ᐅ Outdoor Lighting Planning with a Focus on Burglary Prevention
Created on: 12 Sep 2023 23:09
R
Rhyem86
Hello everyone,
I would like to discuss the exterior lighting for our property/single-family home with you.
Attached are views of our house:
Street front with the main entrance (power outlet above the front door)
Terrace and garden (power outlet at the back of the house)
Side entrance and garage (garage to be installed) (power outlet at the side entrance to supply the garage)
Our plan
We want to install spotlights in the eaves boxes at the front and back (number still to be determined), as well as wall lights on the terrace wall (number to be determined), and a floodlight at the side entrance covering the entire driveway. Power outlets are already installed in the eaves boxes and at the side entrance (for the garage) outside. Security and burglary prevention are especially important for us. Therefore, we want the entrances on the ground floor to be illuminated as well as possible. We have decided to use motion sensors. Inside the house, we have two switches for manually turning the eaves spotlights on and off.
How many spotlights do we need in the eaves boxes?
How many wall-mounted floodlights do we need on the terrace? Should the floodlights illuminate upward, downward, or both?
Where is the best place to position the motion sensors? Which light sources should be connected to which sensors?
Or should we use dusk-to-dawn sensors, even though that would mean the lights stay on all night, which we want to avoid unless there are good reasons for it?
The garage also has an exit to the garden. Should we plan for an additional light source there?
Do you have any other thoughts or suggestions regarding exterior lighting for us?
Best regards
I would like to discuss the exterior lighting for our property/single-family home with you.
Attached are views of our house:
Street front with the main entrance (power outlet above the front door)
Terrace and garden (power outlet at the back of the house)
Side entrance and garage (garage to be installed) (power outlet at the side entrance to supply the garage)
Our plan
We want to install spotlights in the eaves boxes at the front and back (number still to be determined), as well as wall lights on the terrace wall (number to be determined), and a floodlight at the side entrance covering the entire driveway. Power outlets are already installed in the eaves boxes and at the side entrance (for the garage) outside. Security and burglary prevention are especially important for us. Therefore, we want the entrances on the ground floor to be illuminated as well as possible. We have decided to use motion sensors. Inside the house, we have two switches for manually turning the eaves spotlights on and off.
How many spotlights do we need in the eaves boxes?
How many wall-mounted floodlights do we need on the terrace? Should the floodlights illuminate upward, downward, or both?
Where is the best place to position the motion sensors? Which light sources should be connected to which sensors?
Or should we use dusk-to-dawn sensors, even though that would mean the lights stay on all night, which we want to avoid unless there are good reasons for it?
The garage also has an exit to the garden. Should we plan for an additional light source there?
Do you have any other thoughts or suggestions regarding exterior lighting for us?
Best regards
W
WilderSueden13 Sep 2023 13:33xMisterDx schrieb:
If the TV always turns on at 1:30 AM, that’s suspicious. At 1:30 AM, there’s no need to simulate presence anymore, as it’s normal for people to be in bed by then. But in the evening, around 8:30 PM, it’s enough to deter opportunistic intruders. Most normal people aren’t watched for weeks on end—that’s something done to houses like Rick’s. After all, criminals want to put in as little effort as possible, and in a quiet residential area, surveillance can easily attract attention. If you’re being professionally monitored, even smart home presence simulation won’t help. And for highly valuable targets, even an alarm system won’t be enough to deter intruders.
X
xMisterDx13 Sep 2023 13:43I think you misunderstood. No one lies in the grass with binoculars for two weeks watching a house.
There are about 80 new houses built fairly close together here. People just stroll by in the evening and have a look.
If someone thinks it’s a deterrent to turn on a lamp in the living room at 9:23 p.m., fine.
The problem is, when it’s bright inside, you can easily see inside from outside in the dark. And then you can tell whether someone is sitting in front of the TV or if it’s just a TV simulation lamp. A clever opportunistic burglar might even think, “Ah, no one is home. Let’s go.”
Especially if there’s no car in the driveway. That’s always particularly unfortunate. 😉
My opinion stays the same: keep outdoor lighting normal, don’t overdo it. And if you have to choose between security windows and a smart home system for presence simulation, always go for the windows.
There are about 80 new houses built fairly close together here. People just stroll by in the evening and have a look.
If someone thinks it’s a deterrent to turn on a lamp in the living room at 9:23 p.m., fine.
The problem is, when it’s bright inside, you can easily see inside from outside in the dark. And then you can tell whether someone is sitting in front of the TV or if it’s just a TV simulation lamp. A clever opportunistic burglar might even think, “Ah, no one is home. Let’s go.”
Especially if there’s no car in the driveway. That’s always particularly unfortunate. 😉
My opinion stays the same: keep outdoor lighting normal, don’t overdo it. And if you have to choose between security windows and a smart home system for presence simulation, always go for the windows.
W
WilderSueden13 Sep 2023 13:52The car is parked in the builder's garage, so it is not visible. And I didn’t mention the window and the upper floor without reason 😉
You are reasonably protected against burglary if the break-in takes (too) long and the risk of being detected is high. This means good windows and doors, noise, and possibly a lot of light. Some small spotlights in the eaves or up-down lights (on the cellular wall) do little; instead, proper floodlights in the right places are more effective. Cameras are useful for providing the police with clear images afterwards and for personal curiosity, but they do not deter anyone.
In a recent project, narrow, long LED floodlights from stage technology were installed just below the attic on a villa. They are nearly invisible but create a strong stadium-like atmosphere in the outdoor area during a break-in or panic situation.
In a recent project, narrow, long LED floodlights from stage technology were installed just below the attic on a villa. They are nearly invisible but create a strong stadium-like atmosphere in the outdoor area during a break-in or panic situation.
ypg schrieb:
Floodlights often cause glare, where you plan 5 spotlights in the eaves, one on each side on the left and right is enough.
A wall-mounted spotlight on the gable side only needs to be placed in the center. Windows fit well with a central spotlight. Yes, I thought we could reduce the number there. Glad for the savings.
WilderSueden schrieb:
Ideally avoid floor-to-ceiling windows, as otherwise you can see that the room is empty. On the street side, the front door has a floor-to-ceiling side panel and two tall windows. Everything else in the house is floor-to-ceiling.
xMisterDx schrieb:
An alarm system and security windows rated at least RC2 are probably much better than a few lights.
Oh, and if you put spotlights in the eaves, make sure your plaster looks good… you highlight every dent, which can look really bad. I have two bad examples like that in the neighborhood… We will use RC2 windows as well as matching fittings. Alarm system—what exactly do you recommend in terms of technical setup?
The interior plaster looks great; if the exterior turns out like that, I’ll be very happy!
xMisterDx schrieb:
You need lighting anyway. I just think it’s a bit over the top here, with 10 spotlights, 3 wall lights in the front, and a floodlight at the back.
It should work with motion detectors anyway; the lights should come on only when needed, not all the time.
But what I really wanted to say is that this only helps at night or for (very unlikely) post-incident identification by the camera.
The least attractive way to deter intruders is with security windows and an alarm system. Yes, we will reduce the number of light sources.
Any ideas on the best places to install motion detectors? Which directions can I combine? Or would it be better to have one detector for each side of the house?
Araknis schrieb:
You are reasonably protected against break-ins if the intrusion takes (too) long and there is a high risk of being discovered. This means good windows and doors, noise, and possibly plenty of light. Any spotlights in the eaves or up/down wall lights (on rough wall surfaces) don’t help much—instead, decent floodlights in the right spots are better. Cameras are nice to provide good images to the police afterward and for your own curiosity, but they don’t deter anyone. Do you mean that high-lumen spotlights don’t provide enough brightness? Of course, the beam angle has to be right.
I think I need to walk around the new development at night and see what kind of lighting the neighbors have around their houses.
So, in summary, I’ll reduce the spotlights in the eaves to three and one on the gable side.
The question remains where to mount the motion detectors and which lights to wire to which detector.
As an option, install a floodlight in front of the garage?
Rhyem86 schrieb:
Do you think high-lumen spots don’t provide enough brightness? The beam angle definitely needs to be right.No. Or they are not suitable for general lighting unless they are dimmable. That’s why effect lighting is usually separated from alarm lighting. These are two completely different things.Rhyem86 schrieb:
The interior plaster looks great; if the exterior turns out the same, I’ll be very happy!Unfortunately, those two have nothing to do with each other.Similar topics