RE: Motion sensing exterior lights

Looking for brand/suggestions on motion sensing exterior lights . . . I suspect having some on the house would make my wife a lot more comfortable when I am away on trips, camping, etc.

No recommendation on the fixtures. I haven't liked the one's I've had. Too many false alarms. They make you wonder (unneccesarily) "what's out there?"
Consider too that you probably can't use CF bulbs in these unless you find some that come on almost instantly. Especially in colder weather our outdoor CFLs take a while to get bright.
Funny, my father in-law was ranting about what he was going to do for bulbs for his motion sensor lights once the so-called incandescent bulb "ban" is in place.

I have some motion sensor made by a company called Steinel that, at least as of when I bought them (10-12 years ago) were made in Germany. They seem much less flaky than other motion sensor lights I've had or helped other people with, and have continued to work well.

Jake, find a cheapo and put it up to see how you like it.
I put one over the service door to the shop and it senses anything all the way out to the road about 100' away.
Also put one on the front porch that goes off everytime a leaf blows or a mouse goes scurrying by. I plan to put one on the front (gable end) of the house facing the woodshed for those times I've not brought enough wood in.

I have one about 17' above grade on my new shop building above the man door as required by the NEC. It goes off for some reason and then attracts flying bugs which continue to keep it tripped for quite some time.

90 watt incandescent flood lamps are the only thing that makes sense because CFLs are not appropriate for instant on in any temp, much less outdoors in the cold.

Motion lights are superior for security and energy savings once dialed in. I bought from home depot for like 30 bucks.

I have motion sensor lamps on front & back door, I am not really fond of them. Like semipro said, not very reliable. A passing insect sets them off, and sometimes they don't light up when you approach them! I have a suspicion that even on a good model the sensor eye would start to malfunction over a relatively short time.
But if is for a nervous spouse, it might be enough to allay her fears enough that she would have at least a false sense of security. Also, perhaps one of those driveway type motion sensors might be accepted.
I am of the opinion that a locked door, a cellphone, a big dog and a .22 make a suitable security system.

*HOW TO INSTALL A HOME SECURITY SYSTEM**
> > >
> > > > 1. Go to a secondhand store and buy a pair of men's used size 14-16 work boots.
> > > > 2. Place them on your front porch, along with a copy of Guns & Ammo Magazine.
> > > > 3. Put a few giant dog dishes next to the boots and magazines.
> > > > 4. Leave a note on your door that reads:
> > > >
> > > > "Bubba,
> > > > Bertha, Duke, Slim, & I went for more ammo and beer. Be back in an hour.
> > > > Don't mess with the pit bulls; they attacked the mailman this morning and
> > > > messed him up bad. I don't think Killer took part, but it was hard to tell
> > > > from all the blood. Anyway, I locked all four of 'em in the house.
> > > >
> > > > Better wait outside. Be right back.
> > > >
> > > > Cooter"
> > > >
> > >

I bought a couple of them recently. They also have built in cameras that take stills or movies. So if there's a problem, you can take out the SD card and see if it took any pictures of note. I got them on the web and they were about 3x the cost of the others.

I prefer the dusk to dawn lights I have 2 florescent lights, A flood in front and a wall mount on the porch. I saw a new LED flood w/motion at Lowes last week, Seemed very bright in the store not sure about how it would be in the dark.

Jake, I have one on my yard/wood shed that has been working flawlessly for 10 years. I bought it at the local hardware store. I will look but I don't think there is a brand name on it that is still visible. I love it though. Turns on every time I go out to get wood.
Edit: Found the brand "Regent Lighting Corporation" It is a 2 socket (for 75 or 150 watt flood bulbs) and a motion/light sensor in the middle. Oh, had to use the ole Bangor Maine FD flashlight to read the brand name on it )

Here is a pic of it

The two sets on my house were not from a box store but an electric supply house. I don't remember the name but they have served us very well over the years. We use RAB products at work and have several different type of exterior lights that have worked well for several years. Here is the link:


http://www.rabweb.com/major_Group_Detail.php?group=hidflood

I like to think of myself as a penny pincher, but have to admit that I don't care for the motion sensors for outside. I have them inside, like in the garage when you enter, and in the workshop. For outside, I have some CFU's that are cold tolerant and are instant on. I use the dusk to dawn features. We have 4 CFU on outside when it is dark. I also have a few of those solar spot lights. We also have two big dogs, and I have Viet Nam vet stickers on my truck. So far so good.

And a Maine veteran license plate? I thought I saw one the other day when you posted some pics.

I use these all over the place - especially good even inside when the power goes out.


http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Beams-Wireless-Spotlight-Photocell/dp/B002P6EQPW

Dusk to dawn lights waste energy by burning all night, create light pollution making it harder to see stars, and make it EASIER for burglars to rob you since you nicely light their way. The properly functioning motion light has the benefit of surprising the crook, making him run, and alerting you to motion in the yard.

Trick is finding a properly functioning motion detecting light.

Both methods are effective, but high beam is right in saying that motion detectors are more effective. http://www.elightspot.com/motionvsdusktodawn.aspx. Living in such a wooded area as I do, motion detectors about drove me crazy going on and off. I also like to be able to look out. No light pollution here. Unless the moon is nearly full, you can't see your hand in front of you once you are 100 ft from the outside lights. I am using 40 watt equivalent cfu bulbs

For what it's worth, these are the lights I got:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006FDA9TI/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0077QX1JW/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00

I ordered the second one first, but then it was discontinued and I ordered the first one for the back of the house.

the camera part is interesting. Does anyone have stats on if this added feature has proven its value. Does anything like this have an impact on insurance rates?

Not for me. I put in a monitored burglar alarm in, and it was good for, like $12 a year on insurance.

Not to mention annoys the neighbors who want to sleep in darkness and have the windows open.

I do not have any motion sensors outside because if the lights came on you would see these two, they prefer to be in stealth mode.no barking turn around and they are there.

There is usually a sensitivity and range setting as a little dial or switch on the bottom of the motion sensor. You can turn them down a little bit so bugs or small animals won't set them off. By default most homeowners or electricians install them on Max sensitivity so there is a not a call back that the light 'isn't working'

Rab makes the best IMHO the Gotchya series while prices 30-$60 it's well worth the money due to no nuisance tripping and long term reliability.

Thanks every one . . .based on the reviews on the Internet and here I believe I'll be going with some Rab lights.