SwitchBot announced its Permanent Outdoor Lights on 20 October 2026: a 30-metre string of lights meant to stay under the eaves, a balcony or a pergola all year. It is on sale now from SwitchBot's website and Amazon at a list price of US$239.99 (CA$299.99). HomeKit News quotes US$189.99 with a coupon. SwitchBot has not announced European pricing.

Matter without a SwitchBot hub

Many SwitchBot products only reach Matter through one of the company's hubs. This system has Matter over Wi-Fi built in, so it joins Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa, SmartThings or Home Assistant directly. You still need a Matter controller, and on Apple's side that means a HomePod mini or an Apple TV for remote access and automations. In Home Assistant the Matter integration plays that role.

Over Matter you get the basics: on and off, the supported light settings, and scenes. Effects, music sync, detailed colour settings, schedules and timers stay in the SwitchBot app. That is common with Matter lighting, so do not expect the full effect library in Home Assistant.

Colour plus real white

The system has 72 lights in six 5-metre sections. Each light combines RGB with separate warm-white and cool-white LEDs, which SwitchBot calls RGBIC+WW. The IC control lets different parts of the run show different colours at once, so it can do gradients and chasing patterns for holidays and parties. For everyday lighting the white comes from dedicated LEDs instead of mixed RGB, adjustable from 2700 K to 6500 K and dimmable from 1 to 100 percent in the app.

Each light gives up to 40 lm, and the whole 30-metre run up to 2,600 lm. SwitchBot adds that these figures come from its own lab tests and depend on the lighting mode.

Built to stay outside

  • The light strings are rated IP67, the controller and power adapter IP65, so the latter two should not end up sitting in water.
  • The housings are UV resistant, the system works from -20 to 60 °C, and the LEDs are rated for up to 55,000 hours.
  • Included extension cables bridge gaps between sections, for installations up to 36 m long, while the lit part stays at 30 m.
  • Mounting uses 3M adhesive pads on smooth wood or metal, and screws on rough wood, brick, concrete and railings.

A wired controller handles on and off and 10 brightness levels, and SwitchBot says this basic control keeps working when Wi-Fi is down. A built-in microphone drives music-reactive effects. The SwitchBot Remote is sold separately for people who prefer a physical button.