Are you tired of putting up and taking down Christmas lights, or do you want to be able to set up lights on more occasions throughout the year? These lights will allow you to light up your home in infinitely different ways and control them all via your phone!
While this product is marketed as a consumer-installable alternative to expensive roof lighting by other companies like Trimlight, please make sure you take precautions when you are installing them especially if you have more than a single-story home. If you are not comfortable on a ladder, you may want to look for professional installers. If you also prefer a professional look, you will likely want to look into mounting brackets or cable raceways. I’ll get into that below. Since these are meant to be installed and left-installed, I highly suggest mounting brackets or anything you prefer to ensure a strong bond for each light puck to the surface you are mounting to.
Different Models
| MSRP | White LED | Official Splice Support | Lumens per Light | Matter Support | Accessories Included | Check Price | |
| Permanent Outdoor Lights Gen 1 (Aug 2022) | $177.99 50ft $239.99 100ft $449.99 150ft | RGB (purple tint) | No | 25lm | No | Amazon Govee | |
| Permanent Outdoor Lights Gen 2 (Aug 2024) | $179.99 50ft $299.99 100ft $449.99 150ft | Cool White 4000K | No | 40lm | Yes | Brackets | Amazon Govee |
| Permanent Outdoor Lights Elite (July 2024) | $219.99 100ft $329.99 150ft | Cool White 4000K | No | 40lm | Yes | Brackets | Costco 150ft Sam’s Club 100ft |
| Permanent Outdoor Lights Pro (Oct 2023) | $399.99 100ft $549.99 150ft $699.99 200ft | Warm White Cool White (2700K – 6500K) | Yes | 50lm | Yes | Splice Adapters | Amazon Govee |
Which version should I get?
Plain and simple, if you can afford to go and get the Pro model, get those. The Pro model is the current top-of-the-line model which has the widest range of white which means it can more easily match any existing non-Govee lights you may already have set up such as sconces, wall lights, or other landscape lighting. The Pro model also officially supports splicing your lights to make custom extensions, which is important especially if you have a complicated roof line. But if the Pro model is out of your budget I will break down the other models below, but keep in mind that all of the other models do not officially support splicing.
Permanent Outdoor Lights Gen 1
If a dedicated white LED is not important to you, you can save some money by going with the original Permanent Outdoor Lights. Keep in mind that since the white light is created with RGB LEDs you will see some discoloration, which for many is a deal breaker. See in the image below that when you run the lights from Left-to-Right, there is a slight purple hue on the edges, while when the lights are run Right-to-Left there is a slight green hue.
Permanent Outdoor Lights Elite/Permanent Outdoor Lights Gen 2
The Elite and Permanent Outdoor Lights 2 are essentially the same product. Both are improvements over the original (non-pro) model, which are brighter, include a dedicated warm white light, and also include mounting brackets for installation. From what we have seen, is they seem to be the exact same dimensions so brackets for the original Permanent Outdoor Lights should still fit. I have seen that people find the included brackets to not be as good as 3D printed brackets as they are just used for additional support on the cable rather than the light puck itself.
Please keep in mind that these are not officially supported for splicing. People have been successful at splicing these products, but they may require additional hardware and you void your warranty with Govee due to custom splices on a product they do not consider to be spliceable.
Should I get Permanent Outdoor Lights or Outdoor LED Strips?
Another question that people have is often between deciding to go with Permanent Outdoor Lights and the Outdoor LED Strip. This often comes to a few different preferences which I will share below
Price
Permanent Outdoor Lights are a newer and more advanced product, they also have more features compared to the Outdoor LED Strips. This is reflected in the price. So budget-friendly lights are going to be the Outdoor LED strips in many cases. But that will limit you in terms of installation, which you can read more about below.
Light Shape
On our home shown below, I initially had the Outdoor LED Strip on the eaves of our first floor, so you can see the smooth glow effect there. On the second floor, I used the Permanent Outdoor Lights but I tried to replicate the smooth light of the LED Strip by mounting it about 7 inches from the wall but there is a shadow closer to the wall since the lights are projecting down from a further distance. I will be replacing both with Permanent Outdoor Lights Pro soon.
Permanent Outdoor Lights have LEDs contained in little pucks and are more spread out. This design creates a scalloped effect that many people love the look of. The pucks will emit light in a conical shape that makes a nice effect on the nearby wall.
Outdoor LED Strips have more LEDs closer together in groups of four per controllable area. Since the LEDs are closer together they make seamless gradients on the walls that they emit light on.
Neon LED Rope strips are much like the Outdoor LED Strips but have a semi-opaque diffuser installed above the LEDs. This creates that same gradient effect but can be used to shine toward the viewer to create interesting lights and such.
Extensibility
The best feature of the Permanent Outdoor Lights is the fact that they are extensible. The sets come in multiple strands that can interconnect using waterproof connectors at the ends of the strips. This allows you to create different-sized strings in 16.4 ft increments.
Outdoor LED Strips are not cuttable nor extendable as indicated by the manufacturer. Some users have been able to successfully trim their LED strips but that is not going to be covered in this page, instead, check the FAQ. Those who have cut them, tend to just cut them to either make a small jump or to shorten them to fit their space, they are not doing this to extend/combine two strips. Splicing two strips together will not work as the programming will not extend beyond the length of the original strip, and there will likely be not enough power from the original power supply.
Estimating Length Needed
When you are figuring out how much length to purchase always try and order a little bit more than you are expecting, it’s never fun to start installing and you find out you need more length. Luckily with the Permanent Outdoor Lights you can add another strand if you have one and are not at maximum length yet.
To get an accurate measurement you can always get up on a ladder and measure, but if you want a quick estimate of how much you need you can use Google Maps. Use the tutorial below to see how you can do that to estimate your run, it won’t be super accurate so I would recommend adding a little bit of length to what you calculate from this method but it should give you a good enough idea of how long you will need.
Permanent Outdoor Lights Mounting Options
The light kits come with VHB adhesive on the back of the pucks and also include some clips to place on each side of the strands. Many of us like to use the VHD as a temporary hold and use clips for a more permanent and physical hold. Many people also like to hide the cable of the lights as they can tend to twist and such and be a little unsightly. If you live in an area with a lot of squirrels you may want to use cable raceways or other methods to hide your cable as people have found their wires chewed up by the rodents.
Eaves with Soffit
The light strings are easier to mount on homes with soffits that will allow easier mounting. For mounting on soffits, I would suggest using the VHB to temporarily mount your lights as desired. Once in their positions and you are happy with the placement, use mounts to secure the pucks to the soffit using screws to establish a mechanical attachment to the soffit.
Eaves with no Soffit
If your home has open-style eaves, I would suggest as many of us have done, which is to use 2×1 wood strips installed under your eaves to provide mounting points for your lights. 8ft 2×1 strips are very cheap at home improvement stores and can be easily painted to match the color of your home’s eaves before installation.
Alternatively, a person in an FB group I am a part of has designed 3D printable mounting brackets to install on the inside face of your facia. It creates a rather unique almost prism-like casting of light on the house, see the example below. This is likely the method I am going to be using when I redo and clean up my installation.
Little to no Eaves
This is one of the more difficult installs but it can still be done. What I have seen people do is install their lights using J Channels and inserting the long part of the J Channel underneath the shingles/flashing of their roof. Others have also used brackets to screw into the side of the wall and have a mounting surface for the pucks.
Anthony recommends using a Flashing Cap to install in similar situations. These can be found in the Gutter section of Home Depot.
Mounting Resources
- Wire for Splicing and Extensions
- Cable Hiding/Management
- Professional – https://bearlightstudios.com | https://govpermtrack.com
- DIY – Cord Hider
- Cable Clips
- 3D Printed Solutions
- Important Note: Do not print in PLA, use PETG or a more outdoor-friendly filament when printing. PLA will warp, discolor, and degrade over time. If you are buying them from people, make sure you know what type of filament is being used to print your clips.
- Pro Light Mounting Kit – This has light clips and cable covers you can print for the Pro lights.
- Regular Light Mounting Kit – This has light clips and cable covers you can print for the Regular lights.
- Regular Light Mounting Brackets – Rich created these mounting brackets that can allow for mounting on the inside face of your fascia to create a unique prism-like light cast. You can even use them for mounting on soffit or on 2x1s too if you prefer the classic scalloped look. The clips allow for easy removal if you want for cleaning/painting of the house.
- Pro Light Mounting Brackets – Rich created these mounting brackets that can allow for mounting on the inside face of your fascia to create a unique prism-like light cast. You can even use them for mounting on soffit or on 2x1s too if you prefer the classic scalloped look. The clips allow for easy removal if you want for cleaning/painting of the house.
- Regular Light Covers/Diffusers – Used for blocking out the lights you aren’t using for the regular style or print with a white/clear filament to make diffusers.
Cable Raceways
Many people have chosen the route of using Cable Raceways to make for a really clean install. It does look really good when people do these types of installs. But you will need to take on extra costs and likely do some custom cutting and such of the raceways to get them to work with your installation. People have also used J-Channels with similar results.
Alternative Mounting
Externally Facing
I would not recommend this just for the fact that the Permanent Outdoor Lights are somewhat expensive and Rope Lights might be better for this type of application. If you really want this type of affect like gumdrops on a gingerbread house, Govee now has Dot Lights.
Mounting Distance
Mounting distance is suggested to be installed about 2-4 inches from the wall. The closer to the wall the more pronounced of a conical shape can be seen. For those with soffits and who have a flat 90-degree surface to mount to, this is the easiest to mount at that suggested distance.
For those with open eaves and no soffit, you may want to test how you want the lights to look by holding them up at different distances and finding your optimal mounting position. This trial and error is often because the angle of the eave can affect how the light projection looks. I have open eaves and opted to go with mounting 2×1 wood strips and mount on that. I spaced my 2×1 wood strips to be 2″ from the fascia rather than 2″ from the wall. I chose this distance due to the angle of the eaves, and because our home has styrotrim accents around windows and doors. If I mounted it too close to the wall, the styrotrim accents would block some of the light from shining down.
Mapping Your Lights Path – Install Tips
To plan out which length you should purchase the first thing you should do is plan how you will be running your strands on your home and take measurements to find the best set for you. When you buy your set make sure that you leave room for error and possibly buy a longer length if you are cutting it close to your actual measurements.
Start with a picture of your home and draw the lines of how you plan to run your lights. I like to use 1 color to mark where the lights will go, then use another color to plan out the extensions (if needed). Keep the following tips in mind when mapping out the lights.
- Keep your strings up near a wall for the best effect
- If you have a porch/patio cover or something similar, run your lights near the wall of the home rather than following the protruding edge of the covered area.
- If you have gables, follow the triangular section rather than the bottom as it looks best. Loop back to do the bottom if possible or skip it.
- If you have peaks, do a soft install running up to the peak, I would then recommend using a bracket to mount a light pod to the center of the peak then pull the excess to the sides at the bottom of the peak. *This makes the installation harder but looks the best for peaks IMO. If you do not want a light at the peak, I would suggest centering the strand at the peak and mounting the pucks symmetrically.
If you need help trying to plan your cable run, feel free to reach out and I would love to help you!
Example Install
Installation Notes
All Models
- When installing on peaks, do one of the following
- Get a mounting bracket to install at the middle of the peak facing down then mount the following lights so they are symmetrical down the peak.
- Start with getting the wire between two lights mounted at the peak then make sure the surrounding pucks are installed symmetrically down the peak
- Take the time to put clips or brackets for each light.
- Make sure to mount the lights flat with the surface at each light to ensure a steady repeatable pattern.
Permanent Outdoor Lights Gen 1 / Permanent Outdoor Lights Gen 2 / Permanent Outdoor Lights Elite
- You cannot buy extra strands and expand beyond 150 ft, buy another set instead.
- Do not use 2 extensions back-to-back
Permanent Outdoor Lights Pro
- When splicing, make sure you know which way a strand goes, the lights are directional and will not work if your add-on splice is in reverse.
- Install the Driver Module after the 5th strand if you have over 150 ft installed
- If you are close to needing 200 ft, consider buying 2 100 ft kits just in case you need a little extra length you still have room to buy another strand to add on. This may depend on your roofline.
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