Why Security Lights Drive Away Problems
Homes have always had lighting around the front porch and the front entrance, both for the purposes of providing an easy direction where to enter the main entrance of the home, to see it in the darkness from the road, and to illuminate who is at the front door before the owner opens it. Today, security lighting can be installed around a home in multiple locations beyond just the front door, and it’s actually a very smart idea given the frequency of unwelcome guests who might be roaming in the backyard.
Thieves Don’t Like Difficulty
In the world of theft, the easiest crimes are those where nobody is paying attention. Criminals want easy opportunities. They don’t want headaches, they don’t want attention, and they typically don’t want to be seen next to a home that has security lighting.
The benefits of outdoor security lights start with making it a bit more difficult for a criminal to be hanging around a home doing suspicious activity if he or she can actually be seen by the neighbors and reported. Darkness is a preferred option. Homes that are well lit make it more uncomfortable and difficult to snoop around to see if there are any opportunities for property crime and similar.
Pests Come on Four Legs Too
Security lighting is also useful for driving away pests. A good amount of wildlife and critters tend to move around at night. They don’t necessarily want to be seen in the bright light. They prefer to stay in the dark where they have cover and protection. Bright lights tend to drive away these pets, and that’s not a bad idea. Many tend to be rodents that can carry disease. They also may have other problems like rabies, which can affect personal pets.
Options for Security Lighting
Security lights also come in different choices. There are standard lights, which simply stay on until they are turned off manually. There are lights that are photosensitive which can turn off when the regular daylight is bright enough that the sensors pick it up, and then there are security lights that are triggered by motion, which come on very bright immediately when the sensors pick up something that is giving off heat in their line of vision. All of these lights are viable choices for security lighting and have different advantages in regard to the security of the home.
Anticipate Off-the-Ground Locations
The installation of security lights ideally should be high enough off the ground that they illuminate the area that they are pointed at. A homeowner wants the lighting to eliminate what can be seen from the window, as well as anything that is an access point to the house. Additionally, the lights should be high enough that they can’t be tampered with or easily reached by someone on the ground. That’s typically going to be higher than 6 feet off the ground.
It’s going to be closer to 10 feet. The installation of lighting at that height can require some assistance and technical knowledge on tooling and positioning the lights properly. An electrician can easily help install the lights correctly, making sure that they work, and that the powerline and the wiring connected to them are not exposed or can be easily tampered with.
Brighten Someone’s Day at Night
Again, homes that are lit up make it more difficult to cause problems around the homes by people who are not authorized to be there. Criminals like dark places. Homes that are lit up become unattractive. It’s well worth a homeowner’s time to add a few security lights and not be another statistic to theft or other problems