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These top-rated options keep your home safe and secure.
Credit:Better Homes & Gardens
Designed to illuminate a large space, outdoor floodlights can have a visibility range of 30 feet or more.
Lee Churton, manager of ProElec Electrical Services, suggests paying attention to lumens when purchasing a floodlight.
Ifsecurity is a top concern, you could go a little higher.
Credit: Amazon
It is not fully waterproof.
They offer superior visibility and the ability tolight the yardfrom all angles.
The lights feature three modes, including manual and auto configs.
The Leonlite LED Outdoor Motion Sensor Flood Light has three modes—we used dusk-to-dawn the most often because it deterred creatures from our yard.Credit: Better Homes & Gardens / Mike Navarro
Although theseoutdoor lights require hardwiring, we found no calibration necessary, making them relatively simple to install.
On-time mode gives you full control over the light using a switch.
There are also two auto modesmotion detector or dusk-to-dawn.
We also loved that its an affordable price, especially for how bright it is.
We wish it came with smart features, but overall, it still remains the best outdoor floodlight.
Its not bright enough to be an effective security light on its own.
TheLepower Outdoor Solar Security Lightssave you money because theyrun on solar power, helping tolower your electric bill.
For testing, wemounted the lighton a tree facing our back gate.
The motion sensor detects movement up to 72 feet, which is a pretty impressive range.
It also doesnt come with a switch box to turn it on and off.
We maintain that they are probably most effective inilluminating a smaller spaceor as supplemental lighting.
You cant adjust the color of the light.
There are lights and thenthere aresmartlights.
TheRing Floodlight Cam Wired Plusearned top marks across our testing categories including value, features, and design.
It consists of two LED floodlights which have to be hardwired into your electrical system.
Keep in mind that the light does not change colors.
In testing, it significantly brightened a 20x20-foot area around the garage.
The motion detector lets you create custom zones.
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The light is available in packs of one, two, three, and four.
This continued to perform well.
The quality of the floodlight did not change, but it did get dirty from various weather conditions.
The Lepower Solar Security Lights worked well as a perimeter light to illuminate hidden access point like a back or side gate.Credit: Better Homes & Gardens / Jennifer Zyman
It can be cleaned witha garden hoseor a gentle setting ona pressure washer.
If you dont already have a fixture in the desired area, youll need to buy one separately.
These 90-wattcolor-changing lights from GEgo far behind your typical white hues.
If you dont have a fixture, youll need to get one separately.
Overall, these light bulbs met all our expectations and then some.
They are available in two- and four-packs as well as single bulbs at some retailers.
TheGE light maintained the same level of brightness throughout our testing period.
It lacks prefs to adjust brightness and motion sensors.
Compared to a 150-watt halogen light we previously used, theSansi Outdoor Integrated Lightwas a big improvement.
Keep in mind that the light has to be hardwired.
That said, inexperienced DIYers might want to hire an electrician.
The floodlight comes with an energy-saving dusk-to-dawn sensor that turns the lights on and off at sunset and sunrise.
The light continued to be bright and illuminated a wide area, which made us feel safe.
Some of the models were hardwired and needed an electrician to help with installation.
We also checked to see how long the light stayed on.
We also tested whether the motion sensor sensitivity prefs were adjustable.
For battery-powered lights, we recorded how long the battery lasted before it needed to be replaced.
We connected smart lights to any devices such as Amazon Alexa or Google Home we had on hand.
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Each lamp consists of 40 small LED lights and a motion sensor.
We did wish it came with more features like a timer or the option to adjust the brightness.
We also didnt love that the motion sensor only kept the light on for 90 seconds.
The Ring HD Motion-Activated Floodlight Camera comes in well-organized packaging that made installation simpler.Credit: Better Homes & Gardens / Jennifer May
We also felt the lights were too sensitive no matter where we placed them.
The brightness you choose for your outdoor floodlight should be dependent on location, Churton says.
For more of aburglar-deterringoutdoor floodlight, you could opt for a brightness of up to 10,000 lumens.
Floodlights used in larger properties, industrial spaces, and sports grounds can go as high as 3040,000 lumens.
While brightness is measured by lumens, the amount of power that alight bulbconsumes is measured by watts.
Its worth noting that LED lights are far more economical than halogen light bulbs.
For instance, a 3050-watt LED bulb is equivalent to a halogen bulb of around 500 watts.
Motion Sensor and Features
While not all outdoor floodlights also function asmotion sensor lights, many do.
Theyre useful for security purposes since they automatically turn on when detecting movement within a certain range.
They can also help lower your electric bill as they only turn the light on for a limited time.
These lights tend to be more expensive than basic options, but they offer advanced customization.
Power Source
Outdoor floodlights are hardwired, corded electric, solar-powered, or battery-powered.
This bore out in our testing, like with theLepower Outdoor Solar Security Lights.
Your Questions, Answered
What are the benefits of floodlights?
Security is the main reason people opt to install outdoor floodlights, Churton says.
How do you install outdoor floodlights?
Installation will depend on the power source.
A socket source can also be used, Churton says, but that would need to be fused down.
Credit: Amazon
How many lumens do you need for outdoor floodlights?
The larger the space, the brighter the floodlight should be so that it can cover more ground.
For reference, large outdoor car parks use floodlights of 9,000 to 20,000 or more lumens.
The GE CYNC Smart Outdoor Flood Light Bulbs have millions of color options that can be adjusted through an app.Credit: Better Homes & Gardens / Jodi Espinosa
For this article, Kat spoke toLee Churton, the manager at ProElec Electrical Services.
In these cases, we use the same testing criteria we use to test the purchased products.
Credit: Amazon
The Sansi 45W Motion Sensor Outdoor Floodlight was brighter than our old halogen light and used less energy.Credit: Better Homes & Gardens / Patrick McGowan
We timed setup for all outdoor floodlights, including app integration if applicable.Credit:Better Homes & Gardens
We tested all features, including motion sensors and adjustable brightness.Credit:Better Homes & Gardens
