Govee Lights Edmonton? A Comprehensive Review of Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights

Direct-to-consumer smart Christmas lights have a history of being less than impressive. However, Govee permanent lights started gaining attention last year, and this year, I’ve been asked multiple times each week to install them in Edmonton. With this surge in interest, I decided it was time to take a closer look and see if the excitement around Govee Lights really adds up to a worthwhile product.

Spoiler Alert: Govee lights are the best consumer-grade permanent smart lights I’ve encountered so far. However, they still lack some features that I expect before fully endorsing them.

Product Overview: Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights

For my review, I tested two varieties of Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights:

1. Govee Elite Lights: Exclusive to Costco, these lights offer 150 feet of length.
2. Govee Pro Lights: Available directly from the Govee website, these lights can be installed up to 200 feet in length, claim additional brightness, and come with accessories to cut and splice the light stringers.

Code Compliance: Are Govee Lights Edmonton Approved?

When installing any electrical device permanently on a house, it’s crucial to check if a permit is required. According to the Canadian Electrical Code CSA C22.1:21, section 16-200, lighting systems must be classified as “Class 2” to be installed without a permit. This means they must operate at ultra-low voltage (under 60 Volts), not be modified during installation, and be power-limited to a maximum of 100 volts * amps.

• Watts Lights: Meet this requirement.
• Govee Elite Lights: Meet this requirement.
• Govee Pro Lights: Do not meet this requirement, as their power supply is 36 Volts and limited to 3 amps, totaling 108 volts*amps. While this doesn’t prevent the system from being sold to consumers, it means that under Canadian standards, it is not supposed to be installed by consumers as a permanent device.

Installation Style: Flexibility and Challenges

Govee Lights come with a peel-and-stick adhesive backing on each light, along with additional screw brackets for wire support. They are designed to be installed on soffits with exposed wiring and are available in white or black to match your soffit color.

Limitations:

• The adhesive backing cannot be used in wet conditions or below 10°C, which can limit installation dates—particularly in Edmonton’s cold winters.
• Govee lights come in 16-foot strands. The Elite lights cannot be modified to change the length of a strand. While the Pro lights come with splice connectors and instructions for cutting them down to size, doing so violates Electrical Code.
• The limited flexibility in strand lengths may cause issues on rooflines that are not multiples of 16 feet, requiring sections to be shortened, hidden, or awkwardly strung across transitions.

Additionally, if you plan to use the Elite lights, consider the number of transition cables needed. The Elite package includes a limited number of these cables, and Govee currently does not sell additional transition cables separately.

In contrast, Watts Lights offer connectors between every light, allowing adjustments to fit any roofline perfectly. The aluminum channels used to house them hide wires from view, protect them from damage, and can be securely installed in any weather.

Brightness Comparison: Govee vs. Watts Lights

The claimed brightness (measured in Lumens) for each product is as follows:

• Govee Pro: 50 Lumens per light with 18” spacing.
• Govee Elite: 40 Lumens per light with 18” spacing.
• Watts Lights: 25 Lumens per light with 9” spacing.

On paper, Govee Pro lights are the brightest per light. However, when comparing brightness on a per-foot basis, they are equivalent to Watts Lights. I’ve always been skeptical of Lumen numbers, as they measure all emitted light but don’t account for distance or angle. When I was testing these in my shop, what I saw did not correlate with the Lumen output provided by the manufacturers. With the lights set to maximum brightness on full bright white, the Watts Lights and Govee Pros looks similar in brightness per light, and the Elite lights looked noticeably dimmer.

So, I pulled out my Lux Metre (a tool for measuring brightness), and with an isolation sleeve to exclude ambient light put the products to a practical test. Given the stated Lumen ratings, the results were surprising:

	Govee Elite	Watts	Govee Pro
1st Measurement	395 Lux	1362 Lux	1470 Lux
2nd Measurement	343 Lux	1363 Lux	1441 Lux
3rd Measurement	340 Lux	1246 Lux	1400 Lux
Average	359 Lux	1324 Lux	1437 Lux

Despite the manufacturer’s Lumen claims, my Lux measurements showed that Watts Lights and Govee Pro lights are significantly brighter than Govee Elite lights. While the Govee Pro lights are marginally brighter individually, Watts Lights, with their closer spacing, are by far the brightest system overall. The Govee Elite lights, at less than 25% of the brightness of the Govee Pro, are hardly worth mentioning.

Longevity and Warranty: What to Expect

• Govee Elite Lights: Come with a 30-day money-back guarantee and a 12-month warranty.
• Govee Pro Lights: Offer a 24-month warranty.

Both products come with a direct-to-consumer warranty that covers product replacement only. However, Govee’s fine print excludes warranty coverage when the lights are exposed to extreme temperatures, and they are only rated for use down to -20°C. That is hardly Edmonton friendly. The Govee website says these lights last up to 50 000 hours.

In contrast, Watts Lights, offered through Darren Does That, come with a 5-year warranty on both product and labor. They are rated for temperatures down to -40°C and boast an average lifespan of 50,000 hours.

Light Control App: Govee vs. Watts

The Govee app is a general-purpose app that supports various smart home devices beyond lighting. It features an AI interface, music responsiveness, and focuses largely on animation and light motion. However, setting static patterns requires extra steps. It has about 100 preset “scenes” most of witch have motion, and has a library of user created patterns.

On the other hand, the Watts application is dedicated solely to lighting control, offering over 800 preset patterns, including hundreds of static options. While it lacks music responsiveness, it’s interface is intuitive and slick, putting lots of power at your fingertips without layers of menus to sort through.

Price Comparison: Govee vs. Watts

• Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights Pro: Regularly priced at $959.99 for 200 feet on the Govee Canada website.
• Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights Elite: Currently priced at $429.00 for 150 feet on the Costco Canada website.

These prices are for the product only, meaning you’ll either need to install them yourself or hire someone willing to work with the product, adding to the overall cost.

In comparison, a 200-foot installation of Watts Lights would cost between $3,900 and $4,700, depending on the time of year and roofline complexity. A 150-foot installation would range between $3,100 and $3,600. If you’d like to get a precise price you can submit a request here.

Govee lights will likely cost less upon first purchase, especially if you install yourself or can find someone willing to work with the product for cheap. However, the brighter, easier-to-control, cloud-connected Watts system offers substantially more value and longevity for those with the budget.

Conclusion: Are Govee Lights Right for You?

In summary, if you’re in Edmonton and considering Govee Lights for your home, they are a solid choice for consumer-grade smart lighting. Especially if your roofline is straightforward and reachable. However, if you’re looking for the brightest, most durable, and feature-rich option, Watts Lights might be worth the investment.

For expert installation and the best permanent outdoor lighting solution in Edmonton, consider Darren Does That for your lighting needs.