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Light in the backyard helps you keep your gatherings lively past bedtime; that said, some times dimmer is better (why else do we love candles so much?). It doesn’t take much to accomplish, either: here, we will tell you all about the best outdoor dimmer switch options that will provide the right ambiance with little to no effort on your part.
How to Choose a Lightbulb for a Dimmer Switch
The first thing to keep in mind is, compatibility; failing to attach the right dimmer to a specific bulb, is likely to cause issues such as flickering, slow start, and uneven lighting (in other words, some lights will be brighter than others), and that is if it even works at all. Furthermore, depending on the type of bulb you go for (LED or fluorescent, for example), it is important to verify that the product in question includes the legend “Dimmable”, otherwise it won’t react to the dimmer’s commands even if they are compatible.
This is more relevant when the dimmer is installed indoors, given the wide variety of light bulbs that may be in use (ELV, MLV, compact fluorescent, halogen, to name a few); there is also an additional layer of complexity, related to how many locations you want available for controlling your lights—single-post if one, multi-location if three or more. In your case, however, it’s fairly simple, as outdoor dimmers are compatible only with light sources that plug into outlets, such as festoon lights or table lamps—although the range of light sources a specific dimmer can work with, will vary. It’s always good practice to read the literature carefully.
What Makes a Dimmer Switch Outdoor Safe?
All of us know this: electricity and water (such as rain) must never mix. Back in the day, this meant you could not have any sort of electronics or fixtures outside—but not anymore! Nowadays, there’s a very simple way to quickly tell if something can be used outside, and under what conditions.
IP Rating
Also known as Ingress Protection Rating, this system was created by the International Electromechanical Commission, and it is designed to rank a product’s protection against foreign agents. Its format is as follows:
IP00
The first digit is for protection against solids, the second one conveys resistance to liquids. The lower, the better; a 0 means the related protection is non existent, an X indicates that said protection was not tested. Often, you will find products with an X in the first position (solids), but it needs not be a cause for immediate concern: as long as protection against liquids is high enough, it is safe to assume solids will not be an issue either.
Best Outdoor Dimmer Switch: Our Selection
Below you will find products that meet the criteria we’ve been discussing: they’ll take control of your lights, they can stay outside without issue, and meet compatibility with various types of bulbs. One of these might just be what you need.
Treatlife Dimmer Plug, 2-Pack
Whereas most brands settle for a perfectly acceptable tiered system when it comes to dimming your lights (25, 50, 75 and 100%), this one prefers a more granular approach, as you can input anywhere from 1 to 100 for lighting intensity.
Buy on AmazonIt’s not all it offers, either: among the additional settings available are sunrise/sunset modes, group setup (so you can control more than one dimmer in a single go), and control sharing, which allows for more than one person to make adjustments independently.
Controlling it could not be simpler: instead of relying on a remote, this model comes with a proprietary app, which enables your smartphone to send commands to the dimmer. If that weren’t enough, it is also compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant. Rated IP44, it is protected against splashes of water coming from any direction; this means, rain is not an issue.
Pros:
- Package makes it possible to add dimming capabilities to two entirely separate locations.
- No need to worry about what might happen if the remote is faulty, lacks battery or goes missing.
Cons:
- 5.0 wifi not supported; this makes it imperative to verify local wifi specs before purchasing, as the item may be unusable otherwise.
Newpow Outdoor Dimmer, 360 Watts
If you got suitable string lights, then this dimmer will take care of the rest, and it can handle quite a bit, as its 360W capacity translates to 36 10W lights or a whopping 240 1.5W bulbs. Although the dimmer features protection against overheating in case of overload, it might be best not to risk it.
Buy on AmazonShould you be worried about particularly hard weather conditions in your area, you can rest easy with this one, as its IP67 rating means it can handle just about anything Mother Nature can throw at it. You don’t even need to go outside to adjust the lights or shut them off; thanks to the included remote’s 60ft range, you can input commands from the comfort of your living room.
Pros:
- Purchase can be made without so much pressure thanks to the 2-month unconditional refund policy, and 12-month warranty.
- Less worry about accidental overload thanks to the built-in protection.
Cons:
- Narrow compatibility: will not work with low voltage LEDs such as Christmas lights, cabinet lights, strings with adapters, among others.
Svater Outdoor Dimmer for String Lights
Aside from a respectable 360W capacity, this one offers 9.8′ in extension cable length—providing you with more flexibility when it comes with situating your dimmer—, as well as a fairly uncommon cycling function that offers two choices, between 6 and 8 hours.
No products found.When set, this feature will keep the lights going for 6 or 8 hours (depending on what your choice was), then turn them off for the 18 or 16 remaining hours of the day. In case you want a more specific duration, you can also set the lights to 1, 2 or 4 hours of running time.
When dimming lights, you usually don’t think about light patterns, but you still get a flashing feature for whenever such fancy strikes you.
Pros:
- Very wide timing versatility, between the conventional timer feature and the cycling setting.
- Flashing function included, a rare feature for its category.
Cons:
- The included remote is known to malfunction; per several reports, it may require significant pressure for certain buttons to respond, which may render the product all but impossible to control.
LECLSTAR RF Dimmer
Some of us don’t like having to be in a particular location in order to adjust something—however ‘remote’ its controlling may be—, and that is valid. If such is your point of view, then you might find this model quite to your liking: since its remote relies on RF signal, your button presses will travel a maximum distance of 150ft, even through walls, making operation of your dimmer supremely comfortable.
No products found.This means you can place your setup all the way at the back fence of your house, as the dimmer features an IP68 rating: capable of staying underwater at a maximum depth of 1m, it has nothing to fear from even the strongest of rains.
Pros:
- Remote boasts a range over 2x that of most other similar products; thanks to this, the dimmer can be adjusted from pretty much anywhere in the house.
Cons:
- Very low wattage, no built-in safeguards; overload may cause damage both to the dimmer and the string lights it is connected to, per manufacturer.
Treatlife D12 Smart Dimmer Plug
The ability to group up your devices in order to control them at once, smartphone operation via app, and sunrise/sunset feature (which gradually dims or intensifies your lights as you fall asleep or wake up), are all available here as well.
This one differs from the counterpart we covered a few paragraphs back, in two ways: one, you get just one item, not two, but this is greatly offset by the two outlets this single unit offers (which can be controlled separately if you so desire). The second difference is its IP64 rating, which means this one is completely dust tight, although it is still only resistant to water splashes (unlike others that can endure full immersion); this level of protection, however, should be sufficient to keep it safe in the rain.
Pros:
- Its 600W capacity places it well above average for its category, enabling it to handle almost any amount of lighting an average house could possibly trust it with.
- One of the very few to offer two outlets in a single body.
- Extremely easy to operate, thanks to its app, voice command capabilities, and 300ft range.
Cons:
- WiFi limitation still present: can only work with 2.4GHz networks. House settings should be verified before purchase.
For Your Best Lighting Experience: Treatlife D12 Smart Dimmer Plug
The main potential drawback to be encountered with this one (the WiFi requirement) is, fortunately, not uncommon nor too difficult to sort out. 2.4GHz is, in fact, the frequency used by the immense majority of smart devices, as it can travel longer distances than its 5.0 counterpart; in other words, if you have a smart device elsewhere in your home, then odds are heavily in favor of this product being usable. If you wish to be certain what sort of WiFi you have, you can rely on a Windows PC or an Android smartphone: both will provide access to your network’s properties, and there you will find the magic (2.4 or 5.0) number.
Beyond this prerequisite, it would be difficult to deny the value this model delivers: thanks to its unique form of controlling, you can access and tweak its settings from an impressive distance of 300ft, which also means that, aided by its robust weather protection, you can place this dimmer pretty much wherever you want. You can plug two sources (string or lamp) into the same body, and control them separately. Adding the sunrise/sunset feature on top, this one is, overall, pretty heard to beat.
