Finding the right exterior lighting for your home can be difficult. You need to decide what you want to illuminate, what shape of light you’re looking for, how bright you want it to be, and where you want to install it. You can choose from flood or spotlights, as well as walkway and lamp post lighting. Plus, you can then do it all again come the holiday season and go even bigger.

If you want the ability to change the mood in your outdoor space, the Govee Outdoor String Lights 2 might be for you. You can not only hang these from your home or deck but it’s also possible to change the bulbs to over 16 million different colors. They also can withstand harsh conditions, making them the kind of lighting you can keep up all year round.

I’ve been trying to find the perfect outdoor lighting for my deck area and decided to give the Govee Outdoor String Lights 2 a try. What I found impressed me, especially once I was able to integrate them into my smart home.

Price, specs, and availability

The Govee Outdoor String Lights 2 retail for $80 for the 48-foot option, $130 for the 96-foot set, and $170 for the 144-foot package. The 96-foot and 144-foot sets are both currently discounted at Amazon. They are also available through Govee’s website. They’re rated at 36 volts, with a wattage of 54 watts. I have been using the 144-foot set, which also comes with 51 cable clips, 51 zip ties, three string light sets, and one control box.

The lights are waterproof, so you don’t have to worry about leaving them outside in inclement weather. They can withstand temperatures as low as -4 degrees and as high as 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Each light can generate up to 100 lumens at a color temperature of 2,700K. You can choose from 16 million colors and from over 47 scene modes.You can also sync the lights to your music.

What I liked about the Govee Outdoor String Lights 2

Set any mood you want

I have a lower deck that isn’t far off the ground, so I wanted lights that are going to help lead into the grass. I’ve tried solar lights (you can see them in the photos), but they just don’t provide the amount of light that my family needs at night. I have a Ring flood light that is too bright if I’m just trying to sit and enjoy some time outside at night on the deck. So light for ambiance is what I’ve been searching for.

After setting up the Govee Outdoor String Lights 2, I felt I may had just found what I was looking for. I decided not to hang them against my house under the roof and instead threaded them around the outer wall of the deck. Once I had the lights set up, syncing them with the Govee app was simple. I’ve used Govee products in the past, so I already had the app. But if you don’t, it just takes downloading it and signing up for a free account to start. The string lights are Bluetooth-enabled, thereby simplifying the setup process.

What I love about the Govee app is how easy it is to change the lights. You can adjust the color of the lights by selecting one from a massive list. It’s also possible to adjust the color of each bulb individually. Alternatively, there are so many modes you can choose from if you don’t want to get bogged down in the app. It’s been a lot of fun using them and setting them to different settings. I turned on an episode of Stranger Things in my living room and, for fun, set the lights to red outside. I shut off the lights inside and enjoyed an eerie ambiance of a red glow outdoors.

I also integrated the outdoor string lights into my Amazon Alexa smart home. It took almost no time to click a few buttons in the Alexa app and I was able to tell my Echo Show 8, “Alexa, turn on the outdoor lights.” Before I even go outside, I can turn the lights on. The lights also work with Google Assistant. These do have to be plugged in and can be turned on from the attached remote, so you will have to have them near an outlet outdoors or used with an extension cord. The ease of use for these is a huge selling point for utilizing them in your home.

What I don’t like about the Govee Outdoor String Lights 2

Setup is frustrating

The light bulbs are sizable, meaning the cords need to be thicker than simple holiday lights. Because of that, they get tangled incredibly easily. I may have spent more time untangling the lights than it took to actually hang them. All three of the string lights were folded in a way in the box that made them really difficult to untangle. The bulbs are sturdy but they also feel weirdly cheap. Not that many people will touch the light bulbs, but it’s an odd feeling.

If you do want to hang these lights or string them up near a roof or canopy, Govee includes zip ties in the box to run through cable clips. These feel flimsy and too small, so it is very hard to actually tie the lights around things using the provided zip ties. You will have to provide your own nails, hooks, or whatever else you want to string the lights to if you go this route. Also, the user manual suggests that you can place the cable clip over the top portion of the light but I did not find that possible. Putting the clip over a section of the cord next to the light was much easier.

Should you buy the Govee Outdoor String Lights 2?

The Govee Outdoor String Lights 2 offer so many possibilities to set the mood you want. These are incredibly bright and can be changed to look any specific way. While they may not be the easiest lights to hang, they provide superb illumination that you can control with an app or your voice. Govee continues to excel in the customization of its lights and these are no different. If you are looking to up your outddoor lighting, the Govee Outdoor String Lights 2 might be the right pick for you.