These smart outdoor lights made my house look insane: Govee Flood Lights 2 review

When you think of smart lighting, you generally picture indoor bulbs and LED strips. But of course, there’s a whole world waiting to be lit up outside.

But when it comes to Matter-compatible outdoor lighting, your options have so far been a bit limited — which is why I was excited to check out the Govee Outdoor Flood Lights 2 (model H7057).

These come in a set of 4 or 6 lights, and each one pumps out a whopping 1000 lumens of RGBICWW output. That’s the full-color spectrum, plus pure cold and warm whites. In fact, the white light is 30% brighter than the previous model, while the colored output is 100% brighter. The originals only gave 400 lumens, so this is a massive upgrade in terms of effect lighting.

You can really see the difference side-by-side, as the new floodlights throw out a stunning, vibrant wash of color that covers the entire two floors of my home.

Naturally, they’re IP66 waterproof, made of UV-resistant materials, and rated to withstand –20°C to 40°C. That’s perfect for the UK, and unless you live somewhere truly extreme, these should be fine for year-round outdoor use. That said, I personally wouldn’t leave them out all year long as I live near the sea, and salty Cornish air ruins anything electrical. Still, the permanent Govee lights I installed years ago are still going strong, so I’ve got confidence in their outdoor gear.

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Design and setup

Each light measures 15 x 12 cm (6 x 4.7 inches) and has an adjustable arm. You can either screw them directly onto a structural surface, use the included lawn spike, or just angle them manually for temporary installations. However, it’s best to secure them properly, as the cables will pull them around.

The front of each light has a slight diffusion layer. While you can still see the LED array when they’re off, the diffuser helps soften the output. It’s not quite as diffuse as the fully opaque panel on the original floodlights, but more than sufficient. These aren’t spotlights — even from a short distance, you’ll get a wide, smooth burst of light.

Each light connects via a mini power connector to a main power cable that has a connection point every 10 feet. From the first connector to the controller is around 6.6 feet, and then another 6.6 feet to the power socket. You’ll want to keep the power supply indoors, and the controller if you can.

The one thing I found a little disappointing was the length of the cable. 10 feet sounds like a lot, but it’s easy to underestimate how much distance you actually need to cover. I couldn’t stretch them across the entire back of the house, for instance.

Matter connectivity and the Govee app

There’s a Matter pairing code on the power cable, so technically, you could connect these straight to your Matter controller and skip the Govee app. However, you’d be missing out on a lot of the good stuff. Matter currently only supports single-colour control and uniform brightness across all lights, so every light would be set to the same thing.

To unlock the full range of features — including dynamic scenes, music-reactive modes, custom effects, and saving your own settings — you’ll need the Govee Home app, and I strongly recommend using it. Once they’re set up on Wi-Fi, you can control them from anywhere in the world.

You can even integrate them into DreamView or Razer Chroma setups. DreamView is Govee’s tech for synchronized lighting effects — it works with ambient sounds or video input, creating an Ambilight-style display using your lights. You can do this via the free desktop app or the Govee AI Sync Box, which reads the HDMI signal and replicates on-screen colors in real-time.

Govee AI Sync Box Kit 2 (for 27-34 inch monitors)

The Govee AI Sync Box Kit 2 syncs ambient lighting with your TV or gaming setup for an immersive experience using AI-driven color matching.

Buy at Amazon US for $249.99

The AI Sync Box has an added trick for immersive gaming: context-aware lighting effects. It recognizes in-game events (like a kill, healing, or winning) and plays dramatic lighting effects. It’s completely unnecessary ... and absolutely brilliant.

Downsides and limitations

There are two main limitations to be aware of:

• You’re limited to sets of 4 or 6 lights. There’s no way to extend the system with additional lights.
• The 10ft spacing between each light is fixed and non-extendable either, which might not suit everyone’s setup.

Also, like all effect lighting, you’ll get the best results when the lights bounce off a white surface. They still look great on trees or plants, but you’ll get a more dramatic punch off a white wall.

What’s Been Upgraded?

The biggest upgrade over the original Govee Outdoor Floodlights is the brightness — 1000 lumens compared to just 400 previously. That’s partly due to the inclusion of dedicated white LEDs instead of relying on RGB color mixing.

The fixtures themselves are a little larger now, but the installation method remains the same: lawn spike or screw-in.

Scene transitions are smoother, too: the originals had harsh color changes, while the new ones gently fade between colors, which makes everything look more polished.

Should You Buy the Govee Outdoor Flood Lights 2?

They’re better. They’re brighter. They support Matter. What’s not to love?

Outdoor lighting is often overlooked in smart home setups, and these floodlights show exactly why it shouldn’t be. Just make sure the 10ft cable spacing fits your space before you commit.

One feature I always appreciate about Govee lights is that all features are supported over Bluetooth. A lot of smart lighting is limited to Wi-Fi, or needs a hub—and won't work outside of your home. I love bringing the Govee lights to our local community center for Halloween nights or impromptu discos. 

But while it’s fun to light up your garden in wild colors and epic scenes, let's try to keep it for special occasions. If you live in a dark sky area like I do, leave the stars to shine brightest: everyone deserves a chance to enjoy the night sky.