While the summer heat may be almost unbearable, there are plenty of products that can make your backyard not only bearable, but also enjoyable during the scorching summer months. In preparation for all the festivities, we tested grillingcoolers, outdoor projectors and audio equipment, and supervised various outdoor lighting and other great gadgets for your outdoor space. Here are some of the best outdoor tech devices for 2024.
You can (and should) also delve deeper into other outdoor technology, especially grill accessories and outdoor security cameras. But this list is all about entertaining in an outdoor space. If you spend your warmer days — or cooler days, if you have a good fire pit — with friends and family, have a big enough backyard, and want to make the most of it, then any of these great tech choices are for you.
Pizza ovens are a sensation in outdoor cooking. Smaller than your average grill, this propane-powered pizza maker is easy to use and cooks pizza and other doughy goodness evenly and quickly.
The hot stone in the center of the oven is heavy and needs to be preheated quite a bit before you put your pizza on it, but once it’s ready, it takes about 6 minutes to perfectly bake a homemade pie. The stone rotates, so you don’t have to take the food out to move it or worry about it being undercooked on one side.
The flip-up lid is the other feature that really sets the Halo Versa apart from most pizza ovens. Once your food is cooked, you flip the lid up, giving you much more access and making it easy to remove your food without dropping it (something I’ve occasionally done with a regular oven).
Living in Virginia, I have cool winters and very hot summers. My backyard is landscaped just right so that it never gets windy, making summer days muggy and in need of a breeze. The Shark FlexBreeze has been a godsend since it arrived, keeping me and my family cool wirelessly. The battery charges quickly and lasts for hours, or it can be plugged in for continuous power when you’re not using the mister. Oh, and it also has a mister, which is great if you don’t mind humidity. For an added party, the Shark can be taken apart into a shorter table fan, making it truly versatile.
This large solar light has an elegant design that can be screwed into your poolside patio or walkway to provide a beautiful glow all night long. Or you can do as I did and use it in place of a real fire pit. The soft, warm light provides the same ambiance as a fire pit without adding any heat to the environment.
My family and I love hanging out in the garden during the summer, but the temperatures are in the mid 80s, way too hot for a real flame. The Skye from Mod Lighting is a great compromise.
Most propane patio heaters have two problems: they’re ugly and they heat from the top. The East Oak patio heater has a cool fire effect running through the center that looks great and will keep you and your friends warm. A regular heater rains heat down on your tall friend’s head, but this one radiates it outward so you can all enjoy the 48,000 BTU it puts out, enough to heat a room 15 feet in diameter.
This is easily the most extravagant item on this list, but if you’re like us and spend hours in your backyard, a TV that’s built to last is worth it. This entry from Sylvox is waterproof against rain and pool splashes, can operate in freezing temperatures and warm weather, and it’s smart, too.
The Google TV integration makes the whole TV very smooth and you get all your favorite apps to play with. The volume is decent but nothing to write home about but the screen is incredibly bright. Even on the brightest day I was able to watch Miraculous Ladybug with my daughter without any problems.
Over the past two years, we’ve collected coolers in every price range, from $10 disposable models to $300 rotomolded plastic coolers. The Igloo MaxCold isn’t the greatest performer, but it still ranks in the top five, above coolers costing upwards of $200. If you’re looking to splurge, Cabela’s, Orca and Yeti all have rotomolded designs that keep their contents colder longer, but the small difference between those models and this $100 Igloo MaxCold makes it tough to justify spending more.
Roasting marshmallows over a fire pit is a tried and tested good time, I think we can all agree. But what if we wanted to take it to the next level? With this cowboy fire pit from Pit Boss you can roast hot dogs, burgers, and chicken legs over a wide open fire like you’re in the Wild West.
The entire fire pit is very sturdy, and while it’s designed for pellets, it can easily burn logs as well. It’s not smokeless like some of the other fire pits we’ve tested, but you’ll want some smoke to enhance the flavor and ambiance when you’re cooking food over a flame. If you’re looking to do more than just grab a hot dog while you’re sitting around the fire, there are some excellent attachments for cooking just about anything you want — even pizza.
It’s great to have a solar generator with you when you go somewhere. I recently took my family to the local lake and by setting up the Ecoflow River and its solar panel I was able to charge all of our devices and even help out a few of our neighbors at the lake. I was also able to power the pump for all of the inflatables at the beach!
The power station is even handy at home where I have power outlets nearby. I have set it up on the other side of the garden with lights and chairs so people can escape the noise and keep their phones charged.
While many Bluetooth speakers suffer from poor bass reproduction, Treblab’s HD-Force sounds deep and rich at any volume. The battery lasts as long as an outdoor gathering, and the flashing lights on top create a party atmosphere in the evening.
The HD-Force also has an IPX6 water rating, which means it can withstand a sustained high-pressure jet of water or splashes. You don’t want to drop it in the pool, but it can handle all the splashes or spray you can throw at it.
Outdoor lighting can be pretty boring, but it doesn’t have to be. These smart lights from Govee are designed to be stuck into the grass along paths and they work great to accent your path in different colors. I’ve used them a little differently though.
Using command strips I attached them to the railing of my balcony. Now, because they are controlled by your phone and can dance to the music, I have an awesome light show when I have friends over.
