Why You Need Flood Lights and Security Lights
Flood lights and home security lights are designed to illuminate your landscape, deter intruders and make your property safer in the dark. Installing flood lights and other types of home security lighting can illuminate key areas of your home and landscape, including:
- Exterior doors
- Windows on the ground level
- The driveway
- Walkways
- Storage areas
- Gates
Note that illuminating these areas can make other parts of your landscape more difficult to see at night. Consider lighting any particularly dark areas, such as shrubbery beds, decks, patios, pools and gardens, to limit the areas an intruder can easily hide.
Security lights should be high enough to resist tampering. Check your manual for recommendations. In general, you should consider a height between 8 and 15 feet. Installing a motion-sensor light higher than 15 feet can reduce its effective detection range.
Types of Lights and Light Sensors
Outdoor flood lights are the most common type of security lighting for homes. A flood light projects a wide beam of light. You can find flood lights with varying fields of illumination and fixtures with one, two or three light heads to get the coverage you need.
Switch-Controlled Flood Lights
Switch-controlled flood lights are the simplest and most economical flood light fixtures you can buy. You can turn them on and off as needed, leave them on through the night to light the way for guests, and use them to make your property less appealing to intruders. Setup is as easy as aiming the heads where you want to direct light. While these fixtures tend to be less expensive than more sophisticated lighting, they can use more energy if you leave them on all night — particularly if you forget to turn them off in the morning. And, depending on the switch location, it may take you time to turn them on in the event you need to see what’s going on outside quickly.
If you have switch-operated lights and want a quick upgrade, look for sensor adapters that screw into the light sockets to give the fixtures dusk-to-dawn or motion-sensing capabilities without the need for connecting wiring. You can also find light bulbs with motion sensors or built-in light sensors that are suitable for switch-operated fixtures. Pay attention to the use location. For example, a light bulb motion sensor may be for indoor use or enclosed outdoor use only.
Dusk-to-Dawn Flood Lights
Flood lights with light sensors that automatically turn on at night and off during the day are known as dusk-to-dawn flood lights. Dusk-to-dawn outdoor security lights are a good step up if you want to replace existing switch-operated lights. They have a relatively simple setup. You simply point the light heads as needed for proper coverage, making sure that the light sensors — also known as the photo sensors — on the fixture aren’t blocked. Keep in mind that placement may affect operation. If the sensor is in a shaded area, it may come on sooner and turn off later than a fixture in an open area, and sensors on the east side of a house will turn on and off sooner than those on the west side. These lights require a bit more maintenance than manual lights. You’ll need to check operation periodically and clear any obstructions, such as dirt or spiderwebs, from the sensors.
A significant benefit of dusk-to-dawn security lighting is the fact that you don’t have to remember to turn the lights on and off or worry about leaving exterior lights on while you’re away from home. They’ll keep the property lit throughout the night, deterring intruders and allowing you to quickly see any activity on your property. Many have a manual mode that allows you to turn them on or off at will. Different lights have varying detection zones and distances, so check this information before you make a purchase. For added convenience, look for lights that allow you to adjust the light sensor to turn on the lights sooner, keep them on longer, etc.
Switch-operated and dusk-to-dawn security flood lights are convenient for any outdoor tasks that require light at night, such as working on a vehicle or playing basketball on the driveway.
Motion-Sensor Flood Lights
Motion-sensor flood lights turn on when they detect movement and turn off automatically, so the lights will stay off when you don’t need them and continue to operate while you’re away. In addition to providing a measure of deterrence to intruders, motion-sensor lights can quickly alert you to activity when you see them come on. They can also be convenient for any quick nighttime tasks, such as taking the trash out to the street or bringing your pet outside. Motion-activated lights typically have a manual mode, allowing you to turn them on and off at a switch. They also often have a dusk-to-dawn mode so that if you leave the lights on in manual mode, they’ll turn off and reset at dawn.
As with all types of lights, there are some factors to consider. These lights require more effort to set up since you have to adjust the sensors to cover a particular area or set the detection distance. You often need to tune the sensors to help prevent the lights from coming on for expected activity, such as cars passing your house or trees blowing in the wind. If lights regularly turn on and off throughout the night, it can be a nuisance to your neighbors. Even with proper setup, a passing animal may activate the lights.
Like dusk-to-dawn sensors, motion-detection sensors vary in sensitivity, range and coverage area. Look for models with a lot of adjustability in range, the amount of time the lights stay on after detection, etc., so you can eliminate blind spots and set the lights for the best performance. When planning placement and coverage for motion-detector lights, note that these sensors are usually better at detecting something moving across their fields of detection rather than moving closer to or farther away from the sensors.
Our motion light how-to guide and video show you step-by-step instructions on how to install outside flood lights with motion detection.
Other Types of Outdoor Lights
Area lights and wall pack lights are two other kinds of security lights that are sometimes more applicable in a commercial setting. But depending on your property, these utility lights can also be useful in a residential setting to illuminate barns, detached garages, storage areas, walkways or driveways. You’ll often find these lights with motion sensors or dusk-to-dawn light sensors.
Landscape lighting provides general illumination for your home and yard. While landscape lighting is often installed for a decorative appeal, these lights can also improve security and safety. Spotlights use a tighter beam than flood lights. They can offer a more intense field of illumination but are often installed on the ground as landscape lighting to illuminate specific features, such as trees or shrubs, since the light covers a small area. You’ll also find spotlights linked to some motion-sensing security cameras.
See our landscape lighting project and our guide to outdoor lighting for more ideas and tips on illuminating your outdoor areas.
Bulb Types
Security and flood lights for home use will most often be incandescent or LED lights. While incandescent fixtures and bulbs are typically less expensive than comparable LED products, outdoor LED flood lights use less energy to produce a similar level of light, so these lights can save on the cost of operation over time. LED lights also have a longer life, so you won’t need to replace them as often. And, by design, LED lights produce directional light, which is a key factor for flood lights.
Brightness is indicated in watts for incandescent lights. For LED lights, brightness is indicated in lumens. In both cases, higher numbers mean more light. Many fixtures that use screw-in bulbs can accept either incandescent or LED bulbs. LED lights will often have a wattage equivalent to help match brightness when upgrading from incandescent lights.
Lights may indicate color temperature in kelvins (K) or even allow you to adjust color temperature. Lower color temperatures have more of a yellow tone, while higher temperatures give a brighter, more bluish light, similar to daylight at the higher end of the scale. Flood lights will usually have relatively high color temperatures to provide more effective illumination.
Our light bulb guide and LED light guide give you details on different light types, brightness and color temperature so you can be sure you’re choosing the best type of security lights for your home.
Power Sources
When shopping for security lights, note the power source or installation type.
- Hard-wired security lights are the most common. They require connecting the fixture to existing wiring. They’ll most often replace existing fixtures. Hard-wired lights may require installation by a licensed electrician. However, hard-wiring means the light will have a consistent power supply unless there’s a power outage.
- Solar security lights offer easy installation with no need for connecting wiring. While they may be able to charge with ambient light, solar-light security fixtures may require several hours of direct sunlight for optimum charging. Some include solar panels you can position separately to collect the most direct light possible.
- Battery-operated security lights also offer simple, wireless installation, and you can set them up wherever you need them. Battery-operated lights will usually be LED lights for maximum efficiency, and you’ll need to replace the batteries at some point.
Follow the use and installation instructions for your lights as well as applicable electrical codes, including requirements for permits and inspection.
Security Light Features
Understanding available features helps you take advantage of added convenience and get the most use out of your lights:
- Wireless, linkable lights can activate other lights or other devices, such as cameras and doorbells.
- Wi-Fi connectivity lets you control the fixtures through an app on a mobile device.
- Adjustable-brightness levels and high/low light-intensity options let you customize light levels to your needs.
- Time-on settings let you control how long motion-sensor lights stay on after the sensors detect movement.
- Ready-to-go presets let you choose between getting the lights working quickly without testing or customizing time-on and distance settings.
- Dual detection zones let the sensors detect movement in front of as well as below the lights.
- ENERGY STAR® certified lights are designed to meet United States Environmental Protection Agency guidelines for energy efficiency.
Some security cameras include integrated flood lights that turn on when the sensors detect motion, illuminating your landscape and providing lighting for the camera.