5 Highly-Rated Amazon Gadgets For A Cozy Backyard This Fall

With autumn well underway, bugs and other annoyances are retreating for the season, and yards don't need to be mowed as often. In fact, after using some outdoor tools to prepare your home for fall, you can enjoy the outdoors at most hours of the day. However, nothing quite makes your backyard feel cozy like seasonably suitable gadgets.

Boosting your outdoor lifestyle setup can help turn a slab of concrete or a deck into a sanctuary to end your work day or have a gathering with friends and family. Additionally, many backyard items can be used to help make those off-grid camping adventures more comfortable as well. Based on high ratings from Amazon, as well as recommendations for items I've used, here are five Amazon gadgets to create a cozy backyard you'll want to enjoy this fall season. A more in-depth explanation of our methodology is at the end of this article.

With crisp fall nights comes a bit of a chill in the air, so having some form of heat source on standby is one way to help keep your backyard comfortable. Amazon sells a Patio Heater with Sand Box feature that can produce up to 50,000 BTU — BTU, or British thermal units. To give you a comparison, a Mr. Heater Big Buddy produces between 4,000 to 18,000 BTU, so this patio heater can create some intense heat with up to a 20-foot diameter heat range.

However, you don't have to worry about it getting too hot. The built-in, stainless steel flat surface right underneath the heater which can hold food, drinks, and even your phone. It also has a table design at the bottom half where the sand box, which you can fill with a water and sand mix for a weight of up to 26.45 pounds, lends stability to the structure. If you do accidentally knock the heater, there is a safety mechanism built in that will shut it down once it tilts 45 degrees from vertical. This heater can be purchased from Amazon for $180 and comes with a 4.5 out of five-star rating from over 2,800 users.

Without proper lighting, backyards can get a bit dark once the sun goes down and become a tripping hazard at every other turn. That said, Amazon sells a great low-profile lighting option. With a 4.3 out of five-star rating from over 14,000 users, Solar Deck Lights from Solpex comes as a warm white light in either a 16-pack for $40 or a 20-pack for $44. What makes these lights so unique is that they are L-shaped, so they can be placed on banisters and other decking that have 90-degree ledges. 

These lights come with a solar panel on top and the light on the bottom projecting downwards. They can be installed by two means — either screwing them into a wooden banister or decking or using outdoor adhesive to save you from drilling holes. It's important to note that you'll have to place these lights based on where the sun hits your backyard. A solar deck light that doesn't get direct sunlight to recharge won't have enough stored energy when night comes. Although the company states that these lights are waterproof, that isn't entirely true. Their IP44 rating means they are splashproof. They are still safe to use outside, even when it rains. Just don't submerge them in water.

Whether you've invited a friend group over for a viewing party or need a way to entertain young children for an evening, an affordable portable projector is a great way to bring the TV-watching event outdoors. Amazon sells many projectors; however, very few also come with a screen to display the movie or show. The TMY Mini Projector with Portable Projector Screen, which has a list price of $100, also comes with a 4.3 out of five-star rating from nearly 18,000 buyers.

This projector has built-in HDMI, USB, and 3.5mm headphone ports, along with a TF card slot, so the options are endless for how to connect your favorite video media for a movie night. It accepts TV sticks, game consoles, smartphones, laptops, and so much more. Once connected, the projector will provide a display of at least 32 inches to a maximum of 220 inches with an aspect ratio of 4:3/16:9 and a native 720P resolution with 1080P support. 

Some customers have stated that the plug to connect it to the wall for power is fairly short. A safe extension cord could be used, though. Additionally, the provided screen is quite thin. However, it is foldable, anti-wrinkle, and easy to wash, which is nice for transporting and dealing with the outdoors.

You can find a fire pit in many backyards, but if it's a windy night or if there's a fire ban in place, you can't always get away with a traditional wood fire. Bali Outdoors sells a 42-inch Propane Ceramic Firetable – a great-looking and functional propane fire table — for the list price of $300. If your backyard or budget is undersized, Bali Outdoors sells a smaller and cheaper option — the 28-inch Bali Outdoors Square Firetable for $140.

The larger model received a 4.6 out of five-star rating from over 6,700 buyers and is also a personal recommendation. The product description states that this fire pit can reach up to 60,000 BTU, and while I can't say with certainty that figure is accurate, I will say that it has helped me stay warm on cold nights while enjoying it with friends. The ceramic tabletop is also incredibly sturdy. It keeps my drinks stable, and I can place my feet on it without feeling like I'm to break something.

The table can hide a whole 20-pound propane tank inside, and it uses a pulse ignition system for easy lighting and adjusting. Furthermore, it comes with a lid to keep the components safe from the weather, as well as 15 pounds of glass stones for decoration and heat retention. I would suggest not touching the stones when the fire is going or shortly afterward. They do get hot.

Bluetooth speakers are great for a backyard cookout or simply sitting outside at night. However, standard cheap speakers tend to be either very simple or come with glowing rainbow colors. Amazon sells Vanten LED Flame Outdoor Bluetooth Speakers which appear to look like standard lanterns with a flame flicker inside the caged area. However, the top part of the lantern holds a speaker system with easy-to-use buttons for volume and other media options. Additionally, the bottom has a screw hole for pole-mounting while the top has a handle for hanging.

The Bluetooth lantern got a 4.3 out of five-star rating from over 1,900 users and is also a personal recommendation. I've owned one of these lights for years, and it's still one of my favorite gadgets to use on a table. Even better, the battery seems to last forever. I always recharge it after several uses, and I've never had it die on me. You can buy a two-pack for $50, and they can pair together for 360-degree stereo sound. The light has a very warm flicker glow that truly gives off the impression of a flame — which is definitely relaxing.

These gadgets were all selected from Amazon based on high ratings from an appropriate number of users and reviewers. Each gadget has at least a 4.3 out of five-star rating and a minimum of 1,900 people sharing their experience through either a rating or a review. Even more, we read through the negative reviews to ensure that there was nothing to be concerned about. Some of these products have also been used in my previous backyards at some point or on the road with my camper, and I never found a negative feature among them.

Each of these outdoor products is a piece of technology that can help bring your backyard from boring to homey. We also wanted to make sure we incorporated gadgets that could be useful either year-round or for other activities such as camping or even a Sunday tailgating party. However, if you really want to kick your backyard experience up a notch, you can also introduce some useful Raspberry Pi projects, such as a smart bird feeder or a DIY weather station.