If you want to have sockets installed outside permanently, you should have an electrician come to you. Electricity is no fun, especially outside. An outdoor socket or a moisture-proof socket must meet other requirements for protection against water and dust.
Extension cables, cable drums or garden sockets that are laid above ground are simpler, cheaper and more flexible. We show what to look out for when buying and how to use solar to supply places that are far from the power grid with electricity.
power extension
Electric hedge trimmers, scarifiers or lawn mowers, many garden maintenance devices run on electricity. This makes them quieter than petrol products and those who can connect them to the mains pay less when buying them than if they use a battery model. This device class is characterized by the fact that you don’t use it all the time, but take it out every few weeks or months to do special tasks with it.
Since you usually work with them on a dry day, you can be a little more generous with the necessary extension cable. Yes, it should be stable and specially protected against moisture, for example by means of sealing caps, but normally it does not have to withstand continuous rain. If you are looking for an extension for outdoors, you should pay attention to an IP44 certification. This protects against dirt “larger than 1 mm” and against “all-round splashing”. You should be a little more generous with the length, it’s better to have five meters too much than five meters too little.
From painful experience, we recommend cables in the most conspicuous color possible for outdoor use. A black cable lying on the ground is overlooked much more quickly than one in white, red or orange. In the heat of the moment, it not only represents a tripping hazard, it can also be quickly cut through with a lawn trimmer or mower.
Cable reel for outside
A cord reel is a step above the simple extension cord. It delivers electricity over long distances and usually has several junction boxes to which consumers can connect – such as hedge trimmers and a shredder (guide). In addition to the classic 230 V Schuko plugs, the drums are also available with CEE plugs, either on the cable or on the drum. This makes the drums interesting, for example, on the construction site or when camping.
For outdoor use, the cable drum should be protected against dirt and water in accordance with IP44, and the sockets themselves should have self-closing covers. With cable drums, you should pay attention to the maximum specifications for watts and volts. These differ greatly depending on whether the drum is wound up or completely unwound.
Because the tightly coiled cables can otherwise only poorly dissipate the heat generated when the current flows through, in the worst case there is a risk of overheating or even fire. High-quality cable reels have overheating protection that interrupts the power supply in an emergency, but you shouldn’t let it get that far. It doesn’t hurt to always unwind the drum completely when in doubt.
However, most cable drums for the construction site have a problem for the garden: there is a long cable to the cable drum, but then you have to use an extension cable or lug the drum along with you. Special garden cable drums help here. These are more or less an extension cord wrapped around a cord reel. They are primarily suitable when only one device is to be operated, such as the lawnmower.
The same applies to long cables from the drum: Better to choose an eye-catching color! In this way, the extension does not become a tripping hazard and the risk of damage with garden tools, for example, is reduced.
Garden sockets: practical power distributors for outdoors
The devices have a simple structure. They differ from the extension cable in that they usually have a significantly thicker, more heavily protected cable and one or more Schuko sockets. IP44 is also the minimum required protection here, and the sockets are often additionally secured. The ground spikes from Brennenstuhl, for example, which are driven into the ground, are well known. Alternatively, there are columns or distribution boxes with a stone look that are beautiful to look at.
It is practical that many of the devices can do more than just distribute the electricity. Garden sockets from REV or the Kopp energy station have a timer with which one or more sockets can be switched on or off automatically. This is ideal for applications that do not require constant power, such as evening lighting or a fountain in the garden. Other products, such as the Royal Gardineer garden socket, come with a light. Still other devices, such as from Brennenstuhl or Meross, are connected to the home network via WLAN and can be switched on via language assistants such as Alexa.
If you buy such a power distributor, you should pay attention to the cable length again. Better a little more so that you can lay the cable neatly so that nobody trips over it. Ideally, the plug should also be protected, even if it has an IP44 rating. The less the elements can rush directly onto the device, the better it is.
electricity self-sufficient
If you don’t want to lay or bury cables because the distances are too great, you can also supply your consumers far away from the power grid with the help of power generators. In addition to classic inverters operated with petrol or gas, mobile solar generators, the so-called power stations, have also been an option for about two years.
The advantage of power generators with internal combustion engines is their high performance, which can be called up over long periods of time. Ultimately, the devices work as long as there is sufficient fuel. The disadvantages of the variant are the high weight, noise and exhaust fumes.
Solar generators, mobile power storage devices with an integrated 230-volt socket, on the other hand, are quiet, don’t smell and can be charged using photovoltaics. They are therefore also suitable for gardens that are completely without a connection to the public power grid, such as cottages in the country or allotment gardens. The mobile sockets are also a practical electricity supplier for mobile homes, at festivals or when camping. Alternatively, the devices can also be charged at the socket or in the vehicle.
Photo gallery – The best power stations with solar generators
The best power stations with solar generators from TechStage’s individual tests.
The big disadvantage of the devices was the previously very high price. Since last year, however, the power stations have become significantly cheaper and so there are well-equipped devices such as the Oukitel P2001 (test report) with 2000 watts of power and a capacity of almost 2 kWh from around 1000 euros. Models with a lower capacity, such as the Ecoflow Delta 2 (test report) with 1024 Wh and a maximum of 1800 watts, are available from 850 euros – for a short time the device was even available from 650 euros. From 350 euros there are compact models such as the EBL MP500 (test report) with 500 watts and almost 500 Wh. This is easily enough for drill drivers and cool boxes, but for powerful tools it needs more power.
Although this solution is still significantly more expensive than, for example, the simple extension cord, the investment can be worthwhile. We use our power station privately in our free time as well as for all work around the house. We can save on expensive cordless tools and also use a cool box or electric air pump far away from the power grid. In addition, you always have a mini emergency power supply in case of a power failure.
Autonomous cameras and lights with solar
What if you can’t or don’t want to lay any electricity? Then cameras or lights with solar can step into the breach. With simple path lights, for example, there are numerous options that you simply stick in the ground and forget. The same applies to LED torches (guide), wall lights with solar or house numbers with solar lighting. From our own experience, it is better to invest a little more money in house numbers with photovoltaics, since cheap models often only last for a short time and are not particularly bright. A recommendation from here would be the house numbers from Paulmann, which a colleague uses and is very satisfied with.
These usually come with twilight sensors, during the day the lamps are deactivated and charge the battery. There is also motion detection, so that the lamp only comes on when something is happening in the sensor area of the lamp. That saves electricity. Nevertheless, the lamp should be set up or fixed in such a way that it gets enough hours of sunshine during the day to charge the battery. More on this in the article Inexpensive, bright and self-sufficient: solar lamps & solar lights for outside from 10 euros.
IP cameras with solar panels, such as the Ring Spotlight (test report) or the Reolink Argus 2 (test report), also work completely independently of the power grid. This allows you to keep an eye on areas in the garden that are normally not visible – at least as long as there is WiFi there. However, it is important that the solar panels do not sit directly on the camera, but ideally supply it with power via a cable. Then you are much more flexible when it comes to positioning the camera and solar panel.
If you want to use the cameras completely independently, for example to monitor the allotment garden house without WLAN, you will also find solar-compatible cameras with an LTE module. These offer space for an LTE SIM and can transmit images, videos and sound via the mobile network. However, a separate contract is necessary for this, and we show suitable options in the LTE router guide: The best and cheapest tariffs for mobile surfing.
Conclusion
Electricity in the garden is essential, whether it’s for fun or gardening (which doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive). Anyone who only mows from time to time is well advised to use an extension or a garden cable drum. An outdoor cable reel is worthwhile for larger gardens or if the small barbecue hut in the garden needs to be supplied with electricity for a longer period of time. A garden socket is a useful extension for the lights or to have a fixed point of contact for electricity in the garden.
Wherever possible, you should use circuits that are separated from the other circuits in the house or apartment by their own RCDs. This provides additional protection if the integrated security functions fail. And, as mentioned, outside sockets should always be fitted by a specialist.
If there is no line to the house or camper, then solar generators with suitable photovoltaic modules are the right choice. They are quiet and easy to operate. After the first investment in a power station and solar panel, they no longer fit into the budget and can therefore supply electricity “for free”. If you also need high performance spontaneously and over a long period of time, you are better off with a petrol inverter. For more information, see the guidebook Electricity generators with petrol, gas or photovoltaics: self-sufficient from 185 euros.