SwitchBot Permanent Outdoor Lights: Matter-ready lights for outside

SwitchBot has launched the Permanent Outdoor Lights, a 30 m permanent light string for rooflines, porches and gardens that uses native Matter over Wi-Fi. You do not need a SwitchBot Hub to add the lights to Apple Home, Alexa, Google Home or Home Assistant. You do still need a Matter controller, such as a HomePod mini. In Europe the system costs €199.99; the US price is $239.99.

30 m of RGBIC light for rooflines and porches

The system consists of six 5 m segments with 72 LEDs in total. Each LED combines red, green and blue with separate warm-white and cool-white chips, so you get 16 million colors plus usable white light from 2700K to 6500K. Thanks to RGBIC control, you can show several colors at once on the same string. SwitchBot quotes up to 40 lumens per LED and up to 2,600 lumens in total; those figures come from lab tests and may vary by mode. In the app you dim from 1 to 100 percent. Included extension cables stretch a run to 36 m, which helps if you want to follow a long facade or a pergola.

Weatherproof, and usable without Wi-Fi

The light strings are rated IP67 for dust and water, while the controller and power adapter are IP65. The enclosure is UV resistant and the system works from -4°F to 140°F (-20°C to 60°C). SwitchBot quotes a lifespan of up to 55,000 hours, which fits lights meant to stay up year-round. You mount them with 3M adhesive tape on smooth surfaces such as finished wood and metal, or with screws on rough wood, concrete, railings and brick. Besides the app and your voice assistant, a wired controller is included with a physical switch and ten brightness levels that keeps working without Wi-Fi. A built-in microphone drives music-reactive lighting.

Matter over Wi-Fi, no hub required

The lights join your Wi-Fi network directly as a Matter device and work with Apple Home, Alexa, Google Home, Home Assistant, SmartThings and other Matter platforms. As with the earlier SwitchBot RGBICWW Light Bars, no hub is needed, but a Matter controller has to manage the device in your home network. In Apple Home you can switch the lights on and off, adjust supported settings and include them in scenes. Schedules, timers and dynamic effects are set up in the SwitchBot app.

Price and availability

According to SwitchBot’s press release, the SwitchBot Permanent Outdoor Lights cost $239.99 or CAD 299.99 and are available through SwitchBot’s online store and Amazon. The US store lists early November as the expected shipping time for pre-orders. SwitchBot’s European online store lists the lights at €199.99, with no shipping date given. If you also want to automate outdoor power, the Aqara Outdoor Plug H2 EU adds Matter switching.