The simplest way to think of the rule around lights is this: If you can be seen, you can be caught.
By far the simplest way to deter a housebreaker from deciding your house is their target is to keep it lit. A bright home is a safer home.
There are a large number of lighting types available:
- Spotlights
- Flood Lights
- Up/Downlights
- Step Lights
- Garden Lights
- Bollard Lights
- String Lights
The majority of these light types are landscaping / ornamental lights which only provide a minimal level of visual aid. The only ones we would recommend are floodlights, which have a larger light cone (the size of the area the light covers).
However, with floodlights installed, the other options can assist in enhancing any blackspots which the floods don’t cover, as well as giving that aesthetic boost.
There are several different ways the lights can be activated:
- Timer
- Photosensitive
- Passive Infra-Red (‘PIR‘)
- Manual switch
This will clearly depend entirely on your own situation and whether or not this is viable, but where possible you should fit external lighting that is dusk to dawn activated with a photosensitive sensor. This means the light comes once sensor in the unit detects the fall of daylight level.
This also avoids the issue of British Summer Time and having to remember to adjust the timer. If you ever see a light on when it’s bright, chances are it’s because the timer hasn’t been set correctly!
You may ask why PIR isn’t an option. Passive Infra-Red sensors are sensors which activate when an object warmer than the ambient temperature passes through the Infra-Red beam projected by the sensor. Also known as ‘motion detection’ which is incorrect, or ‘on-off lights’ PIR is more sensitive to the needs of your neighbours and the general area but isn’t as effective at deterrence compared to ‘dusk to dawn’.
When it comes to external lighting, there are several points to consider:
- Solar is not reliable
Solar powered lights charge up during the day and then run throughout the night. The simple fact is, we don’t have enough sun to power these units adequately. In order to manage the limited input and charge stored, solar powered lights are generally of a lower lumens level than mains powered lights. This lower lumens helps conserve energy. They will also normally be Passive Infra-Red lights (PIR) which we do not recommend. If you are going to invest in external lighting, invest in mains wired external lighting.
- Your light cone
Any lighting you install has to be positioned so as to maximise the effectiveness of the light cone – the area of light thrown out from the unit. Therefore the best time to install a unit is…. at night! Where possible, try and wire the unit up to a portable battery; you can then test various fitting positions at night, unit on and lit, in order to see what you will actually cover.
Doing this will show you the optimal position for the light but will also show you if it’s going to have any impact on a neighbour property. You need to be considerate – you can’t have your dusk to dawn light shining in through next doors bedroom window! Consider fixing shielding to whatever side of the light is interfering with neighbouring properties – this can be as simply as a piece of plywood secured to the side of the unit.
Avoid any light being thrown back in to your property, otherwise when you look out you’ll be blinded and won’t see beyond the glare.
- Maintenance
The unit, especially if mains wired, shouldn’t need much attention but make sure you take the necessary time to wipe it down once a month. This not only keeps the light as bright as possible by removing any grime and dirt, but as it will also remove any build up of moss, lichen etc, will increase the lifespan of the unit.
- Impact on CCTV
If you have any domestic CCTV installed, you need to consider how the light will impact on the CCTV night time operation. Will it force the unit to stay in daylight mode but provide a poor quality picture? Will the light glare out the camera? Will the light leave blackspots that the camera can’t see in to?
Lighting and CCTV if in situ together must work together, otherwise you are wasting money.
- Your neighbours
We stand strongest when we stand together. If you have neighbours, why not speak to them about your plan for lighting? If you can show them the benefits it would bring and they decide to install some too, then you’ve significantly increased the impact and enhanced the security level for that area. A bright house is safer, a bright street is safest. You may also frealise cost savings if you’re buying in bulk or hiring in a trade to do an installation.
Remember, lighting is simple, efficient and takes your castle out of the darkness and out of the target group for housebreakings. Light up your world!