IP68 is a depth and a duration, not a promise
Pool lighting on this shelf is almost entirely cordless: rechargeable or battery LED units that float, sit on the floor, or clamp magnetically through a liner wall. The specification everyone quotes is IP68, and it is worth knowing exactly what it claims — continuous immersion, at a depth and for a duration the manufacturer states. IP68 without a stated depth is an incomplete specification, and a light rated to one metre in a 1,32 m pool is being used outside its rating. The second figure is the runtime, usually six to twelve hours, which is a season of evenings if the unit is fished out and charged, and a fortnight if it is not. Then the mounting, which is the real division on this shelf: a floating light lies on the surface and lights the terrace; a magnetic pair clamps through the wall and lights the water; a weighted unit sits on the floor and lights everything above it. Brightness is rarely given in lumens and often in LED count, which says nothing — where lumens are published, they are the figure to use. Colour control is RGB with a remote on nearly all of them, and the thing to check is the remote range through water, because radio and infrared behave very differently once the receiver is submerged. We compare IP rating with its stated depth, mounting, runtime and charging, brightness, colour modes and remote range.
IP68 double ring, 10 LEDs, 3 × AAA, 10–12 h
The cheapest lights on this shelf and the only ones that publish a runtime in hours: ten LEDs on three AAA cells for a stated ten to twelve hours, in a double-sealed ring housing.
Best for: An evening in the garden rather than a permanent installation
IP68 double silicone seal, three mountings, RGB+W
Three mounting methods in one light — magnet, suction cup, or simply sinking — with a double silicone seal, RGB plus a true white channel, and a 360° RF remote.
Best for: A pool where the right fixing is not yet known — a magnet, a cup and a sinker in one product
IP68, 1 200 mAh rechargeable, USB, 2–3 h charge
The only rechargeable light on this shelf that publishes its capacity and charge time: a 1 200 mAh cell charged over USB in two to three hours, with a mounting plate and magnets.
Best for: Regular use, where buying AAA cells every few evenings is the thing to avoid
35 W, 3 500 lm, 140°, Ø 275 × 33 mm, IPX8, surface mount
The only light on this shelf that publishes a lumen figure, a beam angle and its exact dimensions: 3 500 lumens at 35 W over 140°, in a resin-filled panel 33 mm deep that needs no niche.
Best for: A pool without a niche where the light has to be bright and properly documented
20 W PAR56, 12 V AC/DC, IP68, replaces 300–600 W halogen
A PAR56 LED lamp at 20 W and 12 V, stated to replace a 300 to 600 W halogen in an existing niche, with twelve light modes and a hard polycarbonate frame.
Best for: Replacing a halogen lamp in an existing PAR56 niche
IP68 ABS, 13 LEDs, magnet and suction cup, 4-pack
Four lights with both magnets and suction cups supplied, thirteen LEDs each, four dynamic modes and five brightness levels — and batteries that are explicitly not included.
Best for: A steel-walled or framed pool where the magnets have something to hold onto
IP68 silicone seal, RF remote 50 m air / 5 m water
The only light on this shelf that publishes its remote range twice — fifty metres in air and five metres underwater — along with a mounting plate, adhesive and magnets.
Best for: A pool where the lights are set once and operated from a terrace
36 W, 12 V, IP68 sealed plug and interface, ABS/PC
The first mains-fed light on this shelf: 36 W at 12 V through a waterproof plug and interface, with a silicone gasket and an ABS and polycarbonate housing.
Best for: A pool with a 12 V supply already in place, where batteries are the thing being escaped
300 W PAR56, 12 V, brass bushings, lamp change with pool full
A built-in PAR56 halogen floodlight for steel-wall and concrete pools with liner, with brass bushings, 2.5 m of cable, and a lamp that can be changed with the pool still full.
Best for: A steel-wall or concrete pool being fitted with a proper niche from the start
Only the specifications at least four models out of five state. A column that is more empty than full compares nothing.
| Model | Price | Amazon reference | Brightness | Charge time | Colour modes |
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Specifications: manufacturer sheets and Amazon product pages. Prices and availability: Keepa. No product on this site has been physically tested.
Most recent revision in this category: September 21, 2026.
