Choosing Outdoor Lights
Select from line-voltage lights and low-voltage lights.
There is a wide variety of light fixtures to choose from. For starters, choose line-voltage lights (120v) if you want to deter intruders, accent an architectural feature, or illuminate a work area such as an outdoor grill. To light up a walkway or add accent lights to the landscaping, however, low-voltage lights (12v or 24v) are usually a more economical choice and are generally easier to install. There are also lo-vo solar units (no wiring needed) that charge during the day and glow softly all night.
| PRO TIP: Put security lights high on a porch or under the eaves. Lights that can be reached without a ladder can be easily unscrewed. |
In general, don’t install more light than you need to serve the function for a given area. Outdoor lights that are too bright waste energy and will be too glaring for intimate dining or entertaining at night. Your neighbors will also thank you for not spot-lighting their house when they’re trying to relax or sleep.
In addition to overhead lights, side-mounted lights, step-riser lights, in-ground fixtures, post-mounted lights, and stake-mounted lights, there are many switching options. You can control lights with smartphones, standard on–off switches, timers, motion detectors, and photocells that turn lights on when the sun goes down.
A Wireless Security Camera
When someone approaches your home, their movement activates the video camera and sends an alert to your smartphone so that you can monitor and interact with—watch and talk to—your “visitor.” This unexpected conversation is usually enough to scare off intruders. For roughly $30 a year, you also can store video clips for up to six months, to view, download, and share as you like. Weather-resistant and wireless, the cam can be easily installed high on a wall or under an eave, its motion zones and sensitivity can be adjusted, and its rechargeable batteries last six to twelve months with regular usage. If someone steals the unit, Ring will replace it free. To monitor the perimeter of your house you might need several Stick Up Cams, but at $199 each that shouldn’t break the bank. |
Excerpted from Wiring Complete, 3rd Edition (The Taunton Press, 2017) by Michael Litchfield and Michael McAlister
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