Outdoor Security Lights: A Guide to Increase the Safety of Your Home

One of the best ways to protect your home is by using a series of lights around the outside. Strong, bright outdoor security lights are necessary for when you are trying to keep people from getting near your house when it is dark outside.

By using security lights with sturdy light fixtures, you will help keep thieves and burglars from trying to enter into your property. With security lights, it helps you identify who or what is skulking around your home. You can even use these lights to give off the impression that someone is at home even when you are away.

You must look carefully as you aim to find great security lights. But which lights should you go for and where should you place them? Solar security lights, outdoor motion detector lights, LED lights, and standard outdoor security flood lights to name but a few can help improve security around your home and keep potential burglars away. This guide is all about knowing how to find useful security lights and how to position them around your property. Using such lights in the right way is vital when you are aiming to stay protected and safe. However, the variety of options for you to choose from can make it a challenge to figure out what might work best for your individual property and the surrounding environment.

Where Should You Position Your Lights?

When setting up security lights, you have to look at where you will place them. You can add security lights anywhere around your home but it helps to create a map for where each light will be placed.

A map can factor in many things around your property. The map will analyze spaces around your home and electric outlets or wires for connections. You can also review how well a light might work based on the areas it can illuminate.

However, to make the positioning useful, you must look at how well the lights are organized. The general rule of thumb is to keep your lights about 10 to 20 feet apart from each other. This ensures enough coverage around your home while keeping a space from being too bright or too dark.

You have the option to mount your lights anywhere you want too. You can add them to the outside walls of your home or you could have them on poles around your yard. Whatever the case may be, you must look well at how effective the lights lay out and that they are kept in the right spaces.

How Is The Light Focused?

The lights you add should be focused. This refers to how well the light can keep its concentration on a certain area. You must see how well the light works on certain places around your property for the best results.

A spotlight is perfect for your outdoor lighting if you need to concentrate your light on one specific area around your home. For instance, a spotlight can be added above a driveway or sidewalk among other areas.

A flood light would work better if you have a general need for lighting. A flood light produces a wider beam that covers a larger area and can even light up spots that might be a challenge to see. You would have to watch carefully though as a flood light might be a little too powerful.

The best thing to do is see how dark a space around your home might be. You do not have to use too much light if the ambient lighting in a spot is strong enough. But, for places where it is pitch black, something stronger may be required.

Does The Light Have To Move?

You do not have to use a moving light as it might be distracting to some people. However, if you do wish to use one, you should look at how well the light can pivot. See how it can move from one angle to the next and how long it takes for the light to make a full cycle.

Some security lights may come with sensors that identify where motion takes place. This allows the light to move in the direction where it detects any motion. It immediately illuminates anything that crosses its path. This is not as effective as what you might find in a security camera’s motion detection system, but it does well enough to keep the light in an area focused on anything it detects moving.

How Are Your Lights Powered?

There are three options you can use when finding a power source for your outdoor security lights:

  1. A hardwired series of lights will link up to your home’s electrical wiring. This offers a consistent connection although it requires a bit of effort when being installed.
  2. A plug-in light can be plugged directly into a power outlet. This works best if you have an outlet that is secure and that the cord will not come loose.
  3. Solar-powered lights collect energy from the sun’s rays during the day through a series of panels. Those panels then produce the power needed to keep your lights active at night. A battery is needed for each light. This works best if you can get the lights positioned to where they can collect enough light during the daytime.

Special Lighting Features

Many outdoor lights are designed with special security features that improve upon how well they might work. These features include the following options:

  • A motion sensor may be used in your lights. This works as a sensor will identify when something comes near your light source. The light will turn off if nothing is in an area but it will stay active when it spots things. The sensor must have a good coverage area for it to work well.
  • A timer could also be added. This would allow the lights to start working at a certain time and then shut off at another time. You can program the timer to work at a certain time of day.
  • A sensor could be linked to your garage door, front door, or other entry point. This lets the security lighting fixture turn on when the door opens.

All of these features are found in different lighting options. Check on what you use around your home as well as your usage needs to see what might fit best.

How Small Can Your Lights Be?

Many lights can cover massive areas with flood lights especially doing well. But you also have the option to use smaller lights for when you need to cover narrow spaces in your home.

Accent lights are popular as can position them in any area you see fit:

  • Small accent lights can go around windows or doors. These do well with letting people know that someone is home.
  • You can also position some lights around a pool, landscape, or other decorative spot around your home. Solar-powered lights can be useful as they are versatile enough to go around all the curves and bends around these places.
  • Some smaller lights may align the sides of a sidewalk or driveway among other space.

You can use smaller lights to create a better lighting setup but you should be certain that the small lights fit well around your property. This is to give you extra control over how well your lighting experience works.

Basic Considerations

Now that you know the many things that come with security lights, you have to look at a few basic points for getting the most out of your lighting demands. There are a few important points that must be explored if you want to get a quality light ready:

  • A spotlight is best if you have a need to cover a specific space.
  • Motion detection lights work well for when you need to keep the light down but you still need to monitor cases where someone might approach your property.
  • Flood lights are best when you have larger areas to light up.
  • Smaller lights are good for when you need to add an accent to a landscape or other space but these should still be bright enough to at least cover areas near the targeted area.

What About Online Controls?

Some outdoor lights can link up to an online network. These are often paired with other items in a security system.

An outdoor light like this works as you link up your lights to a mobile application. The lights should connect to a server that the app can read. The app then reads details on whether your lights are on or off. Depending on what you have, you might also have the option to change the timer on your lights or to activate only specific ones around your home.

This is perfect if you are going to be away from your home for a bit and you need an extra bit of lighting. You can use the app to control how the lights work so you will always stay protected even when you are away from your space.

Make sure you plan your outdoor lighting needs properly. Great security lights can keep any home protected but you must watch for how well they are produced and that they can give you the protection you demand in any situation.

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