Outdoor lights don’t need to be for just the holidays. I’ve been meaning to add some proper new lighting to my patio space, which was previously lit by dim, malfunctioning, solar lanterns. I bought them many years ago and, since then, they’ve suffered the perils of inclement weather and wild animal “curiosity” for far too long.

I’d been investigating smart LED strips for a while and decided now was the time to pull the trigger. Like many homeowners, I’ve heard mixed things about outdoor LED strips: some report they’re surprisingly effective for outdoor lighting, while others say the opposite. In the end, I settled on a couple of sets of $30 LED light strips from a fairly unknown brand so they were cheap enough that even if they didn’t work as advertised, I wouldn’t be out a massive investment.

As it turned out, these ultra-cheap LED strips surprised me in a number of ways, most of them pleasant, some frustrating, some unexpectedly delightful. Here’s how.

1. They’re brighter than you’d expect

As mentioned, I chose a couple of boxes of inexpensive smart LED strips from Amazon, ensuring they were weatherproof and offered the lighting modes I was looking for (good holiday choices as well as neutral modes for the patio strip). 

Installation was troublesome in places because the cheap plastic clips the company included kept breaking when I was using galvanized concrete nails to attach them to the concrete of my porch and patio. In fairness, the clips aren’t intended to have nails hammered into them. They come with small screws, which worked fine on softer surfaces, although the clip portion itself still wasn’t great for snapping onto and holding the strip in place. 

Once they were in place, however, I was very impressed with how bright the strips were. While it’s not very visible in photos, they’re bright enough to glow even in full daylight and they really pop at night. Naturally, brightness depends partly on the color you select, with cooler colors really blazing. If you crave even more light, you could also install aluminum channels or diffusers to boost brightness further but, for my purposes, the brightness out of the box was ample and a welcome surprise.

Bear in mind that these aren’t floodlights. They serve well for mood lighting and ambience, but aren’t necessarily a great fit for security lighting around outdoor cameras. 

2. Weatherproof doesn’t mean “set it and forget it.”

The lights I chose are rated IP68 waterproof, meaning they’re fully sealed against dust and other particulates and should be able to withstand full immersion in water. However, as anyone who’s owned outdoor-proofed gear or furniture, this doesn’t necessarily mean “waterproof forever.” Even waterproof devices can erode over time. While I didn’t run into any functionality issues with my lights caused by weather (despite a dramatic shift in temperature and precipitation in the northeast), I did have some adhesion problems. 

I used concrete tape to secure the strips during clip installation but over time the adhesive degraded and eventually failed, causing the strips to bulge away from the surfaces they were attached to. While not a failing of the light strip itself, it did mean I had to go back and attach additional clips.

The real issue was again not with the light strip itself but the clips, which warped from exposure to the elements over time. Several of them cracked, so I finally gave in and bought higher-quality, more durable metal clips to keep the strips secure. Another option you might consider if you’re installing them yourself is a conduit, which has pre-drilled holes and is designed to keep the LED light strip perfectly flat, straight and snug.

3. Automation can get weirdly addictive

I spent more time than expected tweaking colors, modes and transitions. Especially during the first week, I spent a lot of time with the Magic Lantern app that you use to set up the lights, tweaking settings and playing with lighting patterns. You can also sync the lights to music, so I spent several hours finding playlists that produced the best effects and testing things like ambient noise videos or how the sound of a crackling fireplace would affect the strips. (Hot tip: Wilderness sounds produced appropriate lighting.)

That said, the app UI was atrocious. Software is where you might find most issues with a cheap, little-known brand’s LED strip. It was still easy enough to use but visually unappealing. Also, unlike some more expensive options, there was no option to sync these lights with a smart home platform, which would’ve been a welcome feature.  

4. They changed how the space feels

Patio lights are especially effective at shaping a space’s mood. Warm lights around dinner time matched the sunset or the outdoor fireplace I have on my patio, while cooler lighting was good for movie night or while grilling. It’s hard to overstate how impactful a simple lighting change can be for outdoor parties, especially as the sun sets. You can also create a sense of distinct zones in a space by changing the lighting profile in each one.

One disappointment, however, was warmth. Because the strips are LEDs, they lean toward brighter, cooler tones rather than warm, dim ones. While shifting colors toward oranges and yellows helps, they’ll never match the warmth of traditional incandescent lighting unless you spend more for a higher-end Hue or Govee lighting strip. 

5. Connectivity can be the weak link for cheap strips

The only major issue, and worst surprise, was connectivity issues. While the strips came with a dedicated remote in addition to app control, they sometimes struggled to register input. They frequently lost connection to the app while I was playing with it, and reconnecting was often a frustrating exercise in patience and endurance. On the upside, once you’d set up a routine or pattern, or just chosen a steady color, they almost universally retained that setting until I manually altered it. 

An experiment I’d happily repeat

Overall, I came away with a positive impression of smart LED light strips. Outside of some installation and connection issues, I was impressed by their durability, brightness and versatility. Especially given how inexpensive they are, they’re an easy solution for upgrading your outdoor lighting or altering the vibe of an outdoor space.

I will say, the next step for me is to add back in some traditional lighting fixtures, mostly to address the color temperature issue. For truly warm spaces, which I often crave for parties around twilight or in the early evening hours, traditional lighting is definitely superior; ultimately, LEDs are a great supplement for large spaces and for brighter lighting. They’re also unmatched for control and customization. I expect that spending more on a name-brand product will also get you a better installation and software experience.