Outdoor Security Lights: Product & Installation Guides
Outdoor security lights are something everyone wants to get right. Not just to make life easier for when you’re walking around after dark, but also for peace of mind and to deter anyone who might be eyeing your building.
In this guide we’ll be covering everything from how many security lights you need, where and how best to install them.
Most UK homes need less light than they expect. A PIR floodlight of 1,000 to 2,000 lumens, rated IP65, mounted 2.4 to 3 metres up and angled below 70 degrees from the wall covers the job. Councils and police recommend lower output than retailers do.
We’ve supplied LED lighting to trade and retail buyers since 2011, and floodlights are the range our customers ring us about most. Below we’ll cover how bright to go, where to put the fittings, which sensor to pick, and the legal side that catches people out.
Do Security Lights Actually Deter Burglars?
Yes, but not on their own, and not because of raw brightness. Secured by Design, the police-backed crime prevention scheme, says what matters is the burglar’s impression that they can be seen, or might be seen – not whether anyone is actually watching.
A light that makes someone feel visible from the street or a neighbour’s window will do the main part of the job. Pair it with visible CCTV and they won’t even consider it.
How Bright Should Outdoor Security Lighting Be?
Everyone thinks about watts with lighting, but it’s lumens that matter.
Wattage only tells you what a fitting draws; lumens tell you what it puts out. Budget LED floodlights sit around 100 lumens per watt, so a 10W unit gives roughly 1,000 lumens and a 50W unit about 5,000.
| Where it’s going | Recommended output |
|---|---|
| Front door or porch | 400 to 700 lumens |
| Rear garden | Around 1,000 lumens |
| Driveway or side passage | 1,000 to 2,000 lumens |
| Commercial yard or car park | 5,000 lumens and up |
Recommendations are typically higher. West Yorkshire Police suggests a 13 to 16W dusk-to-dawn unit lights an average rear garden more than adequately, and Test Valley Borough Council calls roughly 1,000 lumens normally adequate for the same job, with a 9W lamp enough for a porch light left on all night.
There’s a reason for the gap. High-powered lamps deepen the shadows next to the pools of light they throw, and that contrast makes it harder for a passer-by to see anything. Glare does the same at eye level. Over-lighting can leave a property less secure than a moderate, well-aimed fitting, and it’s the most common trigger for a complaint from next door.
Where to Fit Security Lights, and How to Aim Them
Cover the points an intruder has to use rather than the whole plot: front door, back door, side passage, driveway, garage, and any dark corner not visible from a window or the street.
Aim for a mounting height of around 2.4 to 3 meters. High enough to be visible from the street.
Aim matters more than output. The main beam should sit below 70 degrees from the wall, pointing down into your own ground rather than across the boundary. Anything flatter is lighting your neighbour’s bedroom.
Stopping False Triggers
False triggers can be annoying, especially if you’re near a walkway. It can get annoying if you’re trying to watch TV while your security night is turning your garden into a nightclub.
Two fixes stop most false triggers: aim the sensor away from nearby footpaths, roads and boundary lines, and use a separate detector head where the fitting allows it, so the sensor can look one way while the beam points another. A dwell time of around ten minutes stops the light flicking on and off all evening when cats or foxes pass.
On front doors, mount the fitting above and slightly to the side. If it’s directly overhead it shadows the caller’s face.
Choosing the Right Fitting and Sensor
On most security lights you’ll have either a PIR or a Microwave sensor.
PIR (passive infrared) sensors read the heat given off by a body, so they trigger on people and animals and ignore most other movement.
Microwave sensors bounce a signal off whatever is in range and fire at anything that moves, including foliage in wind. PIR is the safer default outdoors, and it’s what most UK security lights ship with.
Photocell or dusk-to-dawn units run at low output all night on a light-level sensor, the setup police guidance favours for rear gardens.
We’ve covered what separates a good floodlight from a cheap one separately, and there’s a walkthrough on choosing a bulkhead fitting too.
What IP Rating Do You Need Outdoors?
An IP (Ingress Protection) rating tells you how well a fitting keeps out dust and water: the first digit covers solids, the second liquids. IP65 is the practical minimum for anything on an exposed wall.
| Rating | What it keeps out | Where it belongs |
|---|---|---|
| IP44 | Splashing water | Covered porches, sheltered doorways |
| IP54 | Limited dust, splashing water | Semi-sheltered walls |
| IP65 | Dust-tight, low-pressure jets | Exposed walls, driveways, floodlights |
| IP66 | Dust-tight, powerful jets | Coastal sites, yards, hosed-down areas |
Don’t assume anything sold as an outdoor light is weatherproof! Always check the IP rating.
What UK Law Says About Your Security Light
There’s no legal brightness limit in the UK. No maximum wattage, no lux ceiling. What exists instead is statutory nuisance.
The government’s guidance for councils is explicit that there are no set levels for light to be considered a statutory nuisance. An environmental health officer weighs:
- How much the light interferes with the use of the property
- Any impact on health
- The effect on an average person, setting aside unusual sensitivity
- How often it happens, and for how long
- The time of night
- Whether the setting is urban or rural
That last one surprises people. The same floodlight can be reasonable on a lit suburban street and a nuisance on an unlit country lane.
If the council agrees there’s a nuisance, it serves an abatement notice. However this is quite rare unless you’re lighting up your neighbours like a football pitch
Do You Need an Electrician to Fit a Security Light?
Not necessarily. Solar and battery units can be a DIY job if you’re comfortable.
However, anything mains-wired should be fitted by a qualified electrician, and the notification rules are less obvious than people assume.
In England, adding outdoor lighting to an existing circuit is not notifiable under Part P of the Building Regulations. Installing a new circuit is. In Wales the original 2005 scope still applies, so garden and outdoor additions remain notifiable there.
Either way the work must comply with Part P and BS 7671, the UK wiring regulations. An electrician registered with a competent person scheme such as NICEIC, ELECSA or NAPIT can self-certify and issue the certificate, which is quicker than going through building control. If you’re unsure which applies, ask the installer first.
Security Lighting for Business Premises
If you’re on a commercial site, the advice changes. Yards, car parks and loading areas need higher mounting and wider beams than a domestic wall, and run far longer hours.
Avoid lighting the whole site all night: a permanently lit yard can read as unattended, and constant output weakens your position if a neighbour complains.
Our commercial LED lighting range covers the higher-output end, and a dedicated LED security lights category is coming soon.
What We Stock for Outdoor Jobs
Our LED floodlights run from 30W to 200W at 150 lumens per watt in 5000K, IP65 rated, built to commercial-grade spec rather than for one season in a garden. Most of our range carries a 5-year guarantee.
The one we point people towards most is the separate motion and dusk-to-dawn sensor for floodlights. It lets you mount the sensor where it needs to look and the floodlight where the light needs to fall, which fixes most false-trigger complaints. Ring 01652 638840 and you get the people who run the business, not a call centre.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of outdoor lights deter burglars?
Lights positioned where an intruder can be seen from a street, path or window. A PIR floodlight over a driveway or side passage works, and so does a low-output dusk-to-dawn fitting on a rear garden. Deterrence comes from the offender believing they’re visible.
Are solar security lights any good in the UK?
They work, within limits. Panel size and battery capacity decide performance far more than the LED does, and a small panel on a shaded wall will disappoint through winter. Solar suits outbuildings, gates and spots with no cable route. Mains is still better on entry points.
Do security lights use much electricity?
Very little. A modern LED floodlight replacing an old 150W to 300W halogen typically draws 10W to 30W for the same light, and a PIR unit only runs when triggered. A dusk-to-dawn fitting runs longer, at low output.
Wrapping Up
Good exterior security lighting comes down to three decisions:
- Enough output for the space (rather than the most you can buy),
- A beam aimed down into your own ground, and
- A light with the right IP rating for British weather.
Get those right and the legal side mostly looks after itself, because nearly every complaint starts with a light that’s too bright or pointed the wrong way.
If you’re fitting several units at once, just give us a call and we can talk through wattages and sensor options.
Updated: 10-08-2026