Best Solar Powered Outdoor Lights

Using solar lights in the garden

A common mistake made by homeowners is that they set up their solar powered garden lights according to style rather than assessing the outside conditions. Lining the garden path with lights might emit a sense of elegance, but it could render them useless if their solar panels are kept in the shade. In other words, they must be installed at strategic points around the house where they will be exposed to the most sunlight. It’s worth remembering that, when it comes to garden lights, the bigger the solar panel the brighter it will be.

When it comes to maintenance, know that solar panels last a couple of years before they need to be replaced and only if they are cleaned on a monthly basis. Maintaining the garden lights will require you to carefully disassemble them, and to be extra cautious when cleaning the solar panel since it can break easily. Wipe down any dirt, dust or charred insect remains from it with a lint-free cloth and in cases where oxidation is found on the battery, use a soft brush to remove it. After finishing, put the garden light back together according to the manual.

Do solar lights actually work?

Solar powered garden lights are great additions to your home, but you must be careful about which product you buy. For example, there are products that are only for decorative purposes. These are more affordable since the solar panel is smaller, but they often come in multiple colors.

Then there are the ones that produce a considerable amount of light, which can be used for security purposes as well. Bear in mind that the available energy that can be used at night depends heavily on the weather, particularly the amount of direct sunlight that is available. A fully charged garden lamp is capable of illuminating the area for about four to five hours. Even though the sales pitch will typically boast a larger number, this is the standard amount of use these kinds of lamps can provide.

Recommended solar powered outdoor security lighting

Choosing the ideal solar lamp is tough, so let us recommend a few picks that are worth your attention.

TomCare Solar Lights

Importance of outdoor security lighting

It goes without saying that outdoor lights add a lot to your home’s safety. For example, those that feature motion detection are great criminal deterrents. When crooks try sneaking through your front yard or garden, they’ll suddenly find themselves dazzled by brightness, the suddenness of it likely meaning they will give up and run away. This also means you can save on camera purchases as well, since you don’t need to opt for the more expensive night vision models.

Looking to the future, though, outdoor lights will be soon integrated into the smart home network. Sunflower Labs has already come up with the idea of how to combine solar powered garden lamps with drones. Besides granting a cozy atmosphere with a multitude of colors, these lights also act as sensory beacons that will prompt the autonomous drone to investigate when sensing a disturbance. Hopefully in the future we’ll see other alternative uses for garden lights to help protect our homes.