Security lights or darkness??

[bucktaker]

We have a cabin that is near a lake in Tn only three full time residence in the area the rest are seasonal use. We keep it locked up tight and have had no issues so far.

We had three dusk to dawn lights around the house, (1)one by the drive,(2) one in the back yard and (3) one off in the woods/side of the house. only #2 is working now

Would I be better off leaving the place dark, with motion lights installed instead of dusk to dawn? Since there is no one around to see anyone breaking in why give them night light?

Or should I install new dusk to dawns ?

I am thinking of rigging motion lights that when triggered light up the whole perimeter of the house and car port? or multiple motion light fixtures that are in accessable locations

We have camera detection system inside the cabin because its too remote for an alarm that would be effective.

 

[Redneck in training]

I vote for darkness. If nobody is around light will not do any good for you. It will make the life of the would be thief easier.

 

[RoyJackson]

Boy, that's a dilemma!
First reading the OP's post, I'd go for the dusk to dawn lighting...but that lighting isn't going to help much if no one is around....so, I've got to agree with Redneck and keep insurance on the place.
BTW, it's not just thieves to concern you...squatters or vandals would be as much of a concern.

 

[EddieWalker]

Nothing a that a thief likes better then darkness. Having said that, the question really is, are the lights keeping the thieves away or are you just wasting money paying for electricity? I vote for keeping the lights going. There is a lot of data that supports lighting an area at night is an effective security measure.

Eddie

 

[Gary Fowler]

Nothing a that a thief likes better then darkness. Having said that, the question really is, are the lights keeping the thieves away or are you just wasting money paying for electricity? I vote for keeping the lights going. There is a lot of data that supports lighting an area at night is an effective security measure.

Eddie

That is true but only if there is a good possibility of persons passing by that might see an intruder and know that it is an intruder and not the owner. I would think darkness would work just as well as lighting, possibly better as the intruder would need a light to see and a flashlight roaming around in the dark would be a good indication to a nosy neighbor that someone was there.
By same token, thieves could come in the daytime with ease and bring a truck to load up your belongings and leave with no one the wiser.
I think you are spending money on electricity needlessly.

 

[Garandman]

Motion activated lights freak out intruders because they don't know if someone is present.

We keep our place dark, have an IR game camera on the driveway. That way the thief has to reveal himself.

 

[George2615]

I agree with motion activated lights. They do deter intruders because they don't know it's a motion sensor or someone home that turned on the light. I have three on my house but also have a camera system. I have had people pull in the driveway when I wasn't home during the day. They open their door and start to get out, then I see them pointing at the camera, get back in the car and leave. Even a fake camera can be a deterent.

 

[MossRoad]

I'd go with motion lights as well... why? Well, if the lights are always on at night and by chance, a neighbor or passing law enforcemnt officer can see the place, they'll get used to the lights being on all the time and never bother to look in that direction. If the lights only come on when there is a reason, it makes people notice because it is 'out of the norm'.

Also, as mentioned, if a burglar is about and the lights come on, they'll run. Of course, they may just run far enough, wait it out and try it again, but that would require risk.

You can get motion sensing lights that talk to each other. If, say, the front motion detector senses movement, it will turn on the lights in the front, sides and back as well. And security cameras that send to the internet are nice, too.

 

[murphy1244]

The problem with motion lights is animals will set them off. Deer are always setting mine off.

 

[George2615]

The problem with motion lights is animals will set them off. Deer are always setting mine off.

I have an occasional animal (cat, deer, dog, etc.) set mine off too but have the lights set to go back off after a minute or so. Still uses less electricity than leaving them on all night long.

 

[caver]

I hate dusk to dawn lights in the country. It's light pollution and energy wasting. I like that my place is in one of the lower light polluted areas of Missouri. I like to look up at stars at night. My one metal halide light, mounted on the barn, is on a switch. I don't want to help thieves and chances are they will hit my place in the daytime. .

 

[dave1949]

Camps and cabins are easy targets for thieves, vandals, squatters. Your usage patterns are so predictable that motion activated lights are not going to stop a determined person.

How long would it take for an intruder to turn off the power to motion activated security lights? Not long, which means any neighbors happening to see the lights will think it was a deer or whatever. The nature of those lights is that people become habituated to false tripping.

Dusk to dawn lights are useless unless someone is there to see whatever they may illuminate. So, the setting/visibility from a road or neighbors and the number of potential observers work together to determine their usefulness. Plus the light pollution issues to consider. Light pollution impacts the feeding and mating of nocturnal animals and insects in addition to ruining the night sky.

I'd say have insurance and don't keep high value easy to take items there. I think there are interior alarms that can place a phone call or set off an exterior horn or strobe lights, etc. Not sure who it would be useful to call. Interior triggered alarms are some deterrent to letting the intruders finish their "work" and not prone to false triggers.

 

[bucktaker]

I'd go with motion lights as well... why? Well, if the lights are always on at night and by chance, a neighbor or passing law enforcemnt officer can see the place, they'll get used to the lights being on all the time and never bother to look in that direction. If the lights only come on when there is a reason, it makes people notice because it is 'out of the norm'.

Also, as mentioned, if a burglar is about and the lights come on, they'll run. Of course, they may just run far enough, wait it out and try it again, but that would require risk.

You can get motion sensing lights that talk to each other. If, say, the front motion detector senses movement, it will turn on the lights in the front, sides and back as well. And security cameras that send to the internet are nice, too.

Any chance you have a link for these motion lights?

 

[jaotguy]

I vote for the motion triggered lights ... with a twist .....

turn on an inside light first ... then a relay to activate a noise ( recorded loop " who's there ?" ) and finally the outside lights a moment or two later .... and a fan inside to move the curtains a bit .... then turn everything off in reverse sequence.

 

[turnkey4099]

IMO, constant on lights in the country are only an assist to burglars. Case in point my neighbor - yard light on, truck full of professional electrician tools parked under it, bedroom on same side of house. Truck gone in the morning. Truck found totaled later 100 miles away taken by a couple juvies who had run out of gas in the first care they stole near the driveway. Neighbors house set back over 100 yards from highway. Had the light been on, the thieves would have never known there was a house there and even had they spotted it they would have been working in the dark trying to steal it.

A cabin in a remote location lit up all night? Theif will think you for the assist in his work.

Harry K

 

[MossRoad]

Any chance you have a link for these motion lights?

Well, crud! I got these from x-10.com. Apparently they have gone bankrupt in 2013! Too bad. Cheap stuff that worked...
Here's a link for reading purposes...
X10 Powerhouse PR511 Motion Detecting Floodlights

 

[5030]

I say move your mother-in law in full time and be done with it.....

 

[George2615]

I bought my motion sensing flood lights at HD. Still working fine going on 5 years now. Sometimes cheap does work.


Heath Zenith 240-Degree Motion-Sensing Security Light-SL-5318-WH at The Home Depot

 

[MarkF48]

I've got motion sensing lights two sides of the house (I also have a normal looking front door light wired to a motion detector), fake flashing LED security cameras (contemplating real ones), and a wired alarm system with a wicked loud siren. If we go away for extended periods I set up lamps inside the house with 24 hour timers that turn the lamps on and off at times when one might be in a particular room when home.