Security lighting for home use was practically unheard of a few years ago. But well chosen and well placed home security lighting can improve your home security quickly and cheaply – and keep those pesky burglars away.
Home security lighting is a really important aspect of protecting your home and deterring any potential criminals from carrying out any thefts or break ins.
But don’t just think of it as a security measure.
Exterior security lights not only improve security around your house and land, but it improves the look of it too.
Carefully placed security lighting systems around your home can help add a certain ambience and warmth to your property and the land around it, making it feel loved and cared for.
And that’s why it’s really important to place the right security lighting in the right places around your home.
In this article, we’ll explore the different types of home security lights you can purchase, where you should place them, and how easy or hard they are to install.
Below is a handy table of contents. Click on any of the headers, and you’ll be taken to that part of the article. I am an Amazon Associate, and earn from qualifying purchases.
Table of Contents
Security Lighting For Home – Is It Needed?
Installing home security lighting to your property will improve overall home security and target harden your property. It adds another layer of security to your home that works together with other layers.
To understand this more, we have to get into the mindset of a criminal, burglar or opportunist thief to understand why such a simple solution could be the difference between an attempted burglary or trespass onto your property, or avoiding this occurrence altogether.
And it’s really quite simple to understand.
Somebody who is intent on committing a crime (like burglary, theft, trespass etc) will actively seek out the path of least resistance.
That means they are going to choose the easiest, softest target possible.
Give them a choice of a property with no immediately identifiable security measures present, or a property with a multitude of security measures apparent, and they will always choose the property with the least amount of security.
Security lighting for home use is one way which you can improve security around your home, with the best news about it being it is quick to install, it’s relatively cheap to buy and it is highly effective in deterring criminals.
Let’s now look at the type of security lighting available on the market, who it’s best suited to and where it’s best suited for.
Solar Powered Lights
10 years ago, solar powered lights were awful.
Never mind solar powered security lights, solar technology could barely power a few decorative lights in the garden.
But times have moved on, and technology has moved on. Solar power can power entire homes now.
Having solar powered security lighting around your home is the cheapest and easiest way to start with security lighting.
In most cases, all you need is to buy the actual solar powered lights, and have the use of a stepladder and a drill.
Security lighting for home use doesn’t get any easier than this.
Electric Powered Lights
There’s two types in the following section – plug in lights, and hard wired lights.
Plug In Security Lighting
Plug in security lighting is exactly how it sounds – you plug your security lighting setup into a mains socket and flick the switch.
In terms of cost, they are a little more expensive than solar powered lighting. They are also harder to install, because what you’ll have to do is drill through your walls to get the wiring from the inside to outside (or through door or window frames).
We only really recommend this type of lighting if you have a plug socket near to where you want your lighting installed, otherwise you are going to have to route the wiring through part of your house first.
However, if you do go this route, the big advantage is that you could use a smart plug, and have a timed schedule for when the lights come on and when they turn off – great if they are for spotlights around your house.
Hard Wired Security Lighting
This is the most expensive option because unless you are a competent person and have advanced knowledge of electricity and wiring, you are going to need to call in a qualified electrician for this job.
In fact, we absolutely recommend that you do get a professional in to carry out this work.
Hard wired home security lighting is essentially plumbed into your electrical circuitry, and will be installed with light switches enabling you to switch on your lighting just like you’d do with any other light in your house.
Motion Detection Security Lights
Motion detection lights are brilliant. In fact, I’d go further and say motion detection lighting is hands down the best security lighting for home use.
If movement is detected, the lights come on. And criminals hate them.
Power options are all three – they come as solar powered, plug in or hard wired.
For this type of light though, we absolutely recommend solar powered. It is the ideal type of light for this power source, because you can rest assured that even if you haven’t had a particularly bright day, the light isn’t on all the time so the chances of the light losing all power is slim.
Where To Install Them?
- Above your front door.
- Above your back door or patio doors.
- Above external building doors and windows (like your garage or shed door).
- Down the side of your house.
- In areas where you don’t necessarily want a light on all of the time.
Any Negatives?
Just a couple. Motion detection lights will pick up any movement at all. So if the neighbours cat walks past, the light will come on. You’ve also got to get the positioning correct, because you don’t want the light coming on when somebody walks past your house on the street, or when a car drives by, for instance.
But overall, motion activated home security lighting is a great choice, and very simple to install.
MOTION DETECTION LIGHTING RECOMMENDATIONS | |
Security Spotlights
Security spotlights are a very good option for security lighting for home use.
They provide a good degree of security for your home, but they also make your home look warm and well looked after.
They are available as solar, plug in and hard wired.
The key with spotlights is placement.
They only really work as security lighting when they are pointed at your property so they outline and light up the property, making it difficult for somebody to skulk in the shadows or under the cover of nightfall around your windows or doors.
Where To Install Them?
- Pointed towards your property.
- On pathways.
- Around trees or shrubbery.
- Around lawns or other open spaces.
Any Negatives?
The downside of this is of course the amount you will need – yes, you’ll need quite a few, even for a small property.
SPOTLIGHTS RECOMMENDATIONS | |
Continuous Security Lights
Continuous or ‘always on’ home security lights need to be hard wired into your electrical supply, due the fact that they are on all the time and need continuous power.
So they might be inexpensive to buy, but the real cost comes when you pay for the installation.
When you do buy them, consider the type that do both motion detect and stay on continuously – when they detect motion, they will go to maximum brightness, but with no motion detected, they will light up an area but not on full power, giving a nice warm light effect.
Where To Install Them?
- Above your front door or around any porch area.
- Above your back door or patio doors.
Any Negatives?
Yes. Some can be too bright, and cause light pollution for both your property and your neighbours properties. Not great if your blinds or curtains aren’t particularly good at keeping light out whilst you sleep.
You’ll also need to make sure you buy the right size light – buy one that is too big, and you risk your property looking more like a football stadium lit up by floodlights rather than a homely residential property.
TIP: Don’t buy the bright white LED floodlight types, they are simply too bright.
SECURITY LIGHTING RECOMMENDATIONS | |
Welcome Lighting
Welcome lighting is not security lighting per se, but does add a warm and softer light to areas of access, especially front doors.
If you don’t want to go for other types of lighting, then we recommend installing this type of lighting system around your front door, to stop your front door being in total darkness at night
Where To Install Them?
- Above your front door or in and around any porch area.
- Above your back door or patio doors.
This will need to be installed by a qualified electrician, and you’ll need a switch adding to your wall.
WELCOME LIGHTING RECOMMENDATIONS | |
Security Lighting For Home Use – What To Buy
At a minimum, you should have some security lighting for home security purposes.
We recommend installing some basic motion detection solar powered lighting around your entrance points to your main dwelling, down any side alleys or paths, and around outbuildings.
This will greatly improve your home security and add a layer of target hardening to your property.
This is the cheapest and easiest way to improve your security around your property – you can do this yourself even if you are not confident with DIY. At worst, you’ll need to drill a couple of small holes in an external wall, at best you will need to push the lighting into some soil around your property.
The most expensive route is getting your lighting hard wired into your mains system – but this is the most robust option.
Your Comments And Questions
Have your say below. Let us know what you have done and what security lighting for home you have bought.
Share your tips and tricks below, and if you have any questions about anything on this page, just ask away below.
