A solar light runs off a panel and an internal battery. There is no cable, no trench and no electrician, which makes it the only practical way to light a path, a fence line or a driveway that has no power anywhere near it.
What it asks in return is a position. A solar light works on the direct sun its panel collects during the day, not on how bright the day felt to you. Get the panel right and the light looks after itself for years. Get it wrong and no model will perform.
What's in this range
There are 4 products in this collection, priced from $50 to $100 in Australian dollars. Listed heights run from 2.4 cm for the slimmest step light to 10.5 cm. The housings are built for weather: ABS on two models and weather resistant PC on another. Every light source is LED, and no bulb base is listed anywhere, so nothing needs replacing.
All four are powered entirely by solar, and three product pages describe automatic day and night operation, meaning the light switches itself on at dusk without a timer or a switch. Mounting covers screw fixing to a wall, a panel with a ground spike that needs no wiring, and stick-on fixing. Weather ratings are stated on three product pages: IP65 on two and IP68 on one. One model lists an on and off button with mode selection, and one states a warm white LED. The range covers a motion sensor wall light, waterproof outdoor fairy lights and two sets of step lights, one of them sold as a pack of six. Front doors, gardens, patios, pathways, balconies and stairs are the places named on these pages.
How to choose
Where the panel sits, not where the light sits
This is the decision that determines everything. A panel shaded by a fence, a gutter or a tree until midday will not fill its battery, and the light will fade early every night. On the models with a separate panel and ground spike you can place the panel in sun and the light where you want it, which solves the problem that catches most people out.
The IP rating for where the light will live
Three product pages here state a rating: two at IP65 and one at IP68. IP68 is the one to look for where water pools, at ground level in a garden bed or along a path that floods in a storm. A fitting at head height on a sheltered wall asks less of the rating than one set into a step.
Sensor or dusk to dawn
A motion sensor light stays dark until somebody approaches, which saves the battery and makes a longer run possible on a short winter day. A dusk to dawn light marks a path all night whether or not anyone uses it. For a driveway or a back door, the sensor usually wins. For a garden you want to look at, it does not.
Mounting method
Screw fixing to a wall is the right answer where wind and weather work on the fitting. A ground spike suits a garden bed or a lawn edge and moves easily if you change the planting. Stick-on fixing suits a step or a riser, indoors or under cover, and needs no tools at all.
Frequently asked questions
How long do solar lights run at night?
For as long as the day's charge allows, which changes with the season and with how much direct sun the panel gets. Each product page states its own runtime figure. A sensor model that lights only when someone passes will always outlast one that stays on.
Do they work in winter?
They work on a smaller charge, so they run for less time. Where the panel sits matters more than the month: a panel in full sun through a short winter day will do better than one in shade through a long summer one.
Can I leave them out in the rain?
Yes, where the product page states a rating. Two products here are rated IP65 and one IP68. That rating is what the fitting is built around, since a solar light has nowhere else to live.
Do they need any wiring at all?
No. Every product in this collection is powered by its own panel and battery, and two product pages state directly that no wiring is required. That is the reason to buy one. For lights that run on a battery you charge yourself rather than on sun, see rechargeable lamps, and for wired exterior fittings see outdoor lights.