I hear you on the solar stuff—mine looked great for about two months, then the batteries just tanked. Hardwired switches have been way less hassle for me, especially when it’s freezing out and I don’t want to mess with dead lights. Solar’s nice for spots where running wire is a nightmare, but I wouldn’t trust it for anything important. And yeah, squirrels are relentless... I’ve had to patch up more than one chewed-up fixture.
And yeah, squirrels are relentless... I’ve had to patch up more than one chewed-up fixture.
Those little furballs are the bane of my existence. I swear, if there’s a wire anywhere in my yard, a squirrel will find it and treat it like a chew toy. Last winter, I thought I’d outsmarted them by running conduit along the fence—nope. They just moved on to the motion sensor instead. At this point, I’m convinced they’re running some kind of organized operation.
I get what you mean about solar being unreliable when it counts. My place is old enough that running new wire is basically an archaeological dig, so I tried solar path lights for a while. Looked magical for about a week, then half of them went dark and the other half just blinked at me like they were sending Morse code distress signals. Not exactly the ambiance I was going for.
Hardwired switches have been way less drama for me too, especially since my house wiring is already a patchwork quilt from previous owners’ “creative” solutions. The smart switches have held up through two winters now, which is more than I can say for any battery-powered gadget out there. Only downside is crawling around in the crawlspace to run new lines—if you ever want to know what it’s like to be chased by spiders in pitch blackness, that’s the way.
I do have one spot behind the garage where solar’s still hanging on (mainly because getting power back there would require digging up my wife’s prized peonies—no thanks). But for anything important or anywhere near where people actually walk? Hardwired all day.
If anyone figures out how to make squirrel-proof wiring that doesn’t look like something out of Mad Max, let me know...
- I’m with you on the hardwired switches—less hassle in the long run, even if crawling around under the house is a nightmare.
- Solar lights looked cool for about a week at my place too, then they just faded out. Not worth the trouble.
- Squirrels chewed through my landscape lighting last spring. Tried wrapping the wires in that “rodent-proof” tape—didn’t slow them down at all.
- Has anyone tried those smart bulbs that screw into regular outdoor fixtures? Wondering if they’re any better than the switches, or just another thing for the squirrels to mess with.
- Smart bulbs in outdoor fixtures are a mixed bag. I tried them last fall—Philips Hue, to be specific—and they worked fine for a while, but the weather seemed to mess with the connectivity. Sometimes they’d just refuse to turn on, or get stuck at 10% brightness. Not sure if it was the cold or my WiFi, but it got old fast.
- The main upside is you can change colors for holidays or parties, which is fun if you’re into that. But honestly, for basic yard lighting, smart switches have been way more reliable for me. Once they’re in, you don’t have to think about them much.
- Squirrels haven’t bothered my bulbs yet, but they did chew through the wire on my old string lights. I wrapped those in aluminum foil as a last resort—looked ridiculous but actually worked for a while.
- If you’re worried about critters, hardwired switches with conduit might be your best bet. It’s more work up front, but less maintenance down the line. Smart bulbs are just another thing to reset when the app glitches or the WiFi hiccups.
- One thing: if you’ve got fixtures that are hard to reach (like up high on a shed), smart bulbs can save you from climbing up there every time you want to change something. But for ground-level stuff? Switches all day.
- Solar lights... yeah, I gave up after two seasons. They look great in the store and then just fade into nothingness by July.
- If you do go with smart bulbs outside, make sure your fixtures are rated for outdoor use and sealed tight. Moisture will kill those bulbs faster than squirrels ever could.
- In the end, I’d say: switches for reliability, bulbs for flexibility (and if you like playing with colors). Just depends on how much fiddling you want to do versus set-it-and-forget-it.
I hear you on the smart bulbs being a bit finicky outside. I tried some LIFX bulbs in my porch fixtures last winter, and they basically turned into expensive mood lighting for the squirrels—half the time they’d just blink at me like, “Nope, not today.” I think cold weather and WiFi dead zones are a brutal combo. Plus, if your router’s inside and you’ve got brick walls or metal siding, forget about it.
But man, the color-changing thing is hard to give up once you get used to it. Halloween was a blast—my house looked like a haunted disco. Still, after resetting them for the third time in a week, I started eyeing my old-school switches with nostalgia.
I’m with you on smart switches being more reliable. Once I swapped out my garage light switch for a Kasa smart one, it just worked. No drama. It’s not as flashy as rainbow bulbs, but honestly, most of the time I just want to see where I’m stepping when I take out the trash at night.
The critter situation is real too. Squirrels haven’t gone after my bulbs (yet), but raccoons did manage to unscrew one once—no idea how they pulled that off. Aluminum foil armor sounds hilarious but also kind of genius.
One thing I’ll say: if you’re renting or don’t want to mess with wiring, smart bulbs are way less commitment. But if you own your place and don’t mind a little DIY, switches are just less hassle in the long run. And yeah, solar lights... mine are basically decorative by midsummer. They look good for about two weeks and then fade into sad little glimmers.
If you’re set on bulbs outside, definitely double-check those fixture seals. Learned that lesson after one rainstorm fried two Hue bulbs—expensive mistake.
At this point, I use a mix: switches for anything important or high-traffic, and a couple of smart bulbs where I want to play with colors or avoid dragging out the ladder every month. Keeps things interesting without driving me nuts every time the WiFi hiccups or a squirrel gets curious.
