulbs bring a little atmosphere to parties and hangouts. There are 15 tough plastic bulbs on 48 feet of cable. The bulbs are IP65-rated and offer dimmable warm white or colored light. The control box is IPX5, but the power adapter is not waterproof, so you need to run it inside or use a weatherproof box.
Mpowerd Luci Solar String Lights for $33: If you want lights you can take on the road or camping trips, this clever gadget from Mpowerd can brighten up your RV or campsite. The canister pops open to unspool 18 feet of water-resistant string lights (IPX4). Press the power button to use them as a torch or cycle through the string light colors. There’s a solar panel on top for recharging (but it’s slow) and a port that goes both ways (so this can double as a power bank). There is also a longer, 44-foot model ($100) with 20 bulbs.
Lighting Legends Outdoor Elite Festoon for $58: Folks in the UK seeking a simple string of warm white bulbs to run around the patio, decking, or garden fence will appreciate the Lighting Legends lineup. The Elite Festoon comes in three lengths (23, 33, or 49 feet) and creates a cozy feel. They are IP65 rated, the LED bulbs are shatterproof and replaceable, and the plug fits in a standard outdoor socket. You can also daisy chain them to create longer lengths powered from a single outlet. I also tried and liked the cheaper Super Festoon ($41).
Govee Flood Lights for $100: This simple four-pack of floodlights is easy to mount and angle. You can choose from a wide range of colors and scenes in Govee’s app, and the lights connect via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. You can also dim or tweak the temperature. Each light puts out up to 500 lumens. They are IP65-rated and connected on a 40-foot cord, but the power adapter is not water-resistant.
Don’t Bother
Some of the outdoor lights we tested didn’t live up to expectations.
Photograph: Simon Hill
Twinkly Festoon: As a big fan of Twinkly, I was all set to love these festoon string lights with large color bulbs. At first, they were great, adding some colorful atmosphere to my backyard, but they did not last long before developing faults. Some bulbs died off after allowing water inside, and eventually, the whole string stopped working. Glancing at the negative reviews online suggests this might be a flawed release.
Power up with unlimited access to WIRED. Get best-in-class reporting that’s too important to ignore for just $2.50 $1 per month for 1 year. Includes unlimited digital access and exclusive subscriber-only content. Subscribe Today.
