Light as a deterrent

[Fastb]

I really don't see the necessity to light your house like a prison all night.

And I don't need my long driveway lit up like an airport runway, all night long, lol.

I live in a wooded area in the city. I can only see two neighbors. We all kept the outdoor lights to a minimum - dark keeps the ambience, keeps it natural. It's nice to be able to listen to night noises, the eyes adjust, view the sky, etc.

My previous neighbor moved out, the new neighbor believes in lotsa lights. Some lights are mounted line-of-sight, slzighty lighting our interior. And the glare means we can't see what's outside in our yard by looking out the window. I can only see his house and floods.

Ironically, in the 25 years I've been here, the only burglary happened to him. Like I said, it's wooded, the burglars appreciated the light, I'm sure.

I have several PIR floods, so I know when someone/something approaches, if I'm awake. It's usually a coyote. The next day, I review footage. Our dog also keeps listening for noises... My laser line, PIR floods, cameras, and dog provides more security/safety that lights, IMHO...

YMMV,
Fastb

 

[Frankenscript]

We have LEDs in all of our fixtures except in oven and fridges. We keep the outside dimmed down to give light to the cameras and when motion is detected, they ramp up to 100%. Best of both worlds in our opinion: constant light without using too much electricity and the added deterent of ramping up which should startle a person.

We also use outdoor solar LED lights that are also on at a lower level but brighten on motion.

What brand of fixture has the "low light / high light on motion" capability? I'm interested in getting some of these. Curious to know what you are using. Does it also have a "off during daytime" feature?

 

[JNDATHP]

What brand of fixture has the "low light / high light on motion" capability? I'm interested in getting some of these. Curious to know what you are using. Does it also have a "off during daytime" feature?

Yes, they turn off when the sun comes up.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077BFM2W5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[YYZed]

Yes, they turn off when the sun comes up.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077BFM2W5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Do you know of any that are wired?

 

[JNDATHP]

Do you know of any that are wired?

We have home automation so with events we can turn any light into what I've described.

 

[Rebs]

when motion is detected, they ramp up to 100

What sort of lamps are these? Not a common feature where I come from. I could potentially DIY this with low voltage outdoor lights; maybe....

 

[VisionxOrb]

Yes, they turn off when the sun comes up.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077BFM2W5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have the Litom and some other versions of these lights, they work way better than I thought they would when I first got them. Now Im addicted. Have 2 of the 102led versions over the driveway, a 54led on each gate, 3 down one side yard, 5 of the smaller warm white ones around the back yard where we hang out, and a few along the house as path lights.

 

[CCTVCam]

Yes, they turn off when the sun comes up.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077BFM2W5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The downside is that the light goes bright for 15 secs only according to 1 reviewer. That's the downside to battery lights - the need to save power.

You can achieve low light / bright light as I described above. Here's my set up although note I have 2 small floods rather than 1 large, simply for better coverage of this area:



The brightness of the floods has stopped the camera down with the effect they all look dim, but they're not!

The decorative wall light is 5w 330 lumens and on dusk / till dawn. The 2 floods are 22W and 15W respectively and wired to the same PIR (PIR to 1 light then parallel wiring to next). Flood Lumens around 1,200 + 1,800. (They don't total 3,000 as they point into different areas).

I have mine set to on for several minutes. The danger of a fast turn off is the burglar gets close to the house where maybe the PIR doesn't pick up and after a few secs of light can continue in darkness. With several minutes, even if he can get out of the PIR coverage, he's exposed for a long time.