I Replaced All My Outdoor Lighting With Cheap Smart LED Strips — Here Are 5 Wonders
Outdoor lights it doesn’t have to be just on holidays. I was intending to add proper new lighting to my patio area, which was previously dimly lit, poorly lit, solar lights. I bought them many years ago and, since then, they have faced the dangers of bad weather and the “curiosity” of wild animals for a very long time.
I have been investigating smart LED strips for a long time and decided that now was the time to pull the trigger. Like many homeowners, I’ve heard mixed things about outdoor LED strips: some report that they work surprisingly well in outdoor lighting, while others say the opposite. In the end, I settled on a few sets $30 LED light strips from an unknown brand so they were cheap enough that even if they didn’t work as advertised, I wouldn’t be a huge investment.
As it turns out, these very cheap LED strips surprised me in many ways, many of them pleasant, some frustrating, some unexpectedly exciting. Here is the way.
- They are brighter than you would expect
The lights were a little brighter than I expected.
As mentioned, I chose a few inexpensive boxes smart LED strips from Amazonmaking sure they are weatherproof and offering the lighting options I was looking for (great holiday options and neutral patio line options).
Installation was a problem in places because the cheap plastic clips that the company supplied kept breaking when I used galvanized concrete nails to attach them to the concrete on my deck and patio. In fairness, clips are not meant to have nails nailed into them. They come with small screws, which worked well for soft surfaces, although the clip part itself wasn’t ready to slide in and hold the thread in place.
These lights worked better with cold colors than warm colors, but some traditional lighting may have helped as well.
However, once they were there, I was very impressed with how bright the strips were. Although it’s not very visible in photos, it’s bright enough to shine even during the day and pop out at night. Naturally, the light depends in part on the color you choose, with cool colors really burning. If you desire more light, you can also install aluminum channels or baffles to increase the light but, for my purposes, the light out of the box was sufficient and a welcome surprise.
Remember these are not floodlights. They work well for mood lighting and ambience, but they are not ideal security light around outdoor cameras.
2. Climate protection does not mean “set it and forget it.”
Installation is where I had some problems with the light line, mostly caused by the plastic clips.
The lights I chose are rated IP68 waterproof, which means they are completely sealed from dust and other particles and should be able to withstand complete submersion in water. However, like anyone with outdoor-proven gear or furniture, this doesn’t mean “forever waterproof.” Even waterproof equipment can wear out over time. While I didn’t experience any performance issues with my lights caused by the weather (despite significant temperature changes and rain in the northeast), I did have adhesion issues.
I used duct tape to secure the strips during installation of the clip but over time the glue deteriorated and eventually failed, causing the strips to pop away from where they were attached. Although not a failure of the light line itself, it meant I had to go back and attach more clips.
The real problem was not with the light line itself but the clips, which have become warped from exposure to the elements over time. Several of them broke, so I finally gave in and bought some high-quality, long-lasting metal clips to keep the threads secure. Another option to consider is installing the pipe yourself, which has pre-drilled holes and is designed to keep the LED light line low, straight and soft.
3. Automation can get strangely addictive
I spent a lot of time playing with the settings and even syncing the lights to the music.
I spent more time than expected adjusting colors, paths and transitions. Especially during the first week, I spent a lot of time with the Magic Lantern app for setting up lights, adjusting settings and playing with lighting patterns. You can also sync the lights to the music, so I spent a few hours finding the playlists that produced the best results and testing things like surround sound videos or how the sound of a crackling fireplace would affect the strings. (Hot tip: Wilderness sounds produce the right amount of light.)
That said, the app’s UI was atrocious. The software is where you can find the most problems with the LED line of a cheap, little-known brand. It was easy enough to use but not attractive. Also, unlike other more expensive options, there was no option to sync these lights with a smart home platform, which would have been a welcome feature.
4. They change the way space feels
The LED light bulbs I put outside my house did not draw much energy and allowed me to organize my home.
Patio lights are very effective in shaping the landscape. The warm lights for dinner are like sunsets or the outdoor fireplace I have on my porch, while the cool light was great for movie night or while grilling. It’s hard to overstate how much of an impact a simple lighting change can have on outdoor parties, especially as the sun goes down. You can also create the feeling of different areas in the space by changing the lighting profile in each area.
However, another disappointment was the warmth. Because the strips are LED, they lean towards light, cool tones rather than warm, dark ones. While changing colors to oranges and yellows helps, it won’t match the warmth of traditional incandescent lighting unless you spend extra money for higher brightness. Huh or Govee lighting line.
5. Communication can be the weak link of cheap threads
The Magic Lantern app works well enough, but the UI is not very good.
The only major problem, and the worst surprise, was the connection problems. While the pads came with a dedicated remote control in addition to controlling the app, they sometimes struggled to register inputs. They often lost connection with the app while I was playing with it, and reconnecting was a frustrating exercise of patience and perseverance. On the flip side, once you’ve set up a cycle or pattern, or selected a static color, they almost always keep that setting until I manually change it.
An experiment I would happily repeat
The remote control wasn’t the best, but other than that and some minor installation and software issues, the lights more than earned their $30 entry price.
Overall, I came away with a great idea for smart LED light strips. Aside from some installation and connectivity issues, I was impressed with their durability, lightness and flexibility. Especially considering how inexpensive they are, they’re an easy solution to improving your outdoor lighting or changing the vibe of an outdoor space.
I will say, the next step for me is to add back some traditional lights, especially to deal with the problem of color temperature. In really warm places, which I tend to aspire to during twilight or evening hours, the native light is very high; Finally, LEDs are a great addition for large spaces and bright lighting. And they’re unmatched for control and customization. I expect that spending more money on a brand name product will also get you better installation and software experience.
