Key Takeaways
- Ecoeve permanent outdoor lights at half off: The 50ft RGB+IC eave-mount strip is the only true permanent house light in this roundup and it sits at 50% off.
- Govee goes long: The 144ft Smart Outdoor String Lights 2 have enough length to wrap a whole back deck and still reach the porch railing.
- Brightown dominates the bestseller chart: Four Brightown strings made this list, including the 50FT G40 in white sitting at bestseller rank #2.
- Edison bulb budget option: The TDLOL 100FT S14 covers a long pergola without breaking the budget.
- Updated May 30, 2026. Prices verified this morning.
Memorial Day weekend in West Virginia means the porch light is finally getting some company. People are stringing bulbs over deck rails, mounting eave clips for the first time, and trying to figure out how to do all of it without climbing a ladder twice. This is also the weekend where you realize the cheap solar lights you bought last June lasted about six weeks before they yellowed and quit, and the warm white string you wrapped around the gazebo has three dead sections you never noticed until the leaves filled in around them.
I went through the garden lighting pool for this week’s WV Finds column expecting another wall of generic solar fairy lights. What I got instead was something more interesting. Permanent outdoor lighting, the kind that mounts under your eaves and stays up year round, has finally hit a real price point. The Ecoeve permanent system is sitting at half off this week, and it’s the headline product here even though the rest of the roundup leans into patio string lighting. Govee also dropped four different smart strings into sale territory at once, which is the most aggressive I’ve seen them get since last fall.
Heavy on smart lighting and long-run patio strings this week, with one true permanent house light leading things off. If you missed last week’s garden deals roundup, those are still live too.
What are the best permanent outdoor lights for a house?
The Ecoeve 50ft RGB+IC system is the best true permanent house light in this week’s pool, sitting at 50% off with IP67 weatherproofing and app control. It mounts under the eaves once and stays put through deer season, holiday season, and the inevitable February ice storm.
Ecoeve 50ft Permanent RGB+IC
This is the one. If you’ve watched neighbors install those programmable eave lights and wondered if you could get the same look without paying a contractor four figures, the Ecoeve 50ft strip is the answer at this price. The RGB+IC controller gives you 16 million colors and 50 scene modes, so the same lights handle blue and gold for WVU game day, red and green in December, and plain warm white for everyday nights. IP67 waterproofing is the spec that matters for permanent installs in WV weather, and that’s what this has.
- 50ft RGB+IC permanent strip
- 16 million colors and 50 scene modes
- IP67 waterproof with app and remote control
Which Govee outdoor lights are on sale right now?
Four Govee strings are discounted this week, with lengths from 24ft up to 144ft. The standout is the 144ft Smart Outdoor String Lights 2 in warm white, which has enough runway to wrap a full back deck and still reach the firepit area.
Govee 144ft Warm White Smart String
If you’ve got a long back deck or a wraparound porch, this is the length you want. 144 feet of warm white dimmable bulbs with 47 scene modes and Alexa control, plus IP65 against the weather. The bulbs themselves are warm white only, so if you want color shifting on game day this isn’t the one. For everyday porch lighting that you can dim from your phone without getting up off the couch, it’s hard to beat the length-to-price ratio here.
- 144ft warm white dimmable LED
- 47 scene modes with Alexa and app
- IP65 waterproof for year round use
Govee 144ft RGBWIC Clear Bulb
This is the color version of the 144ft string above. RGBWIC means each of the 45 clear bulbs can independently shift color, and the IP67 rating is a step up from the warm-white sibling. Matter compatibility is a nice touch if you’re running a mixed smart home. The price gap between this and the warm-white string is the cost of color. If you don’t need it, save the money.
- 144ft with 45 RGBWIC clear bulbs
- 111 scene modes and Matter support
- IP67 waterproof and shatterproof
Govee 65.6ft Chromatic RGBIC
This one is for the buyer who wants the showoff version. 55 individual RGB LEDs per bulb across a 65.6ft string, Uni-IC control for chase effects, 111 scenes, and IP67. It’s the most expensive light in this roundup and it earns it on capability. For most porches it’s overkill. For a deck where you actually entertain and care about the visual effects, it’s the one that delivers.
- 65.6ft with 55 RGB LEDs per bulb
- Uni-IC chase control and 111+ scenes
- IP67 waterproof with Alexa and Matter
Govee 96ft H7016 RGBIC
The middle child of the Govee lineup. 96 feet, 30 RGBIC bulbs, IP65, 47 scene modes. If 144 feet is more length than you can actually use and the 24ft version is a teaser, this is the practical pick. Good for a standard back patio plus a railing run.
- 96ft with 30 dimmable RGBIC bulbs
- 47 scene modes and app control
- IP65 waterproof rating
Are Brightown string lights worth grabbing this week?
Brightown is the most-represented brand in this roundup, with four different strings hitting sale prices. Three of the four sit at top-10 bestseller ranks in their categories, which is the closest thing to a reliability signal you’ll get without owning them yourself.
Brightown 52FT Solar String
The solar pick of the group. 52 feet of dimmable warm white bulbs that can run on either solar or USB, which solves the biggest complaint about solar lights. Five cloudy WV days in a row used to mean a dark patio. With the USB backup you just plug it in when the panel can’t keep up. 26 hour runtime and a remote are practical extras. This is the one I’d actually buy for a cabin where you don’t want to run new wiring.
- 52ft solar or USB powered
- 15+1 dimmable LED bulbs with remote
- 26 hour runtime and waterproof
Brightown 50FT G40 Patio
The classic G40 bistro look in 50 feet with 25 shatterproof bulbs. IP65, dimmable, and connectable end to end if you need to run a longer span. This is the standard against which most patio string lights get measured, and the price right now is a fair one. Black wire blends into most railings.
- 50ft with 25 shatterproof G40 bulbs
- IP65 waterproof and dimmable
- Connectable end to end
Brightown 50FT G40 White Wire
Same 50FT G40 string as the one above, just with white wire instead of black. If your porch ceiling is white or your railing trim is light, this version disappears into the background during the day. Bestseller rank #2 in its category tells you it sells well and people aren’t returning it in droves. The dimmable function works with most third party dimmers, which not every string can claim.
- 50ft G40 string with white wire
- 25 dimmable shatterproof bulbs
- IP65 waterproof and connectable
Brightown 25FT G40 Short Run
The short-run pick. 25 feet with 12+1 G40 bulbs for a small balcony, a gazebo, or a single patio umbrella. The biggest reason to buy this version is connectability. You can chain it to one of the 50ft strings above if you want a custom length without buying two full strings. Bestseller rank #3 in its category.
- 25ft with 12+1 G40 bulbs
- IP65 waterproof dimmable
- Connectable to longer strings
What about Edison-style and smart alternatives?
The TDLOL Edison string and the Xirtneduav smart ST48 round out the roundup with two different takes. One is the vintage warm look for half off. The other is a budget smart string with music sync.
TDLOL 100FT S14 Edison String
100 feet of S14 Edison bulbs in a warm 2700K for the price of a tank of gas. The IP55 rating is a step down from the IP65 strings in this roundup, so I wouldn’t run this on a fully exposed pergola in a windy yard. Under a covered porch or along a railing with some overhead protection, it’ll hold up fine. The E12 sockets accept replacement bulbs from any hardware store, which matters when one inevitably dies.
- 100ft with 35 shatterproof S14 Edison bulbs
- 2700K warm white dimmable
- E12 sockets and IP55 waterproof
Xirtneduav 50FT Smart ST48
The off-brand smart string. Xirtneduav isn’t a name I’d usually feature, but the spec sheet is honest about what you get. 50 feet, color-changing ST48 bulbs, music sync, app and remote control, IP65, shatterproof. If you want the smart color experience without paying Govee prices, this is the path. The brand is the gamble. The hardware itself is the same kind of build you see across most no-name LED strings.
- 50ft color changing ST48 bulbs
- Music sync with app and remote
- IP65 waterproof and shatterproof
Frequently asked questions
What are permanent outdoor lights for a house?
Permanent outdoor lights are LED strips or pixel lights designed to mount under the eaves or along the roofline and stay installed year round. Unlike seasonal Christmas lights or temporary string lights, they’re built with weatherproof housings and programmable controllers so the same hardware handles holiday color schemes, accent lighting, and everyday porch light. The Ecoeve 50ft strip in this roundup is one example, with IP67 rating and app control.
How long do outdoor string lights last in West Virginia weather?
A decent IP65 or IP67 rated LED string should last three to five seasons left up year round in WV, assuming the bulbs are shatterproof and the sockets stay dry. The failure points are usually the controller boxes and the end connectors, not the bulbs themselves. Tucking those under a porch overhang adds significant life.
Are smart outdoor string lights worth the extra cost over basic ones?
If you want scheduling, dimming from your phone, or color shifting for holidays and game days, smart strings like the Govee or Ecoeve options are worth the premium. If you just want bistro lights that come on at dusk, a basic dimmable G40 string from Brightown will save you money and still last just as long.
Can you leave outdoor string lights up year round?
Yes, if the string is rated IP65 or higher and the bulbs are shatterproof. The Brightown G40 strings and the Govee smart strings in this list are all rated for year round outdoor use. The lower IP55 rated TDLOL string is better suited to covered locations like under a porch roof.
What is the difference between IP65 and IP67 weatherproof ratings?
IP65 protects against dust and low-pressure water jets, which covers normal rain and snow. IP67 adds protection against temporary submersion in shallow water, which matters if your lights sit in a spot that occasionally puddles or gets buried in heavy snow. For permanent eave installs in WV, IP67 is the safer call.
This week’s garden lighting deals run from 5% to 50% off, with the deepest cuts on the Ecoeve permanent system and the TDLOL Edison string. Most of the Brightown and Govee discounts sit in the 13% to 40% range, which is honest. None of these are inflated original price markdowns that magically appear during sale weeks. The Brightown strings in particular don’t move much off their typical pricing, so the 40% on the 50FT G40 is a real cut, not a fiction.
The standout pick this week is the Ecoeve permanent outdoor lights. It’s the only deal here that solves a problem most string lights can’t, and at half off the price gap to a contractor install is significant. If I were buying this weekend, that’s the one I’d grab. The Brightown 52FT solar string is the runner-up if you don’t want to mess with eave installation. What I’d skip is the Xirtneduav smart string. The hardware looks fine but the brand has no track record I can find, and there are Govee options nearby on price that come with real warranty support.
Looking ahead, expect Memorial Day weekend pricing to either hold or sweeten through Tuesday. Govee tends to extend their sale events a few days past the official window, so if you’re on the fence about one of the smart strings you have some breathing room. Permanent outdoor lighting as a category is still finding its price floor, and I’d be surprised if Ecoeve drops below this week’s number again before fall. If that’s the product on your list, this is the week to pull the trigger.
