Security Lighting - All You Need To Know

Your home is your fortress, it is a place where you and your family can feel safe and secure, a place of peace and happiness. If you want to add that extra sense of security to your home, you may consider looking into security lighting. Surrounding your property with light will help to clearly see persons or objects approaching. It also makes your home a much less appealing target for criminal activity as it creates a psychological block for criminal activity in the highlighted area. There may be different reasons for why you would want to consider this option as well as there are different types of security lights, all serving the same, but slightly different purpose. No doubt that when it comes time to have the installation performed, you will want the best Geelong electricians available ;)

Let’s take a deeper dive into this topic, and review each type of security light and their purpose one by one.

Timed Versus Motion-Activated Security Lights.

Before we cover the motion activated and timer based security lights, I would like to highlight that there is also an option for a classical manual outdoor light. However, it is not the most efficient option as it will only work when someone is home to turn it on. Realistically, your house is most likely to be broken into when you are not at home. 

This is why the below are much better options than a manual light.


Timer-based Security Lights

This is a great way to keep the surroundings of your home lit up for the darkest hours every night. You can decide the light schedule and adjust it according to season. This is also great for when you are not at home, as the lights will turn on automatically, leaving the house look more occupied, making it more difficult for an intruder to approach it in a bright spotlight.


Automatic Motion-Activated Security Lights

Another beneficial option is to go for the motion activated lighting. Compared to the timer based lights, they are much more economical as they only activate when movement is detected. 
Nowadays automatic lights are quite advanced and have a light sensor to ensure they only activate when it’s dark. This helps  to avoid unnecessary power usage during day time when the motion sensor is triggered more often. In some cases, little animals can also unnecessarily trigger the sensor, but if you get a good motion activated light, you can actually adjust the settings, so the sensor will only react to larger objects.

Another benefit to motion activated lights is the surprise element; If an intruder actually is approaching your home, they can get quite a fright when they suddenly find themselves in a spotlight. They may think that they have been exposed and abandon the mission. This is a warning signal for you as well, if you see the light turn on outside at an unusual time, you can check who is there from a window and be made aware of a potential threat much sooner.


What are Floodlights and how/when to use them

To get a good visual of floodlights, imaging a brightly lit Footy oval, or a scene from a Prison Break movie. Floodlights are the classical representation of security lighting, think of the White House all lit up at night, this is achieved with Floodlights.

As you can already understand by now, floodlights are very powerful and can illuminate the whole property. LED’s are the brightest and the most economical option for floodlights, so we highly recommend going with this option if a high sense of security is what you would like to opt for.

Floodlights can be directed in any direction you feel is most beneficial and they can also be motion activated, so they won’t light up the whole property all night long and frustrate your neighbours or yourself.


Security Lights for Large areas - HID or High-Intensity Discharge Lights

If you own some decent acreage and want a security lighting solution that can cover that, HID lights are the way to go. More typically HID lights are being used in commercial properties, however, there is no reason why they could not be used for a large residential property. 


Soffit Lights for Your Doorway

Soffit lights are usually installed into the overhang, other words known as the soffit that is over the entrance area of your home's doorway or porch. However, they don’t need to be restricted to just that area but can be installed to all the overhangs you have around your house. Soffit lights look like little ceiling lights that are installed inside the ceiling and look flush with the surface. Soffit lights can also be timer based or motion sensitive, however they typically only light a small area at the time, so are not the best choice if you want to cover large areas.


Exterior Coach Lights for a more cozy look

If you find the high intensity security lighting a bit too much, you can settle for a much more humble and homely looking coach light. Coach lights can look like beautiful lanterns that can actually improve the look of your house front, while still providing safety.  

Just like most of the lights we have discussed, coach lights can also come with motion detectors and timers, so you can have a cute look while not missing out on the other security light benefits.

If you need some help installing your security lighting, get in touch with us at Geelong Electricians, we are always happy to help.