Outdoor Security and Floodlights
Homes, businesses, parks, and pathways can be safer with outdoor security and floodlights that can illuminate large areas. Outdoor lighting is beneficial to alarm systems, outdoor events or games, pathways, or parking lots and can accentuate signs or landscapes. Whether the lighting is part of a security setup or to simply brighten a certain space, there are several options to consider.
What is a floodlight?Floodlights are broad-beamed artificial lights intended to brightly illuminate an outdoor area and are designed to cover zones or objects in light. From landscapes to walls, entire buildings, stages, or fields, there are dozens of bulbs and lumens available. These can be used as part of a security fixture in a motion-activated device, put on timers for nighttime use, or used as temporary portable outdoor lighting solutions. You can choose from gas, electric, battery, or solar powered options.
What bulbs and lumens are recommended for outdoor lighting?A lumens is a measurement of how much light is produced by a given object. The lumens produced by a bulb should be chosen based on the amount of light desired, from accent fixtures that add a softer light to landscapes to lights that flood entire stadiums.
- Halogen Lighting: These are made with halogen gas and tungsten filament that is activated by electricity to create a consistent and intense beam of light.
- High Intensity Discharge (HID) Lighting: These options have long lifespans and should be bought with UV-blocking filters for safety. You can choose from metal halide (MH), sodium vapor, mercury vapor, or xenon short-arc options.
- Fluorescent Lighting (CFL): These are powered through mercury in the bulb, and the lifespan will change based on usage and maintenance.
- Light Emitting Diode (LED) Lighting: These have long lifespans when used properly and use minimal energy while quickly achieving maximum brightness.
- Lumens: A range of 120-180 is often found in lamp posts, with landscapes or outdoor pathways falling in a range of 100 to 120 most frequently. Security floodlights commonly range from 700 to 1300 lumens while smaller buildings or sheds find a range of 150 to 300 useful.
Security has improved from just physical fences and gates to now include digital walls with surveillance, cameras, integrated smartphone controls, and instant motion-sensing lights.
- Motion-Sensing Floodlight: These are designed to flood a wall or outdoor area in light when movement is detected. Homes and businesses save on electricity by only having the light on when necessary and without having to flip a switch. This method of instant lighting also helps deter intruders.
- Camera or Surveillance Fixtures: Surveillance capabilities combined with motion-sensing floodlights give the ability to have a virtual presence when away from the location to home and business owners. Surveillance fixtures often have alarms, cameras, and lighting built in for immediate visible detection and recording movements in case of crime reporting.