Whether you're looking to add some character to your garden or some extra illumination to light up your front walk, outdoor solar lights are a practical and inexpensive way to bring new life to your property. Another huge advantage is that these solar bulbs have a self-contained power source, which prevents hikes in your electric bill. Outdoor solar bulbs run off rechargeable batteries that receive their charge directly from sunlight.
Many of the best outdoor solar brands offer simple installation and plentiful control options for their hardware, from buttons and dials to more advanced smart home controls you can access right from your phone. Here are some of our favorite outdoor solar lights for 2020.
Highlights for your yard
InnoGear 2-in-1 Solar Spotlights
- Warm color option
- Flexible placement for optimal charging
- Bright output
- Plastic construction
- No horizontal adjustment for solar panel
If you're looking for a quick and easy install with impressive results, the folks at InnoGear have what you need. This four-pack, 1.5-watt LED landscape system is made for both ground and wall-mounting (screws and hardware included). Just set the light switch to on, mount or stake the lights, and the setup is essentially complete. The only other thing you'll have to choose is whether you want bright or dim illumination. During installation, press the light switch once for bright mode or twice for low-lighting.
The attached solar panels collect and store energy during daytime hours and can be adjusted up to 180 degrees. Once the sun sets, the bulbs of the InnoGear 2-in-1 Solar Spotlights automatically power on, staying lit until sunrise. The lights are also heat-, frost-, and weather-proof, so feel free to use them in your yard or garden year-round.
For a classy patio
Gigalumi Solar Pathway Lights
- Premium construction
- Inexpensive
- Casts great pattern
- Relatively low brightness
- Cover doesn't diffuse light
This regal six-pack by Gigalumi is a great way to add style and eloquence to any part of your home's exterior. Like the Urpower (and other entries on our list), the Gigalumi fixtures use LED bulbs, producing a vibrant, long-lasting shine. The built-in batteries get charged during the day and will keep the bulbs lit for up to 10 hours. That means you'll be able to count on them for the darker days of winter. Setup is as simple as turning the posts on and staking them in your preferred location.
Aesthetically, we love the craftsmanship. The bronze casing gives off quite the rustic charm, and the glasswork is pretty impressive, too. Our one small qualm with the Gigalumi Solar Pathway Lights is that we wish they came with mounting hardware. If you're okay with your solar lights staying on the ground, though, this is a solid choice for the lawn-and-garden connoisseur.
Solar security
Ollivage Motion Sensing Solar Lights
- Inexpensive
- Motion detection built in
- High brightness
- Questionable weatherproofing
- Plastic construction
If you're in the market for a good set of security spotlights but don't want to fork over the dough for an entire system, this Ollivage solar fixture might be the answer. Featuring three rotatable LED bulbs, along with a positionable solar panel, the fixture collects sunlight during the day to power the bulbs all night. As is standard for outdoor solar, the housings are weatherproof, and the lights are automatic. What truly sets Ollivage apart from its competition are the fixture's motion sensors.
When powered on, the Ollivage Motion Sensing Solar Lights are in dim mode, but once you cross over the 120-degree motion threshold, the bulbs are thrown into bright mode. The boosted brightness will last for up to 30 seconds.
Light up your trees
Sanjicha Solar String Outdoor Lights
- Easy set up
- Pleasing pattern modes
- Plenty of length
- Prone to tangling in storage
- Limited brightness
Whether you're decorating for Christmas or adding some year-long charm to your patio, this 72-foot strand of twinklers uses 200-watt LED bulbs that truly shine. The cord itself is well-insulated against the elements and wraps back to a stake-mounted solar panel. Under peak conditions, the panel can collect enough energy to power the entire strand for up to 10 hours!
We also love that the Sanjicha Solar String Outdoor Lights have eight different modes and a memory chip that remembers your last preset, functioning much like a smart strand of Christmas lights. The only thing missing is an app to control the lights from indoors.
Perfect for posts
Davinci Flexfit Solar Post Lights
- Elegant style
- High brightness
- Warm color
- Plastic construction
- Some weatherproofing challenges
These 25-watt LED lamps are specifically designed for 4-by-4, 5-by-5, and 6-by-6 wooden fence posts. Setup is as simple as mounting the fixture plate to the top of your post. Once attached, the lamp gets locked into place. The shell is made of an industrial-grade plastic that, aesthetically, convincingly mimics higher-quality metals. The Davinci Flexfit is a great system for small yards, but the $20 for a two-pack can quickly grow expensive for larger properties that feature more fencing.
