Garden and lawn season are here and there’s a lot of great tech out there to help you get the most out of the space. Not least of all, when it comes to automating projects and chores. But also for entertainment and relaxation. So if smartening up your outdoor space sounds appealing, read on.
Summary of the top smart tech for your garden space and more
Now, the world of garden and outdoor tech — particularly in the smart home category — is rich. Covering a diverse variety of devices that many may not even know are available for the space in question. From connected lawnmowers and weed-eating robots to speakers, lighting, watering systems, and more.
Further, as is worth noting with all such guides, this guide is not necessarily comprehensive. While not all such devices are created equal, there’s simply not enough space in any article to include every great device. So there are going to be devices that we’ve missed. Instead of trying to cover all of the best individual devices, this guide looks to break down only the best and most useful gadgets you can buy for the space. And across a wide range of subcategories.
With that said, here’s our take on the top tech devices you can currently buy for your smart home ecosystem in the outdoor and garden spaces.
Below the summary, you’ll find a slightly longer description of each item along with the where to buy them.
| Price | Buy | |
| Wyze Plug Outdoor | From $17.98 | Amazon |
| TP-Link Kasa Outdoor Smart Plug | From $26.99 | Best Buy |
| GARDENA SILENO City | From $726.20 | Amazon |
| Husqvarna AUTOMOWER 315X | $1,539.30 | Amazon |
| Tertill Garden Weeding Robot | From $349 | Amazon |
| Rachio 3 Smart Sprinkler Controller | From $$222.16 | Amazon |
| ibebot SoilQuality | From $64.99 | Amazon |
| Philips Hue Discover Outdoor White & Color Ambiance Smart Floodlight | $179 | Amazon |
| Sonos Move | $399.99 | Best Buy |
| Arlo Pro 4 Spotlight Camera | $199.99 | Amazon |
Best outdoor smart plug on a budget
Wyze Plug Outdoor
- Price: $17.98
- Where to buy: Amazon
- Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Standalone
The Wyze Plug Outdoor is, of course, a shoo-in on this list of best outdoor smart tech for your garden and other spaces. Not least of all because the indoor version of this plug is already among the best affordable smart plugs money can buy. But also because it comes with an IP64 rating for weather resistance and two individually-controllable plugs. Complete with plug covers to keep things dry and safe when not in use.
Wyze Plug Outdoor also comes with some fairly top-tier features such as voice control via Alexa or Assistant. As well as connections to the associated smart home ecosystems. So outdoor spaces from holiday lights to space heaters and more can be automated as well. Effectively offering on/off control for anything that can be automated that way.
Better still, via the Wyze app, these plugs allow additional features such as energy consumption alerts and history. All for under $20.
Best top-tech outdoor smart plug for your garden space
TP-Link Kasa Outdoor Smart Plug
- Price: $26.99
- Where to buy: Best Buy
- Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Standalone
TP-Link Kasa Outdoor Smart Plug, conversely, costs a bit more but also gives more back.
The plugs come with just about all of the same features found on the above-mentioned Wyze Plug Outdoor. But the range of features is extended to include additions such as scene-based controls such as sunrise and sunset modes. And that’s in addition to an “Away” feature that lets users randomly control power to connected gadgets. For instance, turning lights on or off randomly while users aren’t at home. Giving the appearance that somebody’s home.
Stacking atop those features, this plug is rated to operate in temperatures from -4 to 122 Fahrenheit.
TP-Link Kasa Outdoor Smart Plug
Best automated lawnmower on a budget
GARDENA SILENO City
- Price: From $726.20
- Where to buy: Amazon
- Works with: Standalone app
Lawnmowers are expensive and using one is time-consuming. Taking potentially hours out of any given week. But, with the advent of advanced robotics and sensor systems, that’s no longer necessarily the case. And, better still, while smart lawnmowers are still more expensive than traditional mowers, they don’t have to be.
For those looking for a riding lawnmower, for instance, the GARDENA SILENO is a great option at around the same price. Starting at just over $700, GARDENA SILENO City can mow up to 2700 square feet on a single charge. Paying a couple of hundred dollars more, conversely, results in twice the coverage. With options all the way up to 8100 square feet.
The mowers in question are, of course, rated to withstand some weather. Users simply set up an easy-to-install boundary and then the mower runs on its own with a noise level at around 57 dbA. With extra controls via a standalone app. Better still GARDENA SILENO mowers can handle slopes up to 35-percent. So they won’t get stuck on more complex lawns.
Best overall smart home-connected lawnmower
Husqvarna AUTOMOWER 315X
- Price: $1,539.30
- Where to buy: Amazon
- Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Standalone app
For those looking to spend a bit more on a smart mower with more options, Husqvarna is a brand that homeowners already know and trust. And its AUTOMOWER 315X costs just $1,539 to start. Now, it’s worth noting that Husqvarna does have more expensive mowers than this one. For example, the AUTOMOWER 430 series mowers. But the AUTOMOWER 315X will be more than enough to tackle most tasks.
The AUTOMOWER 315X can handle slopes up to 22-degrees, returns to the charging station on its own as needed, and has a claimed noise level that would even be suitable for “night” mowing.
The biggest standout feature, aside from branding and associated quality assurances, is connectivity. That’s also looking past modern safety features found in this mower and in the one above. But this mower doesn’t just work via a standalone app. It also connects to Google Home or Alexa for voice controls and other features as well.
Best smart tech to keep weeds out of your garden
Tertill Garden Weeding Robot
- Price: $349.00
- Where to buy: Amazon
- Works with: Standalone app
Weeding the garden, whether by hand or with a tool — and whether in a raised bed or on the ground — is a hassle. While some can find it therapeutic, that’s an almost universal fact. Well, in addition to robots for mowing the lawn — and just like vacuuming or mopping indoors — there is at least one great robot for weeding the garden.
Dubbed the Tertill Garden Weeding Robot, this little robotic weeder uses the height of plants, combined with user-placed sensors to detect wanted garden plants. Either in the ground or in a larger above-ground bed. Then it tills and chops down weeds growing around the plants. Leaving, at most, smaller weeds that are closest to the plants that are actually wanted.
It’s also app-connected, sturdy enough to withstand rain, and solar-powered. Making this a must-have piece of garden tech for just about any home.
Best connected watering tech for your lawn and garden
Rachio 3 Smart Sprinkler Controller
- Price: From $222.16
- Where to buy: Amazon
- Works with: Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, IFTTT, Samsung SmartThings, Standalone app
A sprinkler control system starting at just over $222 may not seem like much of a bargain on the surface. But Rachio 3 Smart Sprinkler Controller isn’t the usual sprinkler control system either. With versions offering coverage for up to 16-zones — with 8-zone and 12-zone versions also available, the latter at Costco — Rachio 3 brings control for a variety of sprinkler system sizes. And connects to Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Home, Samsung Smarthings, IFTTT, or via its own app.
That means that Rachio 3 can bring advanced sprinkler system control, whether for your lawn or garden from just about anywhere. Or via voice. With on-device controls for plug-and-play traditional control. And advanced features such as rain and “hyperlocal” weather forecasting in the app. All to ensure your lawn or garden get the water that’s desired without wasting water when it rains.
Rachio 3 Smart Sprinkler Controller
Best connected soil and watering monitor tech for your garden
ibebot SoilQuality
- Price: From $64.99
- Where to buy: Amazon
- Works with: Standalone app
Now, adding smart tech to a sprinkler system is one thing. But keeping tabs on the deeper metrics often required for some garden plants is another. Particularly where finicky plants that need differing pH or nutrients are concerned. Fortunately, that’s where products like the ibebot SoilQuality come into play.
These devices don’t connect to the smart home ecosystem directly but do use an app and cloud connectivity. They work for indoor plants or outdoor ones. With a 1.5-year battery life from one triple-A battery and Bluetooth between the gadget and user’s phones. And they monitor everything from light exposure to nutrient levels and watering. As well as sending alerts when things start looking off.
All of which makes keeping a closer eye on a garden and getting the best results possible easier than ever.
Best outdoor lighting tech for your garden or outdoor space
Philips Hue Discover Outdoor White & Color Ambiance Smart Floodlight
- Price: $179
- Where to buy: Amazon
- Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomeKit, Standalone app
Now, for lighting, there are plenty of smart bulb options available as well as options that can be placed along paths as well. Many of the best options across the board come via Philips Hue. And Philips Hue is easily our top pick for best outdoor smart tech in the lighting category, as well. Specifically, the Philips Hue Discover series of smart floodlights.
These lights, like other Philips Hue products, do require access to a smart hub from the company to get connected. But once that’s in place, they work via Amazon Alexa, the Google Home ecosystem, and Apple’s HomeKit equally well. Starting at $179.99, with motion-sensing options available too, this smart light can be set as part of routines, and schedules, and activated using voice commands. And can display up to 16-million shades. Just about any color, in fact.
All of which makes them a great option whether a variety of white light or more ambient hue is needed. With an IP44 rating for wet areas and 2300 lumens of adjustable light.
Philips Hue Discover Outdoor White & Color Ambiance Smart Floodlight
Best connected audio tech for your garden or outdoor space
Sonos Move
- Price: $399.99
- Where to buy: Best Buy
- Works with: Google Home, Amazon Alexa, Apple AirPlay 2
When it comes to the outdoor space, music is a must for many people. Not least of all because it helps pass the time when gardening or doing lawn work. But also for social gatherings or relaxing after a long day at work. And that’s where Sonos Move comes in — our pick for the best audio device in the outdoor or garden smart tech space.
Of course, this speaker is ruggedized or it wouldn’t be on this list. In fact, it’s rated with an IP56 rating, which Sonos claims will protect it from humidity, rain, snow, dust, salt spray, UV rays, and extreme heat and cold. Although that doesn’t mean it should just be left out to the elements. But it does have a 10-hour rated battery too. So it will need to be charged every once in a while.
What sets Sonos Move apart as a great garden or outdoor-ready speaker though, isn’t those attributes. And it’s not ready-access to Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, or Apple AirPlay 2 either. Nor its Bluetooth-ready audio playback and ability to pair two or more speakers over Wi-Fi. Those are all great features to have and will make this speaker more enjoyable.
What really sets Sonos Move apart is going to be its audio quality. Rather than focusing on loud thumping bass that’s likely to annoy the neighbors, Sonos builds its speakers with a keen interest in balanced audio that just sounds good. And at any volume. Making this speaker ideal for use in your outdoor spaces. Especially if you have a WiFi extender helping extend the signal outdoors so you can pair more than one together.
Best cameras to keep an eye on your outdoor and garden spaces for HomeKit
Arlo Pro 4 Spotlight Camera
- Price: $199.99
- Where to buy: Amazon
- Works with: Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit (with a compatible base station), Google Assistant, IFTTT, SmartThings
Now a camera may not be on everybody’s list when it comes to the best smart tech for the garden space. But they should be. Security is great for the outdoor space in general. So installing a camera can help on that front. But it can also be incredibly useful when it comes to potential pest problems. For instance, a smart home camera can be great for keeping an eye out for deer or other potential critters in your garden.
The biggest caveat will, of course, be if your garden is a considerable distance from your house. In which case it may also be helpful to install a WiFi extender or mesh routers as well. That way, there will be enough internet coverage out in that space.
Having said that, Arlo Pro 4 Spotlight camera is a good fit for this category. Not only is it both hub and wire-free. With 2K video, color night vision, and other top-tier smart camera features such as cloud storage and motion alerts. It also packs a built-in ring-style floodlight. Which should be more than enough to scare away potential nighttime feeders in most cases.
2022-04-12 15:07:40