THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING A GARDEN SPEAKER

YOUR CURRENT SETUP

The speakers you already own at home are a good place to start your search – if you’ve already got a network of wireless speakers, chances are there’s a model available that will work outdoors and still communicate with what you’ve already got. Even better, you can carry on using the same app to control everything.

SPEAKER BATTERY LIFE

Battery life is of course key too: whether you’re heading to the garden patio or the local beach, you don’t want your speaker to be running out of juice midplaylist. Some outdoor speakers can also be plugged into the mains, which is an option to look for if you’re not going too far from home.

WATERPROOFING AND WEATHERPROOFING

Waterproofing and weatherproofing isn’t always a given, but that’s also something else to look out for if you want your speaker to be able to survive the elements. Full waterproofing isn’t all that common, but you’ll want splash resistance at least – otherwise you need to keep a wary eye out for rain showers, which might not aid relaxation.

SPEAKER CONNECTION OPTIONS

A lot of speakers come with both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth options, so consider which one is best for you – and maybe check how far down your garden your Wi-Fi reaches.

A good old 3.5mm audio jack is always handy if all else fails and you need to connect your phone or tablet directly to the speaker.

SIZE AND PORTABILITY

There’s the trade-off between audio and portability to think about as well. Bigger speakers can obviously fit in better components and create a fuller sound, but they’re also going to be harder to lug around (and they’ll likely be more expensive too). It’s a question of what you want to prioritise.