Security lighting for your home is tricky
business. In most cases security lighting is handled
in one of two ways. The two most common ways it is
addressed is with some type of floodlights, either
quartz halogen or incandescent floodlight bulbs that
stay on dusk to dawn or some type of motion detector.
Both of these can be effective but there are some
issues. The first method of a lights that stay on all
night is the most effective, but also the most obtrusive.
It is unbecoming for the house itself and can be very
disturbing to neighbors. Another drawback is the
glare can actually create some very good hiding spots
in the shadows for a would be intruder.
The other method of using a motion detector setup
is also effective but has a downside as well. One
aspect is good and that is the light coming on when
someone approaches the house. Unfortunately once
someone passes the range of the motion detector
they can wait for the light to go off to proceed to
breaking into the house. Most motion detectors only
keep the lights on for a maximum of 20 minutes and
are usually set for less.
There is a way to use a combination of lighting
effects to add both security and beauty to your home.
By using some accent landscape and house lighting
along with some well placed motion detectors you can
accomplish both
business. In most cases security lighting is handled
in one of two ways. The two most common ways it is
addressed is with some type of floodlights, either
quartz halogen or incandescent floodlight bulbs that
stay on dusk to dawn or some type of motion detector.
Both of these can be effective but there are some
issues. The first method of a lights that stay on all
night is the most effective, but also the most obtrusive.
It is unbecoming for the house itself and can be very
disturbing to neighbors. Another drawback is the
glare can actually create some very good hiding spots
in the shadows for a would be intruder.
The other method of using a motion detector setup
is also effective but has a downside as well. One
aspect is good and that is the light coming on when
someone approaches the house. Unfortunately once
someone passes the range of the motion detector
they can wait for the light to go off to proceed to
breaking into the house. Most motion detectors only
keep the lights on for a maximum of 20 minutes and
are usually set for less.
There is a way to use a combination of lighting
effects to add both security and beauty to your home.
By using some accent landscape and house lighting
along with some well placed motion detectors you can
accomplish both
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Security Lighting
| Security Lighting for Your Home |
| In the picture above the house is illuminated from the ground. This is my favorite method and brings the best of the house out. From a security aspect you can see there are no real hiding spots. Don't be turned off by the strong light at the bottom as these are virtually introduced into the photograph. You wouldn't see that bright light only the effects on the house. Using this method and supplementing it with some motion detector lights on the sides and the back can give you the best of both worlds. |
| In this picture above the house is illuminated using lighting in the soffit areas. I don't feel this is as effective as up lighting, but it does create a nice effect on the house. There will be more shadow covered areas which could present a security risk. To help eliminate that problem some low level landscape lighting can make a big difference and add to the overall beauty of the house. |
I included this picture so you can see how bad the same
house can look with some down floodlights. They create a lot
of glare and don't do anything to make the house look nice.
house can look with some down floodlights. They create a lot
of glare and don't do anything to make the house look nice.
Security lighting doesn't have to end on the outside of your
home. Using timers on lights inside your home when your not
home is also a consideration. With todays newer electronic
timers you can have the lights turn on and off at different
intervals and numerous times in the course of an evening,
giving the appearence of someone in the home. The timer
below is one of my favorites and has an easy to read display
to make programming easy.
home. Using timers on lights inside your home when your not
home is also a consideration. With todays newer electronic
timers you can have the lights turn on and off at different
intervals and numerous times in the course of an evening,
giving the appearence of someone in the home. The timer
below is one of my favorites and has an easy to read display
to make programming easy.