Tag: motion-activated lighting

Worried about someone lurking in the shadows?

We’re known as the “Survival People” on our block, so it’s not uncommon for people to stop and ask for our opinions about anything connected to survival, which seems to include security.

Last week we got asked TWICE:

“What outdoor lighting do you recommend for security?”

We’ve written about this topic before, but the questions pushed us to do more research and ask our own questions, so before we give any answer, here’s more of what we’ve learned.

Question 1. Do bad guys prefer to operate in the dark?

According to all the stories we’ve read, and we’ve read a lot of them, the simple answer is, “No.”

In fact, there are many reports of cities or neighborhoods in both the U.S. and other countries where street lighting was turned off – to save money, usually – and street crime went DOWN.  Why?  Apparently bad guys don’t like tripping over things in the dark any more than you do.

And when they use a flashlight, it’s immediately noticeable.

Question 2. So does outdoor lighting actually encourage bad guys?

That depends. Lights that are on all the time give bad guys the ability to see what they are doing and get it done more easily.

However, if someone is watching the premises, and sees suspicious activity and acts quickly to stop it, then the lighting is useful. The key is to have that alert human presence.

At your house or business, who is keeping watch at night? Are they watching all night?

Question 3. What about motion activated lights?

Now we are getting somewhere.  A light on all the time is predictable and becomes unremarkable. When a light goes on suddenly, it is startling – and noticeable. Anyone within sight of the light is going to look to see what set it off.

So from a security standpoint, motion activated lights are the obvious choice.

Here’s what we have at home.

Now at our house, we actually DO have a light that burns all night. It’s on the porch and is designed to light the steps for us and for visitors. It’s a hardwired fixture with energy-efficient LED bulb, and we have checked to be sure our neighbors aren’t bothered by it. The bulb has lasted for years.

We have hardwired motion sensor lights where we park the car. They make it easy for us to get to and from the backdoor and into and out of the car.

Finally, behind the house, we have solar powered motion-activated lights. When they come on at night, we are awakened instantly and are able to look out to see what may have set them off. (Usually we can’t tell! Perhaps it’s a bird flying by. Occasionally we suspect an animal like a possum or raccoon. We haven’t seen any people crossing the backyard, yet.)

One of these lights actually has an audible alarm that can be turned on or off, too.

If you’re shopping for lights, here are some recommendations and suggestions about what to look for.

Recommendations for Solar Powered Lights

We started years ago with simple battery-operated lights. While they were easy to install, they seemed always to be dim and dying. So, we quickly turned to hard-wired lights. They work great but you need a ladder, patience and some handy-man smarts to install them.

When solar powered lights came on the scene, we were thrilled.  Particularly since we live in Southern California!

Solar lights are either one self-contained unit (solar panel + storage battery + light itself) or have separate components: solar panel (that must be mounted where it gets sun) connected via a thin wire to the actual battery + lighting fixture.

Whether you select the self-contained unit or the component unit depends on where you’re installing the light and where the sun is.

Over the years we have tried small, inexpensive solar-powered lights and moderately priced ones and have concluded that you pretty much get what you pay for. You can get great deals at Amazon, where, as you know, we are affiliates.

Here are two lights that we really like. Click on the images to get all details.

This Litom Bright 60 LED Solar Powered Security Light seems to be top of the line in its price range (around $40). We have found it to be as bright as we need, and some of the reviewers at Amazon say that it is brighter than any others they have tried! This light is also waterproof, essential for an outdoor fixture.

The best part is how adjustable the light is. You can set it for dim or strong, set it for always-on or motion-activated, and you can adjust the “activation” area as well as the “lighting” area. Really, it ought to work for whatever you need!

Read the reviews at Amazon, and they will give you more ideas about installing and using the light. (If you want a white finish, take a look at the Sunforce 82080 80-LED Solar Motion Light model. It costs within a dollar of the Litom model.)

The second recommendation is for a light made by the same company. The Litom 20 Big LED Solar Sensor Powered Wall Light is smaller, more compact, and even brighter! (And less expensive — around $25.) Many of the Amazon reviewers say that they got several in order to cover different areas of their property. Last time I looked, you could purchase packs of 4 for a discounted price.

As I wrote this, Litom was offering some special deals on Amazon. (Scroll down on the page below the photos.) And different sellers were charging quite different prices!  So take the time to shop!

To get details and current prices, click on the images.

To summarize.

Lighting alone will not deter a determined bad guy. But good lighting can make it safer for you and visitors, and motion-activated lighting can cause an unwanted visitor to change plans.

Let us know your experiences with lighting!

Virginia
Your Emergency Plan Guide Team

We have full reviews of several popular emergency items. See all our product reviews and recommendations here.

Suddenly, it’s October, and . . .

Getting darker much earlier.

Have you noticed?

Controls for motion-activated light

Our streetlights give the minimum legal light as part of our city’s attempt to lessen urban light pollution. That’s fine – but when I come home at night, I want to see the porch steps!  And, I don’t want to imagine someone standing outside looking in.  So we have installed several different night lights.

Hard-wired lights

One big light on the porch stays on all night long (hardwired energy-saver bulb). It’s bright enough that anyone coming up on the porch can see to navigate the steps safely.

In the carport, at the back door, we have a hard-wired motion-activated light. It goes on when we pull in or when anyone walks by.

I like this light!  The bulbs are big and bright (although not energy efficient) and we can adjust and have adjusted everything – direction of the sensor, aim of the lights, etc. In fact, the light is so powerful that we had to restrict its “sensitivity” because it was picking up people walking their dogs on the other side of the street. (It reaches out to 70 feet.)

Battery-operated motion-activated lights

It’s not easy to drill holes and run hard wire everywhere where we want it, so we’ve also tried a variety of small, battery-operated motion-activated lights for other areas around the outside of the house. (Most of these lights have been about the size of a TV remote.)

Some of these worked well, and they were pretty inexpensive ($10-$15). Most, unfortunately, seem to need constant attention, which is a nuisance since we have to get out a ladder to adjust them or replace the batteries. I don’t feel I can recommend any of these.

Solar-powered motion-activated light

So here’s the third option – a rechargeable battery-operated light that gets its power from the sun!

There are three pieces to this light.

First, there’s the solar panel.  It’s a thin-film panel and generates electricity best in bright sunlight, but also even when light is dim or it’s cloudy. Just be sure to mount the panel, which is about 7 ½ in. wide by 6 ½ in. tall, where it won’t be shaded. (Eaves and leaves are tricky this way, and change with the seasons! Check carefully before you decide where to put the panel.) The panel is weather resistant.

Second, the panel comes with 15 ft. of connecting wire.

Third, the light itself. It is made up of the light panel at the top, with 80 LED bulbs, the battery compartment in the middle, and the sensor at the bottom. (There’s another version with 60 LEDs.) The LEDs are powered by the rechargeable battery that has been charged by the solar panel.  (The battery will have to be replaced at some point, hard to say exactly when.  Depends on how often the unit is used.)

The sensor isn’t as powerful as the one on our hard-wired light (adjusts to 30 feet) but works fine for where we want the light.

The light actually has several adjustable components: the bracket that attaches to the wall, the sensor, and on the bottom of the sensor, three control buttons.  (Shown in my photo.)

The first button sets how dark it has to be before the light will go on. The second control sets how long the light will stay on each time it is set off.  The third control adjusts the range of motion detection.  (You may want to start by setting the lighting to a dusk condition at first, so you can set the rest of the controls while you can still see!  Then, readjust to full dark.)

The light was easy for Joe to put up. (I helped by pointing out potential shade!)  We followed the instructions to fully charge the battery before using it for the first time. And so far, it’s worked just as expected.

I consider light a safety feature (for us and for guests). Having some lights that stay on and others that go on also makes the house look “busier” than it might otherwise, which can act as a deterrent to unwanted visitors.

If you could use extra lighting, here are direct links to Amazon for the two lights I’m recommending.  Note that they come in different colors, different wattage, and sometimes have bulbs included and sometimes not. But if you click on a link you’ll get to the right place.

Hard-wired motion activated: Heath-Zenith 180 Degree Motion Activated Security Light with 2-120 Watt Bulbs

Solar-powered motion activated: Sunforce 82080 80-LED Solar Motion Light

And if you have tried some of the small motion-activated lights, and found them satisfactory, please let us know by leaving a comment!

Virginia
Your Emergency Plan Guide Team