Best outdoor smart lights in 2023

Consistently one of the most popular additions to new and established smart homes, smart lighting’s great for ambiance, security, convenience, energy savings, and sometimes even a fun, festive atmosphere.

There’s a

variety

of great smart lighting brands, but a lot of them focus on bulbs, indoor lamps, and smart plugs. Weather-resistant smart lighting for outdoor use comes in a little smaller selection, but there are still plenty of reliable, user-friendly path lights, spot lights, wall fixtures, and flood lamps available.

As an added bonus, most support Google Assistant and Alexa voice control, with a select few also able to communicate with Siri.

Which outdoor smart lights are right for you?

Govee makes a wide variety of colorful, fun smart lighting, including the novel (and stimulating) Govee Curtain Light as well as the first Matter-supporting light strip. Since its early success with indoor light bars and decorative, almost cyberpunk fixtures, it’s released several types of outdoor lighting. Its string lights are arguably the most versatile, and of those string lights, the H7021 (and H7020, which is half as long) is the best.

Each of the 50 bulbs can reach up to 50 lumens using an “Illumination Mode” that activates all the different LEDs inside at the same time. It offers 47 preset themes, or you can set different colors for each of the 30 bulbs on the 96-foot bundle. There are even four music modes that let the lights change color and brightness according to ambient noise. Just take care to string them up carefully (and bring your own small zip ties for secure mounting) to ensure they maintain their water resistance.

Philips Hue Econic Up

Premium pick

Top-of-the-line smart illumination

$131

$170

Save

$39

There are a lot of great Philips Hue light fixtures, and the Econic offers a touch of modern style on top of a relatively classic design. It’s every bit as capable and user-friendly as the rest of the Hue lineup, but it’s also just as expensive.

Pros

• Tons of customization options
• Durable, IP44-rated construction
• A variety of designs to choose from

Cons

• Really expensive
• Requires a Hue Bridge

Experts and owners agree on Philips Hue’s dominance of the high-end smart lighting market. The ease of setup, wealth of programming options, extensive mode selection, and impressive dependability support those expert findings. The Econic Up wall fixture looks great on either side of a front door, but several other designs would look great in a lot of places, too. You could go with the Lucca for something more modern, or the Inara for a more antique look with a filament-style bulb.

Considering the range of options and unmatched functionality, it’s easy to pin Philips Hue’s wall fixtures as the premium pick. The only issue is that pretty much every part of the ecosystem (including the required Hue Bridge hub) is considerably more expensive than the competition. If you can afford it, though, no smart lighting is smarter than a full complement of Hue bulbs and fixtures scattered around a

home

.

XMCosy Landscape Lights

Best value

Good landscape lighting at a great price

You don’t have to spend a fortune on versatile landscape and path lighting with this two-pack from

budget

manufacturer XMCosy. Unlike many, you can string together over a dozen as long as you pick up the optional 100-watt

controller

.

Pros

• Can be extended in series
• Simple installation
• Come in several styles

Cons

• Controller and connectors need additional weatherproofing

Path lighting can be surprisingly expensive, but not this two-piece set from XMCosy. At $30 per light, you can pick up enough pairs to brighten your entire front walkway, no matter how long. You can choose from a few interesting styles, and we’ve highlighted one of the nicest looking, which also offers rotating heads to get the perfect lighting angle.

One big positive about these compared to competition is that you can add as many additional units as you want, to an extent. With the optional 100-watt controller, users report successfully wiring together over a dozen, which you can then control separately or all together.

However, we highly recommend shoring up the controller and connectors with some durable tape to keep them safe from moisture and extend the equipment’s lifespan.

Ligency Landscape Lights

Affordable spotlights

Highlight your garden, lawn, and home for cheap

$60

$70

Save

$10

Thanks to the Ligency Landscape Lights, you don’t have to spend a fortune to bathe your facade in the funky colors of your choosing. You can control them with the mated app or pair them with Alexa or Google Assistant for nearly endless automation.

Pros

• Individual or group control
• Great for front and backyards
• Impressive performance for the price

Cons

• App is a little clunky
• Fixed 8-foot distance between lights
• Only rated to IP44

If you want to accent a garden, water feature,

deck

, or just the front of your well-kept home with the colors of your choice, you can’t do so for cheaper than Ligency’s landscape spotlights. Unlike others in their price range, they’re real smart devices that can interact seamlessly with Alexa or Google Assistant, letting you manage them from anywhere in the world. They’re also brighter than you might expect for less than $20 per light, and offer the extensive color and brightness settings that smart lighting demands.

Ligency’s landscape lights are perfect if you want to illuminate an entire wall, or multiple walls or yard features as long as they’re near each other. They’re not perfect, though. Each spotlight’s separated by an 8-foot cord that can’t be altered, so don’t expect to put pairs of them on opposite side of your yard. Also make sure to put the transformer in a weatherproof fixture of some kind, as it’s (inexplicably) the only part of the whole package that’s not waterproof.

Source: Sengled

Sengled Motion Sensor Bulb

Best for security

Ideal for lighting up small, concealed spaces

This indoor/outdoor flood light from Sengled sports a built-in motion detector and Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, SmartThings, and Zigbee connectivity. It’s an especially good choice for anybody putting together a DIY smart security system.

Pros

• Built-in motion sensor
• Easy to add to existing security systems
• Great for Zigbee homes

Cons

• Color and temperature aren’t adjustable
• Not ideal for wide, open spaces

PAR38 bulbs, meant for recessed or other downward-facing fixtures, emit more light than a typical A19, in a considerably more focused beam than the more common BR30 floodlight bulb. This makes it the perfect addition to a custom, piecemeal security system, since it not only adds the safety of a security light, but can also easily tie into any existing smart home setup.

Sengled’s stands out because it’s one of the rare models to combine both integrated motion sensing and wide-ranging smart home support. Whether you’re using Alexa, Google, or Siri over WI-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, or SmartThings, you won’t run into any compatibility issues.

Philips Hue Econic Pathway Light

High-end path lighting

Offers a vast range of programming possibilities

The Econic pedestal light merges wirelessly controlled smart tech with the most traditional design of all Philips Hue’s pathway lights. It can produce white light at the temperature of your choice or any of 16 million colors, with the same flexibility we love about all Hue lighting.

Pros

• Pillar lights and spotlights also available
• Unbeatable customization
• Great for holidays and celebrations

Cons

• Useless without the bridge
• Incredibly high cost

Philips Hue offers only a couple dedicated pathway lights. We’ve highlighted the classically styled Econic pedestal light here, but the Calla pillar lights are also fantastic. You can also opt for the Lily spotlights, which look great as facade or garden accent lights, or as pathway lights when they’re directed and dimmed properly.

Since these are designed for use in yards, they all offer extensions that let you expand your landscape accents considerably. If you can afford them, nothing can outshine Philips Hue landscape lights.

Govee H7060 Floodlights

Best home accent lighting

For everyday use and holiday festivities

Govee extensive variety at reasonable prices is on full display with its H7060 outdoor floodlights. You can mount them on the ground, the wall, and even the eaves to highlight your home’s facade, landscaping, or holiday decorations.

Pros

• Comes in sets of two, four, and six
• Most of it’s rated IP66
• Excellent value

Cons

• Sets can’t be split or wired together
• Power adapter isn’t waterproof

Govee makes sensible smart lighting that competes with the high-end brands, but usually costs a lot less, which is exactly the case with this set of outdoor floodlights. They’re super compact, so they’re easy to install and you’ll barely notice them when they’re off, but they’re bright enough to highlight the best features of your property and provide a little ambient path lighting.

Even more so than most other Govee lighting, these floodlights deliver just about the best bang for your buck we’ve seen. Just make sure to plan your setup before ordering, since they come in hardwired sets of two, four, or six that can’t be extended, cut, or rearranged.

Wiz Elpas Smart Lamp

For your front door

A reasonably priced wall-mounted fixture

With an understated design that blends traditional and modern looks, the Wiz Elpas wall lamp looks great on nearly any house. The installation process is identical to any other wall lamp, and it’s easy to combine with existing smart home setups.

Pros

• Supports the Matter ecosystem
• Extensive in-app and IFTTT programming
• Premium glass and metal construction

Cons

• No official IP rating
• Only available in black

Developed by the same folks behind Philips Hue lighting, the Wiz Elpas wall lamp is one of the best permanent outdoor light fixtures that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. It’s designed for mains voltage, so it doesn’t need a controller (like accent and landscape lights usually do) and the installation process is exactly the same as if you were installing a standard wall sconce.

A more refined and user-friendly app than most makes this a good choice regardless of your preferred smart ecosystem (although Siri voice support is questionable).

Govee H7055 Outdoor Pathway Lights

Safety and ambiance

High-quality output and easy-to-use app

$130

$170

Save

$40

Govee’s model H7055 pillar-style pathway lights deliver bright colors, good programming flexibility, and plenty of reliability at a good price. They can elevate a front yard, backyard, or event space for everyday use or special occasions, and their durable aluminum body ensures a long lifespan.

Pros

• 250 lumens per light
• IP65 dust and water resistance rating
• Can sync to music

Cons

• Power adapter is only IP44
• Can’t be extended in series
• App’s pretty clunky

Give your walkway a touch of class and just enough light to see your way at night with this four-piece set of Govee pillar lights. Typical of Govee’s fun smart lighting, they allow for complete color and brightness control to match your year-round or holiday decor.

They work with Google, Alexa, and Siri, and support IFTTT programming for in-depth integration with nearly any smart ecosystem. The only major drawback is that they’re a little pricey compared to Govee’s other offerings.

Amico Smart Security Light

Maximum security

Eliminate outdoor hiding spots

Decidedly geared toward security rather than ambiance, the smart version of Amico’s three-headed security light turns on when it detects motion or when the smart home it’s connected to says so. You can also program other devices to listen for its motion sensor signal and act accordingly.

Pros

• Can get extremely bright
• 2700K to 6500K white warmth range
• Dependable motion sensor

Cons

• Not super attractive
• No color changing

A different beast from the rest, Amico’s security light doesn’t improve ambiance or add classy path lighting, but it can make a huge difference in an emergency. Its 4,000-lumen output lights up your yard, driveway, or garage and illuminates yards, driveways, and dark corners with ease.

You can adjust the range of the dependable motion sensor up to 70 feet, and the motion detection activation delay from 5 to 60 seconds. A group of these, connected together via the app, can bathe your entire home in bright light at a moment’s notice, while also sending you a notification. While it’s not the best-looking option, at least it’s available in either white or black.

LIFX Color BR30 Nightvision with Infrared

Specialized security

Improves black-and-white night vision

One of our favorite high-end brands, LIFX smart lighting responds to inputs quickly and produces more light than much of the competition. It comes in some of the most interesting varieties you’ll find, including this one that outputs infrared light to give IR night vision cameras a helping hand.

Pros

• Above-average brightness
• Good for illuminating large areas

Cons

• Costs quite a bit
• Useless without an IR night vision camera

A lot of night vision cameras use IR sensors to pick up clear visual details at night, but the camera’s built-in infrared lighting needs a boost sometimes.

The Nightvision version of LIFX’s popular BR30 floodlight adds infrared output wherever you have a down-facing light socket, which can increase the range and clarity on a lot of night vision cameras. Take note that it only works with black-and-white night vision, since the most advanced color night vision uses the visible light spectrum.

Which outdoor smart lighting is best for you

Without the massive variety of indoor lamps, smart plugs, and common smart bulbs, outdoor smart lighting is a little more specialized than indoor. But there’s enough to choose from that you shouldn’t have to settle, depending on your needs.

For example, the Govee string lights are the most accessible and versatile for enjoying your deck, backyard, or even balcony, and they’re pretty easy to install. If you want to highlight a water feature, light up your garden at night, or illuminate a walking path, you can’t do so for less than the XMCosy landscape lights. At the other end of the spectrum, Philips Hue’s outdoor wall-mounted selection (represented here by the Econic Up) enables the most in-depth programming, consistent performance, and robust connectivity of all (but for a high price).

There are quite a few other options for more specialized needs, too. Sengled’s smart PAR38 bulb adds integrated motion-sensing lighting to small- to medium-size spaces like breezeways and side doors. We also love Govee’s floodlights for more spread out accent lighting throughout the yard. And from a purely security-minded perspective, Amico’s smart security puts out a remarkably bright light, either in manual mode or on getting the signal from the built-in and highly sensitive motion sensor.

Protecting your outdoor smart lights from water

Like with most electronics, moisture’s the biggest enemy of outdoor smart lighting. Pay careful attention to IP rating and construction while choosing outdoor lighting, as it’s not always totally consistent. For example, Govee’s floodlights claim an IP66 rating against dust and water ingress, but that doesn’t include the transformer, which you’ll have to cover or weatherproof for long-term safety. Others, like the Philips Hue path and wall lights, have a lower IP44 rating, but at least the whole kit is covered.

If you do opt for any of the reasonably priced options (which tend to use non-watertight connectors or controllers somewhere in the chain), it’s not the end of the world, though. Some quick research should tell you exactly which components aren’t perfectly protected from moisture, and if there’s nowhere nearby for you to easily hide those components, a little weatherproofing tape should fix the issue.

Govee H7021 String Lights

Out of all its various, slightly different string lights, the H7021 family is the brightest and most refined. It’s easy to install, set up, and control, and looks great while promising a long lifespan.