Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights 2 Pro Review

About the Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights 2 Pro

• Length: 100 feet
• Lights: Dual LED (dual-layer lighting effect)
• Waterproof: IP68 lights (IP67 control box)
• Cuttable and spliceable: Yes
• Smart platform compatible: Matter, Alexa, Google Home
• Operating temperature: -30°C to 60°C (-22°F to 140°F)
• Service life: 50,000 hours
• Color temperature: 1,000K–10,000K
• Presets: 100
• Music sync: Yes

There are multiple styles and models of Govee LED light strings out there (as well as numerous knockoffs), but the model we reviewed is the 100-foot Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights 2 Pro with a white wire, which is currently launching at IFA Berlin 2026.

As with other Govee lights, we expect it will be available in different configurations and colors over time. While the model we reviewed is 100 feet long, it breaks into six 16.7-foot sections that you can chain together, run at shorter lengths, split into two chains, or cut and splice to fit your needs.

In the box, Govee includes 90 screws and drywall anchors, a 12-foot extension cable, two 4-foot extension cables, the power adapter and control box, and the user manual.

How we tested

We installed the Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights 2 Pro along an actual roofline to see how the mounting hardware performed, how the lighting effects looked on a typical cedar-shingled home, and how the lights handled the elements. We tested them over two weeks in the summer months, including the app and its features.

What we like

Installing one set of lights for year-round use is a genuine game-changer

While these aren’t the first set of permanent outdoor lights—your neighbor, who has had the same string up since 2008, is the trailblazer there—they are a far more advanced version of previous models from both Govee and other manufacturers. However, if you’re unfamiliar with the concept of hanging holiday lights (who's seen National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation), I warn you that this will spoil you forever.

I have to go up on a ladder at least twice a year to set up and take down my holiday lights. It’s such a pain that I often leave them up until February and pretend I’m trying to cheer up the neighborhood through the dark winter months.

These lights from Govee are, as the name suggests, intended to be used that way. You install them once on the eaves of your roofline, and you have a set of lights you can run year-round as subtle structural lighting, as bright holiday lights that change color to suit the occasion, or in light-driven displays.

With IP68 weatherproofing (IP67 on the control box), these should withstand typical outdoor conditions, and the installation hardware looks built to last for years.

Installation is a breeze with the right tools

One of the tricky parts of lighting up your home is making sure the lights fit your space. Not every roofline is the same shape, length, height, or depth, so you need lights flexible enough to match your exact layout, or you wind up with something too short or too long.

The Govee lights work well in a number of configurations, branch or daisy-chain into longer strings, and can even be cut or spliced if you’re up to it—something earlier outdoor lights couldn’t do. The Govee app adapts to these changes so your lights behave just the way you want.

Installing the lights is easy, with 15-degree-angled bases that come with pre-applied double-sided tape and two screw holes for more permanent fastening. The light heads slide right into the bases, which can face either direction depending on whether the string is powered from left to right or inverted.

The kit also includes extension wires and a Y-shaped connector that lets you run two strings from one power source, with different colors and patterns on each string.

The app is simple to control and works with major smart home platforms

Controlling the Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights 2 Pro is easy, whether you want to keep it simple with basic schedules and on/off controls, dial in precise patterns and colors, or sync the string to music. And if you already own a pile of smart devices, these slot into your existing setup with little fuss.

I found it simple to dial in exactly the color I wanted, or to customize the string design and animation in the app. The whole thing is easy to visualize, and aside from telling the app whether the power comes from the right or left side of the string, there’s no complex work on your part.

What we don’t like

The light design may not suit your tastes

The Govee lights primarily cast light downward, with a dual-bulb design that mixes colors artfully along the surface of your home in a triangle. It looks great, offers endless control options, has a layered effect unlike anything else I’ve seen on a home, and works beautifully.

Still, this may simply not be your style, especially if you prefer traditional big bulbs around the holidays or like lights running vertically, since these deliver light by casting it along a surface instead of throwing it in every direction like a traditional bulb. They also cast light out from the base, so if you run them along an angled roofline, the triangular light shape on that slope sits at an angle, too—though it looks cool that way as well.

That said, if you miss traditional bulbs, you can always add them around the rest of your home to complement the lighting, and change them to suit your tastes whenever you want.

The cost may be limiting for some

The $500 upfront cost for 100 feet of lights may be a dealbreaker for some. It costs far more than a simple LED light string and a smart plug, but you’re paying for the complete control and color variety you get here. One set covers everyday lighting and four or five holidays a year, instead of investing in multiple types of LEDs for different seasons.

It won’t be for everyone, and older Govee versions cost noticeably less if you like the idea but want a smaller upfront investment.

The included screws slow you down

While I appreciate Govee tossing in drywall anchors and screws for every single light, the screws they include assume you’ll drill two pilot holes for each light. Up on a ladder, you will run out of patience for that fast.

If you are like me and just want to have the lights up and be done with it, pick up a cheap pack of short #6 wood screws and save yourself the headache. One trip to the hardware store and I probably saved myself two hours of swearing and playing an infuriating game of “find the screw in the mulch bed.”

Warranty

The Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights 2 Pro come with a 3-year warranty.

Should you buy the Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights 2 Pro?

Yes, if you are tired of putting lights up and down every year or want lights that work across a wide range of holidays

Putting up my holiday lights and taking them down is one of those chores I dread. I live in New England, so it’s always cold, possibly snowy, and I have to climb up and down a ladder repeatedly, moving it every five feet. And yet, I still look with envy at neighbors who have purple, blue, and red lights up for other holidays as well, like Halloween and the Fourth of July.

The Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights 2 Pro solves both of those problems in one go. They are easy to put up, durable and weatherproof, and offer endlessly adjustable colors. You can tweak them to suit any holiday, show support for a team, or throw a subtle glow on the house. Set them up, download the app, and you’ll never be on a ladder in the middle of a snowy day again.

I do wish the lights had a frosted plastic cover so you could also run them vertically for a full holiday effect, or a way to adjust the angle so they point straight down from a tilted roofline. But these are minor issues with what is otherwise a great way to permanently light up your house.

Overall, the quality of the lights, the ease of installation, and the fine-tuning of the controls all impressed me. They’re not cheap, but if you’re the kind of person who would buy three or four other sets of lights for different holidays, it’s basically a wash and much less of a hassle than pulling different light strings down and swapping them every time a holiday rolls around.

Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights 2 Pro will officially be available for purchase on Sept. 7, 2026.