Outdoor lighting is an excellent way to increase visibility, safety, and the overall visual appeal of your property at night. When creating such an effect, one of the main challenges is finding a way to power all of your outdoor lights. One of the best ways to manage that issue is to adorn your landscape with solar-powered lights.
Rather than connecting to an outlet, outdoor solar lights gain all of their power from the sun. The nature of that power source means that you can arrange solar lights in any area of your yard that receives sunlight. If you want to experience the advantages that solar lights can provide, you’ll need to find the right outdoor solar lights for you and your unique outdoor area. Check out our selection of the best outdoor solar lights from Amazon.
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Best Outdoor Solar Lights from Amazon
As you search for the best outdoor solar lights, you will notice that there are many different options. To help narrow your search, below are a few products that we believe stand above the rest and are worth your time and consideration. Read on to learn more about each one.
Ring Solar Pathlight
Lighting a pathway is one of the most common desires for those seeking outdoor solar lights. If you share the same goal, then the Ring Solar Pathlight is one that you should not overlook. This light comes in several different sets and has some impressive features. It is also a popular solar light on Amazon, with over 2100 5-star ratings.
For example, this light can connect to your mobile devices to allow you to control your lighting remotely. It also connects to Amazon’s Alexa so that you can use convenient voice commands to turn your lights on and off. That level of ingenuity shows that solar lights are only becoming more useful and usable. These lights do require a compatible bridge such as Echo (4th Gen), Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen), or Ring Bridge for all Ring app functionalities to be available.
Vont LED Outdoor Solar Lights
An impressive façade or tree is all the more noteworthy when you illuminate it. The Vont LED Outdoor Solar Lights will give you the chance to do just that. This solar wall light is perfect for casting a lovely light onto any wall you choose.
This product has been upgraded for 2022 and comes in a set of two and offers you a cool white light. That light casts a beam with a 120-degree angle, has adjustable solar panels, and 2 brightness modes. Installation is fast with no tools required.
Brightown Solar String Lights
Many add landscape lighting for the sake of improving safety. But these lights can do much more. For example, the Brightown Solar String Lights are a great way to enliven a patio or deck space at night. This fixture comes with a 35-foot length along which are a set of sixty attractive bulbs.
When buying this item, you will also have the option to select your preferred light color. You can pick from shades such as warm white, purple, green, or multi-colored. Regardless of which you choose, this set of string lights comes with a discrete solar panel that you can set up in the ground nearby.
Rayolon Waterproof Solar Garden Lights
Uplighting is a great way to focus attention on your favorite garden features. The one issue is, many people don’t want to have a fixture that draws attention to itself. That is why items like the Rayolon Waterproof Solar Garden Lights are so popular.
This product sits in the ground and remains flush with the surface. That way, you and your garden guests won’t be distracted by your light fixtures. This light also has the advantage of being entirely waterproof so that you won’t need to worry about damaging it while watering your lawn and plants.
PASAMIC Solar Wall Lanterns
A pair of wall lanterns is one of the best ways to light up your home’s main entrance. But did you know that the lantern you use can be solar powered as well? The PASAMIC Solar Wall Lanterns is a perfect example of a product that is classy and efficient in collecting solar energy.
This lantern comes in a set of two. Each fixture has multiple solar cells that let the product collect light from multiple angles. It also has an impressive battery life. In a single day, this light can shine for up to 12 hours. It is also capable of performing for four years without a replacement.
Outdoor Solar Light Buyer’s Tips
The evaluations you will need to make when selecting an outdoor solar light are numerous. For that reason, we have added this outdoor solar light buyer’s guide to aid you in the process. In the sections below, you can pick up some key insights into what you’ll need to know before settling on an outdoor solar light.
Understand Outdoor Lighting Styles
The first topic you should address when shopping for an outdoor solar light is the lighting style that you wish to have. There are many different lighting fixture styles available for outdoor use, and each one comes with its own distinct application. Additionally, most of these popular outdoor lighting styles can come in solar or non-solar varieties:
- Path lights: Typically on the smaller side, these lights line paths and other walking surfaces to make for safe nighttime walking.
- Bollard lights: Similar to path lights, bollard lights are a bit larger and will cast a larger light.
- Wall lights: Wall lights are a type of uplighting that is ideal for illuminating walls and building facades.
- Floodlights: Floodlights are great for casting a broad beam of light over a wide area.
- Spotlights: Spotlights function similar to floodlights but with a beam that is much narrower.
- String lights: String lighting is not the most powerful lighting option but is a fun way to illuminate your favorite outdoor gathering spaces.
In your search, you are bound to find more styles of outdoor lighting. But those are some of the standard varieties, which are sure to give you some inspiration for your yard.
Research Common Outdoor Lighting Specs
Before embarking on a search for the best outdoor solar light, take some time to understand the specifications that are essential to these types of lights. Here are some of the most common features you should spend time evaluating:
- Size: Pay close attention to the size and shape of the light you choose to ensure it will fit well where you intend to put it.
- Brightness: Some lights are significantly brighter than others, which can dramatically alter the effect your lights have on your landscape. Brightness is often measured in lumens, and you should have a clear idea of how many you need before installing new lights.
- Wattage: Wattage is an indication of a light’s overall power output. Generally, the higher the wattage is, the brighter the light will be. For outdoor lighting, you will most often want a low wattage, such as 40 watts.
- Battery life: The longer your outdoor light’s battery life is, the longer you can expect to see at night. Make sure you select an outdoor solar light that will stay on as long as you need it to.
Knowing about those features alone should set you up to make an informed decision about the light you should get. After satisfying those functional aspects, you can then begin to formulate an overall plan for your landscape lighting.
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Know Your Outdoor Lighting Goals in Advance
There is a multitude of outdoor lighting options, and you can consider each one to be a tool for a different job. As such, you need to know which type of light is correct for you. The light you would choose for a path is much different than the one you would need to light the front of your home. That means that knowing your lighting needs in advance and the fixtures that will meet those needs is crucial to your success.
Outdoor Solar Light FAQs
Most first-time buyers have a long list of questions about the outdoor solar lights from Amazon they intend to buy. Below are some of the most common of those questions, along with brief answers.
Outdoor solar lights work by collecting energy from the sun throughout the day. Typically, these lights have a solar cell that transfers the sun’s rays into usable power. When nighttime arrives, a sensor on the solar light will cue the bulb to turn on using the stored solar energy.
There is a wide range of lumens that an outdoor solar light may have, and the level of brightness you choose is up to you. In general, a solar light with a 100-lumen rating will work well for most landscape applications.
If you want to charge your solar lights without the sun, there is nothing stopping you from doing so. At times, a solar light will gain some charge while sitting in a moderately shaded area. However, if you want a more effective way to charge a solar light without the sun, just use an artificial light. The light from a standard bulb will work the same way as sunlight would.
Most outdoor solar lights are made of waterproof material so it is okay to leave them out all year round. However, winter months will have fewer sunlight hours so your solar lights won’t stay illuminated for as long during the winter as they will in the summer months. Generally, for each hour a solar light is exposed to direct sun, it will stay illuminated for an hour and a half.
John Haryasz is a freelance writer and landscape designer. In the field of landscape architecture, he has contributed to many successful design projects throughout the country. As a writer, John specializes in creating captivating and informative web content. Through that work, he aims to share his design knowledge and promote engagement with the outdoor world.