Outdoor Security Lighting is Your First Line of Defense

Outdoor security lighting is very important when it comes to home security. It is not just enough to install a home security system.

Your first line of defense is to lower your chances of an intruder breaking into your home by having enough sufficient light around your house.

Some intruders like to break into your home at night. If they see that you have security lights around your house, they are more inclined to move on to another target.

Where to Install Outdoor Security Lighting

If you have a front porch light, you can turn that on at night. Keep it on whether you're at home or not. If there are no lights on around your house, an intruder might think no one is home and try to break in. This happened to me. Luckily, the person ran away before he was able to break in.

It's also good to have lights installed near all of your entry doors, including the back door. Sometimes, intruders like to break in through the back door because they think they won't be noticed by any neighbors. Having lights on near the back door will make it more difficult for intruders to go unnoticed.

Installing sensor lights near walkways and driveways is another good way to secure the exterior of your home. When someone drives up your driveway or walks up to your front or back door, a light will come on. It makes it seem like someone is home and they just turned on the lights.

The sensor light will also surprise the potential intruder. Your neighbors will notice your light coming on. The last thing an intruder wants is for a neighbor to look out their window and see him or her trying to break into your home.

You can also use a timer to automatically turn the lights on and off periodically throughout the night. You'll want to change up the times that the lights come on so that it's different every night. This will make it more difficult for anyone to know when exactly your lights will come on.

You can install low-wattage lights under the windows on the first floor. Low-wattage lights will give you enough light while not allowing anyone to see through your windows at night. You will also be able to look out your window at night and still see what's going on outside.

Install sensor lights on the corners of your house. If someone is walking around the outside of your house, the sensor will detect motion and the light will come on.

What kind of Outdoor Security Lighting Do I Use?

  • Floodlights are good to use on the corners of your house. They are unreachable and can be used with a motion sensor.

  • Mushroom lights can be installed on walkways and steps. These lights will give off direct light along the walk path. They can stay on all night.

  • Well lights can be used as uplighting on trees and shrubs near your house. The low-wattage light on the trees and shrubs will illuminate your windows.

  • Deck lights can be installed on the railings. They will illuminate your deck, porch and walkways.

    Many of these security lights can be found at your local hardware or home improvement store. Or you can go online and find a store that specializes in security lighting.

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