The days are longer, the weather gets warmer and we all spend more time outside. I certainly am as my son begs ride a bike to the playground every day after school, now that the sun hasn’t immediately set.
As we transition into these longer days, you might find yourself looking to solve a few issues related to your outdoor lifestyle. Maybe you want to upgrade to a smart lock to make getting around the neighborhood easier without having to worry about your keys or locking the front door, or maybe you want fun lighting that you don’t need to turn on and off manually. Either way, these and other problems can be solved by all kinds of outdoor smart home gadgets. Smart locks, smart lightsand many more can enhance your outdoor lounging and lodging experience from now until daylight saving time surprises us again.
But not all smart home equipment is easy on the eyes. If you like curb appeal, these are the gadgets I recommend getting to add some smarts to your home without breaking the bank on style.
A discreet smart lock
I’m obsessed with this smart lock. THE Pro Level Lock is a complete lock replacement, but it looks like you kept the original front of your lock and only replaced the bracket (which is also an option! More on invisible swaps below.) The interior even looks normal, unlike the massive, bulky bracket on most smart locks. The only person who will know it’s smart is you.
Even with such a small size, it doesn’t lack features. You’ll benefit from plenty of unlocking options, including NFC and Apple Home Key, as well as Material compatibility and long battery life. You will want to add Level Wi-Fi Connect Bridge ($79) if you want to control it remotely.
An elegant doorbell
Photography: Julian Chokkattu
Photography: Julian Chokkattu
Nest Doorbell (wired, 3rd generation)
When I think of a video doorbell that I actually want in my home, the Nest Doorbell is the one I think of. The sleek form factor looks like a big improvement over the Ring camera’s bulky forms, and it’s available in a handful of finishes to best suit your home. It’s still obvious what it is, but all video doorbells are; this one is the least horror.
I tried the battery version, which requires charging every two weeks, but the wired version is the top recommendation in our guide to Best Video Doorbells.
A better birdhouse
I had a new problem for me this spring: the invasion of birds. A little bird made its nest in the wreath of my front door without us realizing it. One evening my sister opened the door and the bird flew out of the nest and came straight into our house. After a 30 minute battle to get him out again (and stop my cat from eating him), it wasn’t until we saw the bird fly out the door again the next day that we realized he called our house his home too.
If this is a common problem in your home, Kat Merck, our bird equipment tester, has a solution: a smart birdhouse. Birdfy does a few different ones smart bird feeders we love watching birds, and the Nest Duo is a birdhouse that allows you to watch birds as they nest inside. This is a slim, attractive box that will add to the style of your front yard while also containing two solar-powered cameras (one facing the entrance, one focused inside) so you can watch birds from multiple angles. It comes with different hole sizes to appeal to different species, metal predator guards to prevent chewing around the hole, and a remote control to reset or recharge the camera without disturbing your feathered neighbors.
Stylish smart lights
Govee
Outdoor light string with transparent bulb
I’ve already liked Govee’s smart outdoor string lights, usually for my holiday decorand have already recommended something similar with a light bistro look that turned out to be smart. These clear bulb string lights are part of Govee’s current range and have a contemporary feel with a triangle in the center instead of the metallic filament. These are a fun option for outdoor lights that you can enjoy on warm nights, and they can do all colors and shades of white without looking as bulky as permanent exterior lights. (As an added bonus, these lights are also Compatible material!)
Fresh bulbs
Cync.
Smart LED bulb, PAR38
If you have lights that you want to control remotely, add a smart bulb. There are tons of choices and you can usually find one from any brand that you already have in your home. The only downside is that smart bulbs intended for outdoors are typically 4.75-inch diameter PAR38-style bulbs, so they’re best suited for down-facing spotlights on your porch or balcony. They will likely be too large to fit in a wall light fixture as a replacement for a full-sized bulb. Don’t settle for just any smart bulb: not all are suitable for outdoors. Check outdoor use notices and waterproof ratings to make sure they are safe to use. I’m a big fan of Cync bulbs, and the brand offers an outdoor version of the Cync Full Color bulbs that I like to use indoors. You can add fun colors, as well as shades of white, to turn the porch spooky orange or red for Halloween, pink for Valentine’s Day, or the colors of your favorite sports team on game day.
Remote controlled garage
Chamberlain
MyQ Smart Garage Controller
Chamberlain
MyQ Smart Garage Door Opener with Built-in Camera
If your garage is the centerpiece of your home’s curb appeal, you can control it as easily as a smart door by adding a smart controller. You can do two different styles: I have the Chamberlain MyQ smart garage opener professionally installed, which means the device that controls my garage has those smarts built in (plus a camera, but I find that doesn’t work very well with the distance between the device and my Wi-Fi router), or you can get a smart garage controller that can add smart features to an existing garage door. Both let you check if the garage is open or closed and operate it remotely, and you can add a video keypad that doubles as a video doorbell and can let you open or close the garage without your phone.
Smart blinds
Smart wings
Motorized roller blinds
Lutron
Caseta smart blinds
The front of my house faces west, so it’s absolutely scorching at the end of the day. What I have to add are a few our favorite smart shades to automate the closing of the blinds on this side of the house at the right time of day. These also give your home a pleasant, cohesive look and immediate, controllable privacy from the outside world. WIRED reviewer Simon Hill recommends SmartWings shades as his top picks, as well as Lutron’s Caseta shades if you’re looking for a more enhanced look.
Invisible exchanges
Looking to add intelligence without affecting your existing setup? These switches can make your front door and yard smart without being visible.
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Yale
Approach lock
This smart lock simply replaces the interior half of your front door lock to make it smart without requiring a new key or changing your exterior hardware. You can also add a keyboard, or not, if you prefer to keep the intelligence completely secret.
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Cync.
Outdoor smart plug
This outdoor outlet is visible at the outlet itself, but if the outlet is covered by something or is at the corner of your front door, no one will know that your lights or other electrical devices are connected to this smart outlet.
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