- Love seeing someone else making smart bulbs work outside—totally agree, the “it depends” answer is underrated.
- Color scenes are a game-changer for outdoor vibes. I’ve set up a few patios where the right hue just makes the space pop for parties or chill nights.
- Weatherproofing is key, but it’s worth it for the creative control. Sometimes a little extra effort beats settling for plain white light.
- Not every setup needs to be bulletproof—sometimes “good enough” lets you experiment and actually enjoy your space.
Smart Switches: Less Hassle, More Flex?
Not to rain on the color parade, but I keep coming back to smart switches for outdoor setups. All that talk about weatherproofing—totally valid, but it’s a pain sometimes. Swapping out bulbs every time one fails or gets waterlogged is no fun. With switches, you keep your regular (and often more durable) fixtures and just automate the control.
Not every setup needs to be bulletproof—sometimes “good enough” lets you experiment and actually enjoy your space.
I get this, but from experience, “good enough” can turn into “why isn’t this working?” pretty quick when you’re troubleshooting in the rain. If you want color scenes, bulbs are great, but for basic on/off or dimming? Switches are way less maintenance long-term. Just my two cents after a few too many soggy weekends...
Honestly, I’ve been down the “smart bulb in a leaky fixture” road and it’s not my favorite memory. Ended up with a light show every time it rained—unintentionally. Here’s what worked for me: smart switch inside, regular outdoor-rated bulbs outside. No more climbing ladders to swap out dead bulbs, and the fixtures hold up way better. If you’re not set on color-changing, switches are just less hassle. Only thing is, make sure your switch is rated for outdoor circuits if you’re wiring it up to exterior lights. Learned that the hard way...
Had a similar experience when I first tried smart bulbs outside—let’s just say humidity and “smart” tech don’t always mix. I switched gears and went with a smart switch inside, too. Here’s what I did: checked the load rating, made sure the wiring was compatible, and used LED outdoor bulbs. It’s not as flashy as color-changing, but honestly, it’s been way more reliable. Only thing I’d add is to double-check your WiFi signal reaches the switch if it’s far from your router... learned that after a few frustrating resets.
I get where you’re coming from with the smart switch route—definitely more reliable, especially with weather being unpredictable. But I actually went the opposite direction and stuck with smart bulbs outside, and it’s worked out better than I expected. Here’s why I’m still team smart bulb (even after a few headaches):
- Flexibility: I love being able to change colors for holidays or just to set a mood. It’s a small thing, but it makes the yard feel more “mine.”
- Individual control: If one bulb goes out or acts up, I just swap it. No need to mess with wiring or kill power to the whole circuit.
- Placement: Some of my fixtures are in weird spots where running new wiring for a switch would’ve been a pain. Bulbs were just easier.
That said, humidity is a real pain. I had one bulb die after a storm, but I switched to ones rated for outdoor use (and added a little silicone around the fixture). Haven’t had issues since, knock on wood.
WiFi range is definitely a thing, though. I had to move my router closer to the back door, which was annoying. But honestly, if you’re already running into WiFi issues with switches, you might hit the same wall with bulbs.
One thing I’d push back on: reliability. I think it depends a lot on your setup and the quality of the bulbs or switches you buy. Cheap stuff is always going to be flaky, no matter what.
Anyway, just wanted to throw out that smart bulbs can work outside if you’re willing to tinker a bit. Not saying it’s perfect, but for me, the flexibility’s worth the occasional hassle.
