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What Should I Consider When Buying Motion Flood Lights?
One of the best measures to take for increasing both the safety and the security of a home or business is the installation of motion flood lights. Sensors detect motion beneath or around the light fixtures, bathing a property with light in the late night and early morning hours. Very little deters an intruder more than sudden illumination. Additionally, motion flood lights will also automatically illuminate from the movement of the family car pulling into the driveway at night, lighting the way for a safe walk to the door.
Motion detector flood lights are sold in a variety of configurations and price ranges. The better motion flood lights is equipped with adjustable timers, allowing the lights to stay on for only a limited amount of time after switching on. This auto-off feature is of immense benefit in energy conservation.
Additionally, ease of installation, test features, weather-tightness, and at least three years of warranty protection are all key components of a quality motion floodlight. Also, a manual override wall switch is usually included with motion-detecting flood lighting fixtures. This override capability allows the motion flood lights to remain lit until manually turned off.
Often, a photoelectric cell is included with the motion sensing device in a better-quality motion flood light. This cell will sense sunlight and automatically deactivate the motion flood lights during daylight hours. This is, obviously, an energy-saving feature of motion-detecting floodlights.
As with any mechanical and/or electrical device, a few downsides ought to be considered with motion detector-equipped flood lights. Extraneous motion such as wind rustling nearby tree branches, or animals moving through the range of the sensors will cause the lights to switch on. Occasionally, for the motion detectors to be properly ranged, the detection sensors must focus at least partway into a busy roadway where passing traffic will switch the lights on. A wet or dirty sensor may also cause the lights to unnecessarily illuminate.
One final detail ought to be kept in mind when considering motion flood lights; the best quality motion-detecting lighting fixtures are only as good as the light bulbs used. Purchase quality flood light bulbs for the fixture to reasonably ensure proper operation. Also keep in mind that flood-light bulbs provide diffuse, but not necessarily sufficient light over a wide area. Spot-light bulbs, on the other hand, provide bright, focused light onto specific areas of the property, allowing better sight. Ambient light will not, however, be as widespread. Most motion-detecting flood lights will allow the use of each type of light bulb.
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![Sensors can detect motion beneath or around the light fixtures, bathing a property with light in the late night and early morning hours.]()
By: shockySensors can detect motion beneath or around the light fixtures, bathing a property with light in the late night and early morning hours. -
![It may be beneficial to install a manual light switch to override the motion sensor function of the flood lights.]()
By: Yoanna BoyadzhievaIt may be beneficial to install a manual light switch to override the motion sensor function of the flood lights.
Discussion Comments
I live alone, and when I come home after dark, I always feel uneasy making my way through the carport. I don't like to leave the light on all day, and since it has to be turned on from inside the house, I have to walk through the dark to get to the door.
So, I got a motion sensor security light and pointed it toward the carport. It comes on as soon as my wheels touch the concrete, and it lights up the whole carport long enough for me to put my key in the door and turn the overhead light on.
I feel so much better now that I have this light. I've always been a little scared of the dark, and when I'm outside in it, the fear is more intense.
I have a dog that is an escape artist. I try to keep him penned up at night for his own protection, but if he wants to get out bad enough, he will climb the fence.
To help me catch him, I installed a motion detection flood light right outside the pen. It wouldn't come on until he had stepped foot outside the gate, but he couldn't evade it on his way to the yard.
After the first few times of the light coming on and me coming out with the leash to put him back up, he caught on. I watched him climb the fence once, and as soon as the motion light came on, he turned around and jumped back into the pen! My plan had worked better than I had intended.
@OeKc05 – That would have given me a heart attack! It is so weird that it suddenly decided to work again.
My motion sensor flood light is a bit too sensitive for my tastes. Every time the wind blows hard, it switches on, and at first, this was very alarming. I kept peeking out the window, afraid I would see someone standing there, but I never did.
After awhile, I started ignoring the light. If an intruder had been present, I never would have known it. I suppose it still might have been enough to scare him away, though.
My parents have an older model motion sensor flood light, and it works when it wants to. It doesn't have the capability to sense daylight, so it will come on in the middle of the day if something sets it off.
It went through a period where it totally stopped working. I believe for years, we thought it had finally died, because we could walk right by it without making it come on.
Then suddenly one day, I walked past and it flashed on. It startled me so much that I nearly fainted! The motion sensor sprang back to life, and it has been working ever since then.
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