Let’s paint a picture that I bet a lot of you know all too well.
You’ve had a killer evening. You were hanging out out back, the lounge lights behind the pool area were casting that perfect resort-style glow, and everything felt incredibly relaxing. Eventually, the night winds down, you pack up the towels, lock the back door, and head upstairs.
You’re finally in your pajamas, crawling under the covers, completely ready to pass out. Then, you glance out your bedroom window.
Awesome. The lounge lights are still glaringly bright, illuminating an empty backyard.
Or maybe you came inside an hour ago thinking, “We might go back out in a few minutes,” but then you changed your mind. Now, those lights are burning electricity, and the thought of putting your shoes back on to trudge all the way across a dark, wet lawn just to flip a switch makes you want to cry a little bit.
If you are new to the DIY life, you might think fixing a problem like this requires running hundreds of feet of new electrical wire or hiring an expensive contractor. I have excellent news for you: it doesn’t. You can fix this exact problem in about ten minutes this weekend, and you’ll never have to walk across a dark yard to turn off a light switch ever again.
Here is how you can use a little bit of smart home magic to control your outdoor lighting without ever leaving the comfort of your house.
Why “Kasa Smart Plug Mini (EP10) is a Game Changer. Here’s a link to the current highest reviewed plug on amazon.
Before we talk about how to do it, let’s talk about why this quick project is worth your time:
- The Ultimate Laziness Factor: When you notice those pool lights are on, you can literally just say, “Hey… turn off the backyard,” and watch them go dark from your pillow.
- Saving Your Electric Bill: We’ve all accidentally left outdoor lights burning for 48 hours straight because we forgot about them. Cutting them off instantly saves real money.
- Safety First: Walking across a dark yard near a pool at night is a tripping hazard. Turning the lights on before you step outside is just smart.
The Beginner-Friendly Blueprint: 2 Ways to DIY This
Depending on how your lounge and pool area lights get their power, you have two super simple paths to choose from. You do not need an engineering degree for either of these.
Option 1: The Smart Plug Route (Easiest for String Lights)
If your lounge area relies on cool outdoor string lights, lanterns, or landscape transformers that plug into a regular wall outlet out back, this is your golden ticket.
You don’t have to touch a single wire. Instead, you just buy a weather-resistant outdoor smart plug. You plug the smart plug into your outdoor outlet, and then plug your lights into that. It connects directly to your home’s Wi-Fi network.
- My Recommendation: Grab something durable like the Kasa Smart Outdoor Plug (KP400). It is built to survive the elements, handles rain like a champ, and has an incredible Wi-Fi range that can easily reach from your house out to the pool fence.
Option 2: The Smart Switch Route (Best for Hardwired Pool Lights)
If your lounge or pool lights are hardwired into a standard, old-school toggle switch located inside your house or back porch, you’ll want to swap that wall switch out for a smart switch.
Don’t let the word “electrical” scare you. Swapping a light switch is one of the most basic, introductory DIY skills you can learn. You turn off the breaker, swap three or four wires from the old switch to the new one, screw it back into the wall, and turn the power back on. Once it’s installed, that physical switch is now connected to your phone and voice assistants.
- My Recommendation: I highly suggest looking into the Lutron Caséta Smart Switch Starter Kit. Lutron uses its own smart bridge system rather than clogging up your Wi-Fi, meaning it has a massive range. If your switch is a bit far from your main router, this kit ensures the signal never gets dropped.
Putting It All Together: Setting Up Your “Goodnight” Routine
Once you have your plug or switch hooked up to your Wi-Fi, you’ll download their app (like the Kasa or Lutron app) and link it to your smart assistant of choice—whether that’s Amazon Alexa, Google Home, or Apple Home.
From there, you can do some pretty brilliant things:
- Voice Control: Name the device “Backyard Lounge.” Now, when you’re in bed and see them on through the window, you just voice-command them off.
- Automated Schedules: You can set a rule that says, “Turn these lights off automatically every night at midnight.” That way, even if you fall asleep without looking out the bedroom window, your house takes care of it for you.
Final Thoughts
Getting started with DIY projects doesn’t mean you have to start by building a massive wooden deck or remodeling a kitchen. Sometimes, the best DIY projects are the tiny, intelligent upgrades that solve an annoying everyday problem.
For less than the price of a nice dinner out, you can bring your backyard into the modern age and save yourself a ton of late-night trips across the lawn.
Now that the blog copy is ready, do you want me to help you write a catchy newsletter intro to send this post out to your subscribers, or should we work on some caption ideas for Instagram/Facebook to drive traffic to it?
Here’s the google mini’s I use, may be cheaper around cyber Monday or other holidays.