When we think of smart lighting, we usually think of the lighting we use inside our homes. However, there are also lights and other lighting solutions that can be controlled through apps, voice assistants, and automation systems designed for the exterior of your home . So, let's talk about it and what you should know if you want to make your home smart inside and out.
Smart outdoor lights, why they are interesting
You might not see outdoor lighting as essential for your home , or at least not as a lot of it, let alone smart lighting. A simple spotlight that lets you reach the door without tripping might seem more than enough. But consider this: if you have a garden, a patio, or any outdoor space where you can host a dinner party with friends or simply enjoy the fresh air, why not do it in style and comfort?
As in the interior of the home, what smart lights provide are those small or large benefits, depending on how you look at them, that go beyond just one more light. Because being able to create the perfect environment based on the tone and intensity of the light, creating automations that turn lights on at certain times or turn them off from anywhere without having to go back to where your physical switch is always brings benefits.
For all this is why smart outdoor lights are also interesting:
- Quality and versatility of light to create atmospheres and scenes
- Flexible Payment automation and routines
- energy saving by being able to set schedules and more options related to consumption
- Comfort thanks to remote use via app and voice assistants
What to consider when buying outdoor lights
When buying outdoor lights, the first thing to consider is their safety and durability . These are items that will be exposed to all kinds of weather conditions, so they must be able to withstand and prevent any situation that could be dangerous to our physical safety.
Therefore, make sure that it has resistance to water through some type of protection such as the use of hermetic casings or special seals together with caps or special appliqués depending on the type they are.
Likewise, the subject of the cables, they must be resistant so that they are not affected by changes in temperature such as the heat of the day and the cold of the night. Although here it will also depend to a large extent on the climate of the area in which you live.
The connectivity technology they use is also important. While WiFi can be very convenient, due to its range and potential interference problems, it's ideal to use a standard like Zigbee, Z-Wave , and, in the near future, Matter.
First of all because the range is greater. Also because between the devices themselves a mesh or mesh network can be created that extends the coverage itself. In addition, thanks to products such as the Philips Hue bridge or the Amazon Echo that includes its own HUB, it is very easy to add this type of solution without much extra expense.
Finally, something that many people who buy this type of outdoor lights do not usually look at is that it is or goes according to the street's own outdoor lighting. In other words, for your garden or terrace, of course, you can use RGB lights that give you all those possibilities that color offers, but if it is going to be a guide light or it is going to be placed on the outside of the access door to the house , the minimum is that it has a light intensity and tone similar to that of the rest of the street and neighbors.
From here, depending on the use you want to give it, you will find options that project the light in a way that only illuminates a specific area (passage lights or signaling) or as much as possible (ambient lights, etc.) and finally those that are more decorative such as LED strips or similar.
The best outdoor lights
The catalog of outdoor lights is almost as extensive as the indoor one, there are a multitude of brands that offer proposals of all kinds, some of the most interesting in our opinion are the following.
Philips Hue Outdoor LED strip
See offer on AmazonOne of the advantages of Philips, as we have already said on occasion, is not only its great performance and integration with other connected devices, but also its extensive catalog. Therefore, to each and every one of the indoor lights you can find an outdoor version.
This 2M LED strip is designed to be used outside the home and is resistant to water without any problem. Which is great for its durability.
Philips Hue Lily
See offer on AmazonWithin the Lily family there are different options, a smaller and cheaper version that is this one that we show you and other larger XL ones. They are outdoor spotlights that, when well combined, allow you to create very attractive environments for those dinners or leisure time outside. In addition, the black finish of its casing helps to blend well and be more "invisible". In addition, there are packs with several spotlights that may also interest you.
Philips Hue Discover
See offer on AmazonThis Philips Hue panel is another of its most interesting outdoor proposals. There are many more, but due to the type of light it is perfect for creating that atmosphere you are looking for and when it comes to placing it on an outdoor terrace or patio it is very attractive.
Kolpop Outdoor Garland
See offer on AmazonThis Kolpop outdoor garland is ideal to give a different, much more welcoming and decorative touch to your terrace, balcony or garden for when you want to enjoy a relaxed evening outdoors. In addition, it includes 240 leds in a total of 26m so that you can place it however you want around it or to cover a good part of the wall as a waterfall.
With IP55 protection and without the need to connect to the current thanks to its battery that is charged by solar energy, it is an interesting option with up to 10 hours of autonomy. Of course, it does not give remote control options, but it can still be a good element to combine with others.
rovlak
See offer on AmazonSimilar to the previous garland, but this time with bulbs instead of small LEDs, this chain of 30 bulbs and 11 m in length can be used to decorate the exterior of the house and be used intelligently through some type of smart switch that allows you to control them on and off.
Additional accessories for outdoor lights
Although having properly intelligent lights like the ones seen above is ideal, it may also be interesting to take into account some accessories that could improve your user experience with the outdoor lights that you currently use.
These accessories naturally include the various sensors you can add to your home automation system to achieve features like automatic lighting based on outdoor light. For example, since sunrise and sunset times vary depending on the time of year, being able to control lighting based on the amount of light is beneficial due to the potential energy savings.
Then there are motion sensors, like those from Eglé or those offered by Philips and other brands, which are ideal for lights used for guidance and signage. This way, the lights only turn on when truly needed, not unnecessarily. This again results in energy savings that add up over time.
Again, all of the above applies to these accessories: being resistant to climate changes and offering support to connect to different home automation solutions such as Alexa, Google Assistant or HomeKit is essential. Without forgetting the issue of whether or not they will need their own HUB or allow the use of third parties compatible with standards such as Zigbee or go directly through WiFi.