The most common security lighting is what is known as a floodlight.

They are generally located high up on your wall (ideally out of reach) and produce a very bright, white light that will easily illuminate your entire garden or driveway.

Up to recently, they have typically used Halogen bulbs but with advancements in LED technology, they are becoming less popular.

These cons are why more and more people are preferring to use LED-based lighting in and around their home.

Also, LED's are now pretty much the same cost to buy so there is no price barrier to choosing them over traditional Halogen bulbs.

Whatever type of bulb you choose, for outdoor security lighting it is best to get a PIR (Passive Infrared Sensor) so that your lights will only come on when it detects motion.

You can generally not only adjust the area that the light will illuminate, but also the range and angle of the motion sensor so that it will only "look" at a specified area.

Setting up your light

You generally would want your light to illuminate as much of your garden or driveway as possible but there are a few things to consider when adjusting and positioning your light.

Firstly, your light should not act as a distraction for motorists as this could be dangerous (and possibly illegal). Secondly, you should not let it impact your neighbours - so make sure it does not shine on their windows, etc.

You do not want your light going on every time someone simply passes by your driveway - you should set it so that it only detects if someone is actually walking up your drive. A couple of meters (6-7 feet) from the end of your drive is a good starting position.

Some PIR lights also have a way to set the duration of the illumination - this can normally be set from seconds to minutes.

Also, some have a way to fine tune under what circumstances they will illuminate. The light level sensitivity can be adjusted so the light will only come on at a certain point of the day. Or if you prefer you can set it to come on at any time - irrespective of whether it is day or night.

You may also want other outdoor lighting either for security or aesthetic reasons.

For example, you might want a light to come on when you approach your front door at night so you can see your keyhole or so that you can view visitors through your spyhole.

Similarly, you may want some similar motion detecting lights for your garage door(s) to make key access easier.

These wall mountable PIR lights can be low cost and relatively simple to install - especially if they are replacing existing standard lighting.

Some lights can also just be for looks as illuminating parts of your house can make your home appear more friendly or appealing.

Lighting in your garden can be for security, safety or looks.

The more illumination you have, the less likely a thief will target your home.

However, realistically garden lighting is usually installed for aesthetics or safety. One common example is to have small stake or post lights showing a safe route along a path in the dark. Not only can this make walking around easier but it really can make your garden look magical.

Other popular locations for lights in the garden is along edges of decking and steps, strings or nets of lights running from or around fences and trees - or lanterns and wall lights.

These lights can be powered by mains which is harder to install and costs more due to armoured cabling and RCD (residual current device) safety plugs required.

This is why most garden lighting is a combined solar and battery solution as you can just install them and let mother nature take care of them. You should note that this means that they are generally less bright than mains powered lights and at certain times of the year may not last the whole night through.