Yeah, totally get where you’re coming from. I’ve got an old house too and rewiring is just not in the cards unless I want to live in a construction zone for a month. Outdoor plugs have been a lifesaver for me—like you said, “
” Same deal here. Sure, they’re not bulletproof, but neither are most “weatherproof” things anyway. For the price and flexibility, it’s hard to beat. And honestly, swapping out a plug every couple years beats patching plaster any day.Outdoor smart plugs let me add zones wherever I want without touching the original wiring or drilling holes in 100-year-old brick.
Couldn’t agree more about the outdoor plugs—seriously, they’re a game changer for old houses.
100%. I’ve had to replace a couple after rough winters, but it’s still way less hassle than messing with ancient wiring. Plus, you can move stuff around if you change your mind about the setup. I do wish some of them had better WiFi range, though... that’s been my only real headache so far.“swapping out a plug every couple years beats patching plaster any day.”
I hear you on the WiFi range—mine barely reaches the back fence, so half the time I’ve gotta walk outside just to get the lights to respond. I actually went with smart switches for the patio instead of smart bulbs or plugs, mostly because I didn’t want to keep replacing outdoor bulbs every time one got fried. The switches were a pain to install (old wiring nightmares), but once they’re in, you kind of forget about them. Not perfect, but less stuff to replace after each winter.
That’s a solid call on the switches, especially with outdoor bulbs being so hit-or-miss in bad weather. I’ve run into the same wiring headaches—old houses never make it easy. Do you notice any lag with the switches, or are they pretty responsive once set up? I keep wondering if it’s worth the hassle for my own setup.
I hear you on the wiring headaches—my 1950s place had me scratching my head more than once. Honestly, once I got the smart switches dialed in, they’ve been super responsive. Maybe a half-second delay at most, but nothing that bugs me. The initial setup was a pain (crawling around in the attic, tracing wires...), but after that, it’s been smooth sailing. If you’re already dealing with old wiring, it’s a hassle either way, but I found switches less finicky than outdoor bulbs, especially when the weather turns nasty. Worth it for me, but yeah, it’s not exactly plug-and-play.
