The 5 Best Devices for Smartening Up Your Backyard and Garden of 2024 | Reviews by Wirecutter

By Rachel Cericola

Rachel Cericola is a writer covering smart home. In addition to testing hundreds of smart devices, she has also tested dozens of ice cream sandwiches.

This guide has been fully updated with our latest picks.

Getting outside can reduce stress and improve your health, and a properly equipped backyard is especially inviting, whether you want a place to relax alone, with family, or when hosting visitors. Adding certain accoutrements can certainly kick up the serotonin—and adding smart devices increases convenience, comfort, and the cool factor. Here are a few of our favorite smart items for the outdoors.

You need strong Wi-Fi to reach outside. If your signal is weak, consider adding a Wi-Fi extender or repeater, or a mesh network.

If your outdoor device has a power cord, make sure to plug it into an outdoor-approved receptacle with a weatherproof box.

Don’t use indoor devices outside; confirm that your devices are IP-rated for outdoor use. We recommend a minimum rating of IP44.

If it’s too hot or too cold, some electronics may not function properly, and batteries can drain. Check your device’s operating temperature.

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I’m a senior staff writer covering the smart home for Wirecutter. I have been writing about technology for more than 20 years, and I’ve written guides to outdoor security cameras, smart speakers, and smart bird feeders.

For this guide:

Smart devices are problem-solvers at heart, and I’ve found that each of the devices we’ve included here make it easier to stay on top of things. For instance, most folks have forgotten to water the garden and then watched the results of their hard work shrivel. Or maybe they’ve sweated over a grill only to have their burgers turn to cinder. Or perhaps they’ve wished for a light behind the garage for the umpteenth time when stumbling around in the dark.

With a modest selection of smart devices, you can make it so those things never happen again. Smart sprinklers allow you to schedule watering, so your plants never go without—but they can also adjust to local weather conditions, so you aren’t one of those dinguses who still water when it’s raining. Smart grills monitor temperatures and timing, and they can alert you so you don’t come back to a conflagration. Automatic outdoor lights can reside just about anywhere, adding convenience, ambiance, and safety.

If you’re planning to smarten up your outdoor space, first confirm that any device you’re considering can withstand snow, rain, wind, and dust. Look for devices that have an IP rating, a two-digit number that tells you how weatherproof a device may be. Unless your devices are living under a covered area, we recommend looking for a rating of at least IP44, which means the device will be fine in the face of dust and particles of 1 mm and greater, as well as low-pressure water sprays from a variety of directions. If you’re due for heavy weather, consider bringing those devices inside or covering them.

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Who this is for: Smart outdoor lights come in different shapes and sizes to accommodate a variety of needs and landscaping designs. Many can be set on a schedule to light up the pathway to the door after a long day at work, for example, or to add ambiance when you’re greeting guests.

This battery- and solar-powered pathlight doesn’t need a cord to operate, so you can install it anywhere you need a motion-activated pop of light.

Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Works with Ring

Why it’s a pick: Designed to light up walkways or patios, the Ring Solar Pathlight uses solar power, so it doesn’t need to be plugged in and doesn’t need disposable batteries. This makes it easy to use and place almost anywhere, although it does need to be in direct sunlight for the solar panels to work. It also requires the Ring Bridge (usually available as a bundle), the Ring Alarm Pro, or a compatible Amazon Echo device, which acts as a network bridge. You can control it with an app or set it to turn on and off automatically through a built-in motion sensor.

Another good option: If you have a nearby outlet, the Atomi Smart WiFi LED Spot Lights are bright enough to guide you down walkways or to create another decorative element for your landscape, party, or holiday display with colors and tunable white light. Available in packs of four, they’re compatible with Alexa and Google Home.

Who this is for: Smart string lights add ambiance and mood; they aren’t meant to provide bright light. They’re easy to install, and they fit nicely along the rail of a deck, along fences, around a garage door, by a pool area, or in any other yard space within reach of an outlet.

Available in different-length strands, these classic-style lights deliver bright colors and have more bulbs than any other model we’ve tested.

Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home

Why it’s a pick: The Govee Outdoor String Lights are good-looking and have more bulbs than any other string-light model we’ve tested—yet they’re surprising cheap. Available in 48- and 96-foot strands, they feature a traditional bulb shape that you can set to a tunable white light or change to color, and you can sync them to react to music. The app includes preset color schemes to match your party theme, landscape, or mood.

Another good option: You can find a few non-smart string-light models that are cheap and easy to use (including our pick from Newhouse Lighting). If you already own a set of these, you can smarten them up with the TP-Link Tapo TP25 Outdoor Plug.

Who this is for: Don’t be the person who incinerates everyone’s dinner because you got caught up yapping with guests or fiddling with the music playlist. With a smart smoker or grill, you don’t have to sacrifice having a conversation even while you’re on cooking duty.

This pellet grill performed the best in our tests, and it includes both W-Fi and Bluetooth support, so you always know what’s cooking.

Why it’s a pick: The Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24 pellet grill delivered the most delicious results overall in our tests. Its companion app allows you to adjust temperatures, set timers, and receive notifications, and it even keeps a history of previous smoking sessions for your reference. We also like how the grill includes four ports for temperature probes; you can label the probes individually in the app and then set the app’s Smart Meat Assistant to guard different types of grilled goodies appropriately.

Another good option: The Traeger Pro 575 is a less expensive option and does really well at holding low temperatures. It’s also reliable and easy to control from your phone, which relieves you from having to stand sentry for daylong smoking sessions.

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Who this is for: If you want your outdoor speakers to do more than just crank out music, consider a smart outdoor speaker. This type of speaker combines wireless music streaming with the power of voice control, so you can call up songs and playlists while you’re flipping burgers. Some models can join with other speakers to create a whole-yard system.

This portable speaker boasts a long battery life, terrific audio quality, and support for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Apple AirPlay 2.

Compatible with: Amazon Alexa

Why it’s a pick: The Sonos Move 2 has all of the power of a Sonos speaker but includes a rechargeable battery, so you can take your music anywhere inside and outside the house. We love that it supports Bluetooth, as well as voice control via Sonos Voice and Alexa. The latter can turn the speaker into a portable party game, allowing for endless trivia, as well as news, weather, and remote control of other smart devices. One thing that our AV experts don’t love is the actual Sonos app, which is buggy; we recommend controlling the device through other platforms such as AirPlay or directly through SpotifyConnect.

Another good option: Some iteration of the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom has been our Bluetooth speaker recommendation for over seven years now, and the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4 is no different. It’s compact and rugged, and it kicks butt when it comes to sound—it’s just lacking the smart features of our pick.

Who this is for: Keeping up with a garden and keeping a lawn from drying out can seem like a full-time gig. But simply setting a sprinkler on autopilot can put you in situations such as watering your lawn during a rainstorm. Smart sprinklers and hose timers allow you to create schedules so that you water on a regular basis, but only as much as you need—and they can even override those schedules when rain is coming.

The most flexible smart controller for your garden or yard irrigation system is also the easiest to use.

Compatibility: Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri Shortcuts, Google Home

Why it’s a pick: Available for underground sprinkler systems ranging from four to 16 zones, the Rachio 3 Smart Sprinkler Controller has the easiest app of any model we tested. Of course, watering the grass should be easy, but the Rachio 3 allows you to create schedules and use local web-based weather info to adjust them automatically. And if you happen to lose Wi-Fi, it will still run existing Schedules.

Another good option: If you don’t have an underground system set up, the Rachio Smart Hose Timer can connect your hose and above-ground sprinklers. It’s also extremely easy to use, with a straightforward app that allows you to switch between timers and Schedules, as well as to water on demand.

This article was edited by Jon Chase and Grant Clauser.

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Rachel Cericola

I write about everything from smart lighting and home security to Wi-Fi cameras and smart bird feeders. I’ve also covered ice cream sandwiches, robot vacuums, and snoring.

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