Good security lights can make it easier for you to reach your front door safely and harder for intruders to approach your house undetected.  In other words, for most people, good security lights are an investment purchase.  With that in mind, we’ve put together a buyer’s guide to security lights and a list of recommended options (including mains-powered security lights, battery-powered security lights and solar-powered security lights).

Security Light With Motion Sensor UK

Best Security Lights - A Buyer’s Guide

Here are what we think are the key points to check when looking for the best security lights for your particular location.

Waterproofing

In the UK, this is non-negotiable for outdoor security lights.  In fact, unless you live in a very sheltered part of the UK, you usually want your outdoor security lights to be as robust as possible.

Power source

You basically have three options, mains-powered security lights, battery-powered security lights and solar-powered security lights.  For battery-powered security lights, it’s recommended to look at the expected life of the battery (and how you will know to change it) and for solar-powered security lights, it’s recommended to look at the charging time (and how you will know whether or not it’s charged). 

It’s often best to use a combination of electric and solar security lights to ensure you have coverage during both power cuts and extended periods of bad weather.

Shape and tilt

The shape of a security light will influence the area it covers as will its degree of tilt (if any).  Please note that there can be a difference (sometimes a substantial one) between the range of illumination and the sensor range.

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Sensors

There are two types of sensors commonly found on security lights.  The first is a motion sensor and the second is a light sensor.

These days, the best security lights with motion sensors tend to use passive infrared sensors (PIR sensors).  These are very reliable in all weather conditions.  High-quality security lights will state the range of detection usually both as an angle and as a distance.

Some security lights will also have light sensors.  These are to ensure that the lights only activate when it is actually dark.  Some security lights give you the option to turn these sensors on or off.

Pro tip: if a security light appears to be dead on arrival, make sure you check it after dark before taking a final decision on whether or not it is faulty.  Similarly, if you use a solar-powered security light, make sure you give it sufficient time to charge before deciding whether or not it is working.

Type of bulb

These days most high-quality security lights use LEDs.  It can be helpful if they tell you how many LEDs are in the lights as this can be a good indication of brightness although it is not the only indicator and it is not the only factor which influences brightness. 

Two security lights with the same LED count can have very different levels of brightness depending on other design points.  Older (or lower-quality) security lights may use other types of bulb.

Brightness

It’s helpful if manufacturers state the brightness in lumen, but some prefer to state it in comparison with the wattage of traditional household bulbs or to indicate what area the security light could cover.

Service life

Modern LED security lights tend to have a very long service life and most manufacturers will indicate how long you can reasonably expect your security light to last.

Read Our Article On The 'Best Wireless Alarm Systems' Here

Best security lights with motion sensor on the UK market

CzLY 30W Security Lights

CzLY 30W Security Lights

These square-shaped, mains-powered security lights contain 90 LEDs offering a total of 2700 lumens of light.  They’re waterproof and offer a service life of up to 50,000 hours.  You can adjust lighting time (10s, 45s, 120s, 600s), induction setting (24-hour or night only) and detection range (0-12 M).  The sensor is PIR and supports a 120-180º horizontal tilt and 0-90º vertical tilt.

LOFTer 50W Motion Sensor LED Security Light

LOFTer 50W Motion Sensor LED Security Light

These mains-powered security lights are slightly rectangular and contain 65 LEDs for a total of 4000 lumens of light.  They’re waterproof and have a life span of 50,000 hours.

You can adjust the lighting time (from 12 seconds to 7 minutes), induction setting (24-hour or night only) and detection range (0-3 M)  The sensor is PIR and has 120-180º horizontal tilt.

MEIKEE 10W Security Lights with Motion Sensor

MEIKEE 10W Security Lights with Motion Sensor

These mains-powered security lights are very slightly rectangular and contain 15 LEDs which deliver 1000 lumens of light.  They’re waterproof and have an expected lifespan of up to 50,000 hours.  You can adjust the lighting time (10S-45S-120S-600S), induction setting (24-hour or night only) and detection range (0-12 M).  These security lights use a PIR sensor and support 360º horizontal tilt and 0º-180º vertical tilt.

Mr. Beams Wireless Battery-Operated Outdoor Motion-Sensor-Activated LED Spotlight

Mr. Beams Wireless Battery-Operated Outdoor Motion-Sensor-Activated LED Spotlight

These battery-powered security lights are shaped like a traditional spotlight.  We’ve been unable to work out how many LEDs they contain but we can tell you they deliver 200 lumens of light.  Similarly, we’ve been unable to determine the exact sensor type, but we can tell you that it has a 9-metre range and seems very reliable.  The light has a photosensor to avoid it being activated in the daytime and shuts off after 20 seconds.  Assuming activations a day, each set of 3 D-cell batteries should last you about a year.

NBHANYUAN Lighting® LED Outdoor Wall Light

These lights are marketed as outdoor wall lights rather than security lights, but they perform essentially the same function and so we’re including them, frankly, for people who’re prepared to pay a bit of extra money for a lot of extra style, for example near a front door.

NBHANYUAN produce wall lights in a variety of shapes, but we’ve opted for this cylindrical model because we think it will fit in with most styles of home. 

The body of this lamp is stainless steel, with a clear, glass-covered section for the actual light.  Even though these lights look very elegant, they’re actually very robust and can stand up not only to the rain but also to the cold and heat as well.

We haven’t been able to work out how many LEDs it contains, but we can tell you that it offers 500 lumens of light and has an expected service life of about 30,000 hours. 

The sensor works over a distance of 2 to 8 metres and the duration of the light can be between 5 seconds and 6 minutes.  There is a photosensitive sensor to ensure that the light only turns on when it's dark.

Best solar security lights with motion sensor on the UK market

BU-KO 100 LED Solar Security Light

BU-KO 100 LED Solar Security Light

These solar security lights are slightly rectangular.  They contain 100 LEDs and although we can’t find a lumen rating, the manufacturer advises that they are equivalent to a regular 60W bulb, which seems about right.  The sensor is PIR and can detect motion over a range of 180º and to a distance of 18 metres. 

There are three modes, auto, (light switches on when motion is detected), on and off (light stays on or off regardless of motion).  On auto mode, the duration of the light can be set to between 5 seconds and 2 minutes.

These security lights are fully waterproof and very robust.  They can be a bit fiddly to install, especially for those with larger fingers, but at this price point, that’s forgiveable. 

Similarly, these lights can take a very long time to complete their first charge, we’ve heard of up to 5 days, especially in winter, but after that, they should be good to go as you need them even in winter.

HETP 78 LED Solar Motion Sensor Security Lights

HETP 78 LED Solar Motion Sensor Security Lights

These solar security lights are rectangular.  They contain 78 LEDs (each, they’re sold in a pack of two) and have an output of 1400 lumens (again each).  The sensors are PIR and have a range of 120º and between 6 and 8 metres.

There are three modes for the light.

Strong Long Light Mode - The light essentially stays on all night at full power.
Strong Light Sensor Mode  - The light reacts to the sensor and then switches off.
Dim Light Sensor Mode - The light reacts to the sensor and then dims slowly until it switches off.

These lights need about 8 hours to charge from empty to full after which they have about 12 hours worth of power.  They are waterproof and easy to install.

iPosible 100 LED Solar Security Light

iPosible 100 LED Solar Security Light

These solar security lights are described as “four-angled”.  In practical terms, they’re essentially rectangular, but the base of the rectangle is pointed like a triangle. 

According to the manufacturer, this allows for 270º wide-angle illumination by means of the 100 LEDs, which are positioned in batches of four and deliver 1000 lumens of light (each, these are also sold in packs of two). 

We aren’t that scientifically accurate here, but we can say these claims look perfectly viable to us.  The sensors are PIR and have a range of 120º and between 3 and 5 metres.

There are three modes for the light.

Strong Long Light Mode - The light essentially stays on all night at full power.
Strong Light Sensor Mode  - The light reacts to the sensor and then switches off.
Dim Light Sensor Mode - The light reacts to the sensor and then dims slowly until it switches off.

It’s recommended to allow 12 hours for the first charge and after that standard daylight hours should be enough to power the lights on sensor mode.  In winter, there may be a limit to how long the light will function on Strong Long Light Mode.

These lights are waterproof and easy to install.

Mpow Solar Light, Motion Sensor 30-LED Light

Mpow 30-LED Solar Light

We think this solar security light is meant to look like a spotlight, but honestly we think it looks more like an old-school bicycle light.  We can’t find a lumen rating but there are 30 LEDs and the manufacturer describes them as “super-bright”, which seems fair to us.  The sensor is PIR and has a range of 120º and up to 8 metres. 

As an added bonus, this solar security light has a vertical tilt of up to 90º.  There is a choice of three modes; sensor mode, dim light sensor mode and medium-light, stay-on mode.

These solar security lights are waterproof and very easy to install.  They have an expected service life of at least two to three years.

Mpow 140 LED Solar Lights

Mpow 140 LED Solar Lights

These solar security lights are essentially shaped like a rectangle, albeit one with a slightly pointed base.  Again, the idea behind this seems to be to allow for a wider angle of illumination, specifically 270º.  There are 140 LEDs which can deliver up to 328 lumens in their most powerful mode.  This is per light, these are sold in packs of two.

The sensors are PIR and have a range of 120º and up to 8 metres.  As above, there is a choice of three modes; sensor mode, dim light sensor mode and medium-light, stay-on mode.  Also as above, these solar security lights are waterproof and very easy to install.  They have an expected service life of at least two to three years.

Best outdoor security lights - summary

We’d suggest using a combination of mains-powered (or battery-powered) lights and solar-powered lights.  The battery-powered lights will ensure you always get light even if there is an extended period of really bad weather (which is always possible in the UK, especially in the more northerly parts). 

The solar lights will, however, work just fine most, if not all, of the time and as well as saving the planet (and your wallet), they’re wire-free.

Read Our Article On The 'Best Wireless Alarm Systems' Here