6 Highly-Rated Permanent Outdoor Lights To Spice Up Your Home's Exterior

Lighting can make a huge difference when it comes to sprucing up a space. Abundant interior lighting is great for everything from helping illuminate work projects and hobbies to bumping your selfie game up to the next level. Outdoor lighting, on the other hand, can be useful for things like drawing attention to landscaping fixtures, increasing security, or simply improving aesthetics. However, while you can readily find interior lighting solutions at virtually every supermarket and home improvement store, you may be less confident when it comes to shopping for permanent outdoor lighting.

Permanent outdoor lighting refers to lighting solutions designed for outdoor use and engineered to be installed with some degree of permanence. That's in contrast to things like portable lanterns and lights that aren't meant to remain stationary in one place for extended periods. Permanent outdoor lighting may translate to things like floodlights installed outside of your garage, a motion-activated porch light, or even decorative walkway lights. While the term permanent is somewhat loose here, as virtually all lighting solutions can be moved if necessary, it's common to install these devices once and then leave them alone unless you need to replace a bulb or battery.

If you're curious about some of your options when it comes to permanent outdoor lighting, we've got you covered. We checked out the net and searched various stores to find some of the highest-rated permanent outdoor lighting solutions available today. We based our choices on things like price, user reviews, and product features, but we'll cover our selection methodology later. For now, here are six highly-rated permanent outdoor lights to spice up your home's exterior.

One factor that motivates a lot of people to install additional permanent outdoor lighting is a desire for extra security. For people that live in rural areas especially or for those that simply own homes without ample street lighting, it can be scary pulling into a darkened driveway at night. It can be even more unsettling if you live somewhere with lots of shrubbery and other natural hiding places. Installing a set of permanent outdoor security lights can be a great way to brighten up your home's exterior. Many of these lighting solutions even offer other added benefits, like motion activation to alert you if someone is moving outside your house.

If you're interested in installing a set of outdoor security lights, you may want to consider the Tuffenough Solar Outdoor LED Security Lights, available at Amazon. The kit contains two adjustable three-head LED lights. You can adjust the angles at which the lights shine to direct the beam where you need it, while solar panels combined with rechargeable batteries mean you can leave the lights running for days without worrying about them burning out. 

They can produce up to 2,500 lumens of illumination, suitable for driveways, patios, and pool decks, and an included remote control allows you to set the lights' brightness and motion-activation setting. The kit includes the hardware necessary to make these lights a permanent part of your home, while the IP65 waterproof rating ensures that they're able to stand up against the elements in an outdoor environment. The Tuffenough outdoor security light kit costs $47, but is currently on sale for $30. It's exceptionally well-rated by customers and features 4.3 out of five stars based on nearly 30,000 user reviews.

As mentioned, there are various reasons why you may want to install some permanent outdoor lighting. While adding some extra security is a big reason for many, others may simply want to spice up their home's exterior with a little ambient lighting. You've probably seen outdoor solar lights you stick into the ground along walkways and driveways. These devices are excellent for not only making paths easier to follow when it's dark, but they're also phenomenal ways to boost aesthetics and make your home look like something out of a fairy tale. The bad thing about stake lights is that they're not exactly permanent. They break easily, can be quickly stolen or removed, and can even become dislodged after a severe storm.

If you're looking for some similar lights with more permanence, you may want to consider the Solpex Solar Deck Lights. These devices function similarly to the stake lights described above, but are significantly more permanent, thanks to the fact that you must bolt them into place. They run entirely off solar power, and, according to the product description, require four to five hours of sunlight to charge. 

Don't let the name fool you, either. These lights aren't just meant to be installed on deck or porch rails. You can install them on everything from stairs to fences and patios, and the warm white LEDs provide calming illumination without being overly bright. You can install them with basic screws, while the durable ABS shell helps them stand up to the elements. The lights are waterproof, come with a 30-day warranty, and cost $40, but are currently on sale for $30. They're highly-rated by users and boast 4.3 out of five stars based on over 15,000 user reviews.

When it comes to permanent outdoor lighting solutions, there are a lot of options from which you can choose. If you're not interested in using additional lighting to boost your home's security, you may simply want to elevate the mood around your pool or on your deck. Installing additional lights can be a great way to add some ambience to your summer evening cookouts or get-togethers, and it doesn't require a professional contractor, either.

If you're into the idea of adding some ambient lighting to your home's outdoor space, you might want to check out the Brightown Outdoor String Lights, available through Amazon. The 25-foot cables include 12 LED light bulbs and come with one spare bulb in case one burns out. You can connect up to four cables to each other and string these lights across great distances, or you can zigzag them and connect various strands at different outlets. The product description states that the lights are easy to install and that you can use everything from eye hooks to zip ties to suspend this outdoor lighting solution from various structures and support points. 

The lights are built with weatherproof technology to stand up against the elements and provide a permanent source of mood lighting for all your outdoor activities, while various bulb color and housing options allow you to customize your setup according to your needs and personality. The 25-foot Brightown string lights cost $17.50, but other lengths and, as mentioned, colors are available at various different price points. They're exceptionally well-rated by customers and feature 4.5 out of five stars based on nearly 72,000 user reviews.

We've discussed a few permanent outdoor lighting solutions so far, each providing benefits ranging from boosting security to increasing aesthetics and adding ambience. However, there's no reason why outdoor lights can't do more than one thing. Many permanent outdoor lighting solutions offer various benefits, including offering both extra security and a touch of attractive flair.

If you're looking for some multi-purpose permanent outdoor lighting to spice up your home's interior, consider looking into the Vianis Motion Sensor Outdoor Light. The product's integrated passive infrared sensor automatically activates the light at 30% brightness when the sun sets and at 100% brightness when it detects motion. The powerful sensor is capable of detecting motion from up to 40 feet away, helping you avoid surprise and alerting you if anyone approaches your home. You can use the manual override switch to activate the lights at 100% brightness for when you need constant light, while the intelligent sensor will automatically turn them off around dawn. 

The light is built with an anti-rust and waterproof construction, lending to its permanent outdoor application, and provides quick and simple bulb replacements, thanks to the universal E26 socket. The Vianis motion sensor light is available in various colors and designs, allowing you to select the ideal product for your home, and costs $46. It's also highly-rated by users and boasts 4.6 out of five stars based on more than 1,200 customer reviews.

Despite covering a few multi-purpose outdoor lighting solutions so far, most of the products we've discussed still provide normal white or yellow light. Some of the products covered above are available in different color schemes. However, if you're looking for something a bit more extravagant, you may be curious about some other options. For full-blown parties and celebrations, having access to a wide range of colors and modes can be the key to transforming your outdoor gathering from bland to out of this world.

For those of you interested in adding some color to your outdoor lighting array, the MELPO LED Flood Lights could be just what you need. The kit contains four 30-watt LED lights capable of producing warm light and various colors, as well as 23 different lighting modes, including flash, fade, strobe, and many more. You can use these lights to throw your own rave or take a birthday party to the next level, while the mobile application allows you to control it all from your favorite smart device. 

The lights are built with a Bluetooth 5.0 chip and are mesh enabled, meaning you can control various lights and synchronize them for shows or parties. You can use the app to program the lights to turn on at a certain time each day, and the DIY setting feature allows you to create and store scenes for all of your favorite get-togethers and activities. The Melpo lights come with a two-year warranty and are built to be water-resistant in order to stand up against the elements and provide permanent outdoor lighting. The four-pack kit costs $70 and features 4.5 out of five stars based on nearly 2,000 Amazon customer reviews.

One thing about outdoor lighting that you may not like is that we typically install these fixtures at certain height points. Most lights are positioned above our heads, while other outdoor lighting solutions are installed on the ground, a wall, or a handrail. Lights can look amazing when installed this way. However, if you're looking for some permanent outdoor lights to really bring your home's exterior to the next level, you may want something a little more wild.

If that sounds like you, you may be interested in the Zaiyw Curtain Lights, available at Amazon. These lights are basically what they sound like — curtains in the form of hanging lights that you can install everywhere from your bedroom to your back deck for a truly fantasy-like experience. The 20-foot long by 10-foot tall curtains can create both warm white light and multicolor light, allowing you to immerse yourself in spa-like relaxation or pump up the color for an other-worldy spaceship feeling. 

The end-to-end connections allow you to connect up to three sets of lights together, while 11 different light modes — including settings like twinkle, fade, and flash — enable you to set the mood perfectly. The lights are dimmable, feature a timer function, and are IP68 waterproof for outdoor installation. You can control the lights with the included remote control, and each kit comes with installation hooks to make setup a breeze. The Zaiyw  curtain lights cost $30, but are currently on sale for $25. They come with excellent customer ratings and boast 4.3 out of five stars based on over 1,000 user reviews.

We chose the products for this list based on a handful of critical criteria: price, features, and, of course, user reviews. First, we looked for permanent outdoor lighting solutions that won't break the bank. It's usually not hard to find companies in your area that specialize in installing outdoor lighting and other landscape features. However, the services these businesses provide aren't always the cheapest, despite installing outdoor lighting being a project many average homeowners and DIYers can tackle on their own. 

Each of the products covered here falls below the $100 price-point, and most of them cost less than $50. We also considered product features and chose to include a variety of permanent outdoor lighting solutions to spice up your home's exterior. The devices all have different benefits, ranging from increasing outdoor security to boosting aesthetics. Finally, we wanted to hear what real customers had to say about these products. We searched for lighting solutions with large quantities of glowing reviews, and each of the products covered here has at least 4.3 out of five stars based on a minimum of 1,000 user reviews or more.

That said, remember that purchasing permanent outdoor lighting solutions involves more than just reading reviews. You'll also need to understand your available space and the things you plan to do with your outdoor lighting. It's also important to remember your own capabilities when it comes to installing these devices. Each product covered here claims to offer easy installation. However, if you're not comfortable or able to install the products yourself, or if you don't have access to basic DIY tools, you may want to consider hiring a professional.