Viatek Night Stars Landscape Light Review

Night Stars Landscape Lights are decorative lighting ideal for both indoor and outdoor use. It projects points of brightly coloured lights onto structures, landscapes or virtually anything else you can think of, but best of all it does so with a laser!

Although this review may seem unconventional in comparison to our usual coverage of hardware and software, be mindful of the fact Linuxlookup.com has always explored technology as a whole.

Nevertheless, any gadget loving demographic can appreciate an introduction to new or interesting products, so let's take a look at yet another.

Hardware

Retail box includes a power supply transformer, ground stake, allen wrench, and light projector - everything you'll need for installation and operation. 

Night Stars Landscape Light is available in three different beam configurations: Single laser beam (Green), Dual beam (Red / Green) and also Triple Beam (Red / Green / Blue). Each priced at $129, $199 and $249 respectively. The Single beam model featured in this review is currently selling for $79 at Home Depot.

The laser is encased in a metal housing with a clear aperture window to protect from physical damage and the elements. As the device can be used both indoors and outdoors, a weather resistant cap connecting the power supply transformer to a 2-prong adaptor is present too. Electrical cord measures 24 feet in length and should be sufficient for most installations. Overall the build quality seems durable. 

Installation is effortless and straightforward. Unpack, attach, position and power on, it's just that easy. However, precautions should always been taken when using lasers.

The unit is classified as a Class IIIa laser. Lasers in this class are mostly dangerous in combination with optical instruments which change the beam diameter or power density, though even without optical instrument enhancement direct contact with the eye for over two minutes may cause serious damage to the retina. Output power on the Viatek Night Stars Landscape Light does not exceed 5mW and uses defractive optics to scatter the beam of energy. This scattering effect causes the energy concentration to drop below the exposure limits for momentary or accidental viewing at a relatively short distance for the laser aperture. Always err on the side of caution, avoid looking directly into the laser and install the Viatek Night Stars Landscape Light in an area where up-close access is restricted.

Specifications

• Class IIIa Laser Classification
• 5mW Laser Power (Single Beam)
• Green 532nm Laser Wavelength
• Up to 5W Power Consumption
• 120VAC Power Input
• Operating Temperature -20C to 30C (-4F to 86F)
• Projection Coverage 25 ft. x 25 ft.
• Maintenance Free
• Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) 5000 Hours
• 1 Year Limited Warranty

Performance

The Viatek Night Stars Landscape Light is engineered to operate both indoors and outdoors within rated temperatures of -20C to 30C (-4F to 86F). Currently we're experiencing mild winter temperatures here in Canada so I didn't get to expose the equipment to real world testing in extreme temperatures as anticipated. Test conditions were as follows.

• Day 1 Outdoor Test: Temperature of +3C (37F)
• Day 1 Indoor Test: Temperature of +21 (69F).

• Day 2 Outdoor Test: Temperature of -5C (23F) with light snow
• Day 2 Indoor Test: Temperature of +21 (69F)

Operation of the device was exceptional under these moderate conditions. Environmental factors will of course need to be taken into consideration and your experience will vary.

In these two images I attempted to capture both indoor (image above) and outdoor (image below) scenarios. Unfortunately, they really only show-off my lacking photography skills. I promise you the environmental lighting looks a lot better in person. Keep in mind though best performance will be achieved in low light conditions.

Coverage of the laser lighting pattern was great. Indoors I was able to project against several walls, including a 22 foot wall with cathedral ceilings. Outdoor projection on backside of the house resulted in similar results. 

I cannot attest to long-term reliability of Viatek products, but the Night Stars Landscape Light offers a 1 year limited warranty with option to purchase an additional year coverage. The calculated arithmetic mean (average) time between failure of 5000 Hours. This translates to leaving the light on for 208 Days straight.

Energy Efficiency

Our energy efficiency test measured power consumption initially at 16.6W, but as the laser heats-up, draw will decrease significantly and usage fluctuates between 3.6W to 3.8W (tested indoors).