When you’re looking to make your backyard party more inviting, sometimes it’s simply in the details. Instead of fretting over creating a masterfully designed landscape and installing the swankiest hot tub model on the market, consider some of our suggested gadgets. In fact, you may already have them lying around in your home. Re-purpose these gadgets and transform your BBQ from an ordinary cookout to something the neighbors will talk about for years.

GoPro
Whether you want to document the impromptu dance contest on the patio or snap some photos of your family gathered in the hot tub, a GoPro is the ideal addition to your backyard soirée. While GoPro cameras are all the rage in outdoor sports and water activities, this lightweight, rugged video camera is both childproof and party-proof. Capture all your favorite backyard memories with this sturdy device sans the worry of water damage or unintentional butterfingers. To top it off, email the best photos and videos of the night to all your guests, so they have hard evidence of who threw the best backyard bash this summer.

Movie Projectors
Most movie projectors aren’t individually designed for outdoors, which means you can easily take your indoor projector to the great outdoors. Just remember to take the device back inside after every use. Project a movie, music videos, or a slideshow up against a hanging curtain or an open space on the side of your home for a drive-in movie ambience. Play the projector as a source of background entertainment for your cookout or gather up your guests and make the screen the center of attention in your backyard. Whether you’re showing surf videos to complement your luau or playing old family movies for your family reunion, your guests will be sure to take notice.

Music
Every backyard gathering needs music to set the mood. There are countless ways of setting up a swanky sound system depending on your needs and preferences. Sometimes a simple iPod dock will do the trick, while others prefer specific outdoor audio setups with weatherproof speakers or in-ground speakers. Meanwhile, for those wanting to turn up the tunes from the hot tub, there are countless add-ons available for your spa, including audio receivers and built-in devices.

You don’t need to be tech savvy to improve your backyard ambience with these simple gadgets. From enjoying them with a big group of your friends and family to fiddling with them on your own, these additions will take up your outdoor space up a notch.