3 of the Best Solar Security Lights
Fulcrum LED Solar Porch Light
First, there’s the Fulcrum Motion Sensor LED Porch Light
The motion sensor can detect movement with a 25-foot range and stays on until no motion has been detected for more than 30 seconds. Each Fulcrum lighting unit is self-contained – no need for wiring – and the whole unit can be angled round by 100 degrees to shine into otherwise difficult to light parts of the garden or yard. Mounting the unit is no more complicated than two screws.
Dorcy LED Solar Security Light
– in many way it’s similar to the Fulcrum but a little more sophisticated.The main difference is that the light unit comes with a four-way swivel allowing it to shine into deeper, darker corners around the outside of your home. The beam is brighter too, with a range of 350ft. There are actually two levels of brightness available so you can prolong battery life. The manufacturers say the Dorcy should run for a year without needing a change of batteries.
Like the Fulcrum, the Dorcy is simple to attach and you can set the motion sensor to switch off the security light after 30 seconds or two minutes.
Maxsa Innovations Solar Panel Light Kit
– another motion activated security light, the Maxsa unit has two swiveling lights that give excellent lighting over a very wide area.The motion sensor on this solar security light is another notch up the sophistication scale because you can adjust the reaction sensitivity to keep the light off if a passing squirrel wanders through your garden but activate the light if a vehicle pulls up.
Because the solar panel is separate and not built-in to the main light, installation is a little more involved but nothing too major and it does have the advantage that you can angle the solar panel exactly in the direction that works best, regardless of the direction the two lights are pointing.
Final Verdict: If you’re looking for the cheapest solar security light go for the Fulcrum Porch Ligh
Solar String LED Lights To Brighten Up Your Garden
Solar Star LED Lights
They come with their own small solar panel that can be driven into the ground a little way from where you want to hang the outdoor lights. Then, after a day of solar charging, when the light fades they automatically turn themselves on.
Each solar star light string measures 23ft / 7m in length and you can even buy a double pack if you feel like going a little crazy. Each engery saving LED light will provide up to six hours of solar powered light per night. In winter, when a full solar charge might not be possible, regular rechargeable batteries can be used as a power supply for up to fifteen night without needing a recharge.
Indoor Solar Lighting with Flexible Solar Tube Lights
Here’s a quick tip if you need a little bit of extra light indoors – flexible solar tube lights. These handy little solar gadgets come with a clip and a gooseneck with a light on the end.
Just attach the clip to a solid surface – the edge of a table, window ledge or the side of a display frame and you’ve got yourself a little extra indoor solar light for very little hassle.
They’re ideal for lighting display cabinets at exhibitions or other venues where you may not have total control over the indoor lighting. Not enough daylight to solar charge? Just recharge the batteries in the normal way.
Solar Powered Courtesy Light
If you need some extra lights in a dark front door entrance, garage or poorly lit area of the garden or the outside of your house you might want to consider this solar powered courtesy light.
This cute solar powered gadget senses when motion is detected nearby and powers up the light. It turns itself off again automatically after one minute.
Because it’s solar powered, no tricky electrical wiring is needed and it’ll work even in areas outside where non solar lights would be difficult or expensive to install. When fully charged, the LED light gives off almost as much light as a normal 60W light bulb and will light a similar sort of area.
Spotlight on Solar LED Lights
One of the biggest trends in solar lights these days is the use of LED lights. Yes, LED is like the lights in those early calculators – but thankfully the light from LEDs these days is a lot brighter.
LED lighting technology is still relatively new and therefore still quite expensive. No doubt the price will come down as they become more commonplace but for the now when you come to buy them you may well find solar LED lights to be twice the price of normal outdoor & garden lights.
What’s up with that? Is that a rip-off?
No. Bear in mind that led bulbs can last 15 years or longer that normal light bulbs. Better still, they typically use 60 -70% less electricity. If you have solar LED lights, of course, your electricity cost savings will go up to a pleasant 100%.
Inexpensive Solar Shed Light
As solar lighting keeps growing in popularity, so the choices can become more bewildering. As with anything, solar shed lights come in many shapes, sizes and budgets.
For this post, let’s assume you’re on a budget. Maybe you just want to experiment in solar lighting before investing a lot of money. Fair enough.
The Sun Shed Series from Silicon Solar is about the most inexpensive solar shed light we’ve seen. The manufacturer claims an eight hour run time through an “ultra efficient LED light”. The solar panel of shed light is on a swivel making it easy to position to capture the most energy and it comes with a generous ten foot electrical cord.
Solar LED Address Numbers
House guests will never get lost again once you’ve installed a set of solar powered address lights. As soon as the sun goes down, these Solar LED Address Numbers automatically switch on two large white LED lights. This gives a backlighting effect to the cutout numbers – allowing your house number to be clearly seen from some distance.
The LED lights will run for eight to ten hours on a full solar charge.
