The security of Light-What is it
Lighting systems not only ward off intruders and criminals but also ensure your outdoors are well lit for safety reasons. Enough illumination can ensure the exterior parts of your space are clearly visible.
So, you should know:
1. What Is A Security Light?
2. How Does A Security Light Work?
3. Where Do You Put Security Lights?
4. How Bright Should an Outdoor Security Light Be?
5. Is It Safe To Have Porch Light On Or Off?
6. Do Motion Sensor Lights Deter Burglars?
1. What is a Security Light
A security light is a fixture that’s often placed outdoors to ensure that the exterior of a home or commercial building is well lit.
The 2 Biggest Perks of Outdoor Lighting:
Your Property Is Secured.
Buglers, robbers, vandals, and other criminals are deterred or discouraged from coming to your home for fear of being seen.
Even if the lighting doesn’t keep them away, at least you’ll be able to clearly see what’s happening and assess your situation.
You Get To Keep Yourself And Your Family Safe.
When it gets dark and there’s poor visibility, the chances of someone bumping into, stumbling over, and even not being able to see danger coming often increase.
While some of these incidences might be minor, you may not always be lucky. So, ensuring that you have bright and reliable outdoor security lights becomes an advantage.
There are so many other perks that come with the installation of proper outdoor lights; but we’ll get into all that later on in this post.
Types Of Security Lights
There are quite a number of light fixtures used for outdoor security.
That means that you’ll have a wide range of products to choose from when you decide to go for these types of lights.
Anyway, before we get into the various types, one thing’s for sure – security LED lights are the best in the market today.
LEDs are bright, cost-effective, reliable, efficient, convenient, and low-maintenance just to mention a few.
Top 3 Best Security Lights This Year
Looking at the different kinds of LED security fixtures, here are three of the most common ones used today:
1. Motion-Sensing LED Security Lights
These are probably the most efficient of all outdoor lighting options.
Because they only switch ON when they sense movement. That means that you don’t have to rack-up your utility bills as a result of keeping your security lights ON all night.
The best part is that these lights often give intruders the sense that you are the one who’s switched on the lights to fight them or call for reinforcements; meaning “you already know they are there.”
In most cases, your unwanted guests will be forced to retreat; not knowing that you are still in bed, sleeping, and unaware of what’s actually happening outside.
Pros:
l Very efficient because they consume very little power.
l Only turn ON when motion is detected.
l Very effective at warding off intruders.
l It’s a trendy choice.
l The best security lights for home and commercial spaces.
l Their sudden switching ON will alert you of any unexpected outdoor activity in advance.
l They only switch ON at night, so you don’t have to worry about busy day traffic triggering your security lights.
Cons:
l Not 100% reliable.
l Some of these fixtures are too sensitive and can turn ON because of wind and critters passing through your compound.
1. Wallpack Lighting
LED Wall packs are yet another innovative way of keeping outdoors secure and well lit.
Much like the Motion-Sensing lamps, this type also relies on sensors to turn ON/OFF.
Wallpacks have photocell sensors that allow the fixture to switch ON when there’s little or no light (dusk) and switch OFF once there’s light again (dawn).
And that’s why these fixtures are also often called “Dusk-to-Dawn” lights.
The biggest perk about using a Wallpack is that it will switch ON as soon as it gets dark outside regardless of whether or not there’s someone at home or not.
That means that you won’t have to worry about your home’s security even when you are far away from it.
Pros:
l Very reliable and consistent.
l Great for frequent travelers.
l Very energy efficient.
l Automated for added convenience.
l Easy to install and use.
Cons:
l Not all of them come with sensors and security cameras.
l They aren’t as energy-efficient as the motion-sensor lights.
1. Floodlights
Until recently, floodlights were regarded as the best security lighting fixtures; often because of their impressive performance and unrivaled durability.
These fixtures are synonymous with large area illumination, and the fact that they are bright means that they’d work better for outdoor lighting.
Anyway, things changed since the advent of modern, trendy, more efficient, security lights like the Wallpack and Motion-Activated lamps.
Nowadays, floodlight is commercial complexes and small sports fields.
But, They are still some of the best security lights you can get on the market today.
Pros:
l They are high-performance security lights.
l Floodlights illuminate large areas with ease.
l Being outdoor lights, they are built for durability.
l They are very easy to install, use, and maintain.
l LED versions are very energy-efficient.
Cons:
l May not be ideal for residential areas due to their high-intensity light (brightness).
l Have to be mounted higher than standard security lights for optimal illumination.
There are other types of outdoor lights available today including:
Metal Halide Wallpacks.
Fluorescent tube lamps.
Incandescent bulbs and so on…
The three discussed above are the most popular ones.