If you’re looking for a budget-friendly option for permanent holiday lighting, Govee lights are a common choice for many. Available for easy purchase online and priced lower than many professional-grade installations, Govee lights offer an accessible way to add permanent Christmas lighting to your space.
These lights can be used both indoors and outdoors, come in a variety of colors, and are relatively straightforward to set up compared to other permanent lighting options. While their products have gained popularity for their affordability and ease of installation, Govee lights are known for some recurring problems.
Users often report headaches such as unexpected flickering or inconsistent performance. But what are the most common problems with Govee lights? What should you know before buying? And, are you comfortable with the possibility of encountering these issues?
In this article, we’ll go over some of the typical problems associated with Govee lights so you can decide if the benefits outweigh the potential drawbacks.
With our extensive experience—thousands of permanent holiday light installations and over 20 years in the industry—we aim to provide you with reliable information to make an informed decision.
All the Govee problems mentioned in this article have been reported by real Govee customers whose feedback can be found in the links below.
What Are Govee Lights?
Govee lights are smart LED lights designed for homes, offering customizable lighting for various spaces. Known for its vibrant colors and advanced features, Govee lights can be controlled through an app, allowing users to adjust brightness, colors, and lighting modes directly from their smartphone.
Many Govee lights also support voice control with platforms like Alexa and Google Assistant, making them easy to operate hands-free. With options like LED light strips, smart bulbs, and outdoor lights, Govee products are popular for creating ambiance and adding decorative flair indoors and outdoors.
What Are Some Common Problems With Govee Lights?
Govee lights are a super popular choice for many homeowners looking to add permanent outdoor lights to their homes while also saving some cash. But, they do come with the possibility of some potentially annoying problems.
Some of these may make you want to consider if they are the right permanent Christmas lights for you or not. Let’s review some of these problems in the section below. All the problems below are real issues that Govee customers have reported online.
1. Govee Lights Flickering On And Off
Some permanent Christmas lights are designed to flicker when synchronized with music or for intentional visual effects. But, when it happens on its own and is not a desired effect for the homeowner, it can be extremely frustrating.
And that is exactly what happened to one customer. Reddit user “Undertow1008” notes in their recent comments on the social media network the following issues after installing Govee lights on the outside of their house:
“I’m experiencing extreme flickering issues with my Govee outdoor permanent lights (H705A). I’ve already received a complete replacement from Govee, but I’m determined to diagnose the issue before climbing the ladder to replace everything. The flickering intensifies when the brightness is set above 40%, making the lights go crazy. Govee’s only suggestion so far has been to do a factory reset, but that hasn’t resolved the issue.”
In response to these comments, Reddit user “RnJibbajabba” responded to the original poster stating: “I had the same issue. The only thing that fixed the problem was keeping the brightness under 80%.”
2. Some Lights In Each Govee Strand Not Coming On
It is one thing to have lights that are not working properly. It is an entirely different thing when they do not work at all.
Another Reddit user, “rusober2day”, had such problems with half of their Govee lights about a year ago. They took to social media to express their frustration saying:
“I bought the 100ft Govee external lights. It comes in two 50ft sets. My first set lights up perfectly. But when I connected the 2nd set they would not turn on. But the first set that I installed works. So I thought I had a bad section. (There’s 3 sections per 50ft box) However none turned on. I even disconnected the first set then took the 2nd set back to the power supply and .. boom they turned on. So there’s nothing wrong with them except … only half turn on. I am pissed since I paid someone to help and I had to send them home. Oh yeah I called Govee support and they don’t work on Fridays 😡😡.”
While other Reddit users chimed in to try and help, it remains unclear if the original poster was able to remedy the issue.
3. Non-Responsive Govee Customer Service
Reddit user “Dapper-Sky886 “ had a similar issue to the person mentioned in the section above. With their lights not working, they attempted to contact Govee on several occasions through various contact methods for help. This was the result:
“We have had our permanent outdoor lights for just over two months. Set them up in December and they lasted through Christmas great.
We changed the light settings from Christmas colors to regular warm white the second week of January. About a week later we come home and half the house is the wrong color (blue instead of warm white). We tried to fix it in the app and had some short-lived success. For the next few days, the lights would come on at the correct time, but would display the wrong color or flash different sequences/colors at random times. Now they won’t turn on at all.
We’ve tried unplugging, waiting, and plugging back in. We’ve tried plugging into a different outlet. We’ve tried to turn them on both in the app and manually with the power button. Nothing.
We have one 150ft string of the Smart RGBIC Outdoor Lights. We did not cut or splice them at all.
We’ve emailed and submitted contact forms to Govee and they have not responded.
Any tips? Really hoping we didn’t waste $400 and a full day of install on one month of Christmas lights.”
While this comment was published 9 months ago, there is no indication in the comments section that the problem was fixed.
4. Continual And Recurring Problems With Govee Lights
The problems listed above are all real complaints of Govee customers who took their frustration to Reddit where there is a thriving community of permanent Christmas lights owners, many of whom own and (attempt) to operate Govee lights.
Many of these people try to help troubleshoot their fellow Govee owner's issues. But, when exploring the dozens of threads on Reddit about problems with Govee lights, it is clear that many customers are struggling with the same issues while not finding resolutions to their problems in a timely manner, or, at all.
Are Govee Lights Right For You?
If you, like the people above, have been struggling with continual issues with your Govee lights, you will want to ask yourself a few questions. If you do not currently own Govee lights but are considering buying them, you will also want to mull these questions over.
- Are these problems worth the cost savings Govee offers?
- Would I be happier investing more money if it meant having better permanent outdoor lights?
- If all of these people are having these same problems with Govee lights, what are the chances I will too?
- What options other than Govee for permanent outdoor lights are out there?
- Is there a better permanent Christmas lights product out there for me?
After you have taken the time to answer these questions, you should be able to figure out if Govee lights are worth the hassle to you or not.
Look, we get it—Govee is a well-known name in this business, and we’re not here to criticize anyone. But since we work in the same industry, we feel it's important to provide top-quality, easy-to-use options for everyone.
We want to see our industry improve and show that we truly care about it being the best it can be. So, if we have to shine a light in the dark to expose where improvements can be made, rest assured, we are going to do it!
Are You Looking For A New Permanent Christmas Lights Company?
After reading this article, you should have a clear idea of whether Govee Lights’ usual problems are worth the money you save. If you’re okay with doing a lot of troubleshooting to keep costs low, Govee lights might be a good choice for you.
But if you want a high-quality permanent outdoor lighting option without frequent calls to customer service, it may be time to look at other companies. So, which company offers the best permanent Christmas lights for your needs?
To find out, check out our companion article, "The Top 5 Best Permanent Christmas Lights Companies In Utah." This article will help you find the best long-lasting outdoor lighting for your home.
Topics:
