Totally agree about mounting the remotes—if you don’t, they’re gone in a week. One thing I’d add: if you’re thinking long-term, have you looked at solar-powered yard lights with smart controls? I switched a couple of mine over and it’s been zero maintenance, plus no wiring headaches. Only downside is they’re not as bright as wired bulbs, but for pathways and accent lighting, it’s been solid. Just curious if anyone else has tried mixing solar with smart switches?
Only downside is they’re not as bright as wired bulbs, but for pathways and accent lighting, it’s been solid.
- Tried solar + smart switches last summer.
- In my 1920s place, wiring is a pain, so solar was tempting.
- Pathway lights worked fine, but the brightness drop was noticeable—especially under big trees.
- Smart switches didn’t always play nice with the solar units (timing got weird after cloudy days).
- For accent lighting, it’s a win. For anything functional, I still lean wired.
- Zero maintenance is a huge plus, though.
Wired is definitely the gold standard for brightness and reliability, especially if you want to actually see where you're walking at night or do anything more than just highlight a few shrubs. I totally get the appeal of solar—my house is from the 50s and fishing new wires through plaster walls is a nightmare. But yeah, under trees or on cloudy stretches, solar just doesn’t cut it for anything “functional.” I tried a set of those solar spotlights last year and half the time they’d be dim by 10pm, even in summer.
The smart switch thing is a bit of a headache too. I’ve noticed that most solar lights aren’t really designed to sync up with smart home gear. The timing gets out of whack, like you said, and sometimes the sensors just ignore the switch commands if they’re not fully charged. It’s kind of a mess.
That said, for accent lighting—like uplighting a tree or putting a little glow on a garden bed—solar is hard to beat for convenience. No trenching, no conduit, no worrying about GFCI outlets outside. And not having to replace bulbs or mess with timers is nice... until one dies and you have to figure out which random brand you bought two years ago.
If you’re after something that just works every night, rain or shine, wired with smart switches is still king. But if you’re just looking for a bit of ambiance and don’t mind the occasional dud night after a storm, solar’s not bad. Just don’t expect it to light up your whole yard unless you live somewhere with zero trees and endless sun.
I get where you’re coming from on wired being the “gold standard,” but I’ve actually had decent luck mixing both. In a few of my rentals, I’ve used solar for pathways and accent spots, then just wired up the main areas—kind of a hybrid approach. It cuts down on labor and cost, especially if you’re not planning to stay long-term or don’t want to rip up landscaping. The tech’s not perfect, but for most tenants, as long as the main walkways are lit, they’re happy. I wouldn’t write off solar entirely for functional use, especially with some of the newer, higher-capacity panels. Just depends how much hassle you’re willing to take on.
Mixing solar and wired is actually a pretty smart move, especially for rentals. I like how you mentioned,
That’s honestly the key. I’ve seen solar spotlights get way better in the last couple years—some of the new panels actually hold up through cloudy weeks, which was always my gripe before.“just depends how much hassle you’re willing to take on.”
- Hybrid setups keep the main areas reliable but let you experiment with solar where it makes sense.
- Less trenching = less mess, especially if you’re not planning to stay for decades.
- Tenants usually care more about safety and basic function than having everything on a single system.
I wouldn’t call solar a total replacement for wired yet, but for accent lighting and quick installs, it’s hard to beat.
