Solar exterior motion lights install#

Why? Because it’s usually darkest there and obviously away from the front / street where there’s a better chance of being seen. With that said, the objective is to eliminate or minimize any dark areas upon approach to the house from any direction.Ī burglar might be more likely to approach from the back or sides of the house if they can. Motion light locations will be somewhat dictated by the layout of your home’s exterior and the surrounding land configuration including driveways, walkways, property entrance points, etc. When home security is of a greater concern, here’s what I recommend: Mount one on each side of the house somewhere. Motion Sensor Light At Each Side Of The House An electrician (or DIY if qualified yourself) would need to tap the hot wire and feed it through to the new motion sensor light. The issue with adding a motion security light with an existing porch light is that the existing light is switched. You might either replace the existing light, or add a separate motion sensor light nearby – next to that location.

Solar exterior motion lights install#

It’s fairly easy to install because there’s already a light fixture there to access power from inside. But how many have a motion light there too? Pretty much every home will have at least an ordinary switched light at the back door. Other Places To Put Motion Sensor Lights… Back Door Motion Light The second most popular location are walkways to /from entrances of the house.

This makes sense for convenience, practicality and basic security if you only have one location in mind. The #1 motion light location where you’ll see them mounted is above the garage door. #1 Location To Mount A Motion Sensor Light Is Above The Garage Door A burglar who is casing out a neighborhood will approach a house during the day (while most are at work) and unscrew the bulbs. Here’s the other reason that’s important for the best height… High enough so that the unit cannot be easily accessed. Their technical specs indicate an optimum mounting height of 10 feet for that: If you go much higher than that, you will likely start to lose motion detection distance.įor example, the RAB Stealth outdoor motion light (being the overall best in my opinion) will reach 60 feet. If you’re looking for maximum sensor detection distance, mount the security light 8 – 10 feet up. And /or the accessibility to install the electrics to power the motion security lights (see the article link below for solar motion lights).įor most outdoor motion security lights, the optimum or best height is between 6 and 10 feet up off the ground. You might not always be able to get the best height because you might be restricted due to existing design parameters of your home. However, it does for best performance (and another reason I’ll mention in a minute). How high up should you mount a motion security light? Read on for some ideas.įirst I want to address this issue: The Best Height For Security Lights

So in addition to your convenience-oriented locations, consider the direction an intruder might use to avoid detection. An unexpected illumination will absolutely be a deterrence. The sooner you have light bathed on an intruder, the better. The sooner the better.Ī thief is going to be ‘jumpy’ to begin with. Other than ordinary convenience, location placement is about deterrence.Ī key to the thought process of where to put your motion sensor lights, are places where you’re likely to deter a burglar.

Motion lights are put up outdoors for two reasons. Thoughts and opinion on where to put motion sensor lights, as well as the best height for the security light.