inside-the-house smart stuff gets all the attention here. cameras, doorbells, hubs, the whole thermostat war. but I've been adding outdoor stuff over the last 2 years and a few of them quietly became the things I'd miss most.
I'll start. mine is a Wyze outdoor smart plug controlling my landscape lighting strip along the front walk.
sounds boring on paper. it's a $20 plug. but here's why it's quietly the best thing I've added:
dusk-to-dawn auto on/off via sunset API. no schedule to update with seasons. randomized 5-minute "porch on" pulses when nobody's home so the house doesn't look obviously empty. manual override from my phone when I forgot to turn it off and I'm already in bed. 4 years on the same plug, no failures. weatherproofing has held through 2 New England winters.
total cost was $20 plug + $80 in low-voltage strip lights I already had. probably the lowest dollar-per-utility ratio in my whole setup.
what's yours? specifically interested in the stuff you wouldn't think to recommend on a list of "best smart home devices" but you actually use every day or every week. outdoor plugs, weather stations, irrigation, garage door tilt sensors, anything.
bonus points if it solved a problem you didn't know you had.