OT: Outdoor Motion Lights

MrCookingNurse

So we've been having some theft in our neighborhood.  Was just opportunistic thieves going into unlocked vehicles and roaming porches. Well now one house has actually been broken into and another one has had a truck stolen. Pretty crazy. Our HOA is working on some things like gating the community and cameras. 

But for myself, we always have alarm on don't park outside anyway. 

Im going to add some outdoor motion lights but am torn. I've decided to go wth RAB lighting. They look awesome, and have full 10 year warranty with a 360 degree and straight down sensor. 

My question is, LED or just a PAR-38 set up?? The upfront cost difference is astounding, but the advantages are there. Especially not worrying about changing bulbs. 

Main pretty lacking in the electrical department but don't understand the difference in buying an LED setup and then just buying a bulb set up and using "LED" bulbs?? 

Any help would be appreciated. 

nolaegghead

LED floods are awesome.  Instantly bright.  You can retrofit any screw-in bulb flood fixture with LEDs - we have most of ours converted.  The problem comes if you try fluorescent bulbs with a motion sensor - they will interfere with the motion sensor and they are dim when they first come on, and work poorly when it's cold. 

nolaegghead

If you want extremely bright light, consider this style.  The motion sensor can be mounted to a separate box.

http://www.amazon.com/Equivalent-Waterproof-Daylight-Security-Floodlight/dp/B00JB12KHU/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1443831537&sr=8-6&keywords=LED+flood

DaveRichardson

I'll second @nolaegghead on the temperature and CFL bulbs. Plus, the inherent flickering of those bulbs is annoying. They are much slower in responding to a power-on signal from the circuit board. 

paqman

My grandpa had a saying: "you get what you pay for".  My house is now 100% converted to LEDs and I am happy.  Indoor, we used the warmer (yellowish) tone of light and outdoor we used the colder (bluish) tone of light.  I started with the basement (gu10) because I was fed up of replacing one of the bulbs every week.  I had many to replace so I went cheap but I can see the difference with the more expensive ones I used upstairs in the living room and kitchen.  There is a slight delay before they turn ON after opening the switch and I notice some flickering when appliances start running.  They will also flicker a little when used with a dimmer on lower light settings.  The more expensive ones are turning ON instantly and I do not notice any flickering at all. 

RRP

When I replaced a dual flood light on our back corner with a motion detector unit I removed it the next day. Trouble was two trees were just 10 feet away and the wind kept them turned on all the time! You might want to think about that before you plunk down a chunk of change! For us our security system is our 22 pound Westie who is sweet but has terrific hearing and let's anybody sneaking around think he will tear them apart limb by limb! Seriously a sneak thief hates a barking dog! 

Sea2Ski

Another thing to consider about LED and the CFL bulbs is location.  If you are going to put this in a location that is a pain to get to, like the the peak above a garage, you should seriously consider the LED.

I was in a simular situation, but with landscape lighting. I could have got the LED lights for $185 each, or a standard bulb for $49.  The LEDs came with an unconditional guarentee. I got two, and they are mounted up 40 ft in two trees while I had a 50ft lift rented. No woes yet.  I also got two of the cheaper models, and one I already had to replace, but they are ground level, so no big deal.

MrCookingNurse

@Sea2Ski good point. These are just corners of the house easy to get to. 

Ive decided to go with standard and just try nice bulbs first. It's still high quality but $500 upfront instead of $2000 

Little Steven

The Rab fixtures are great but as RRP said almost anything can trigger them. You may want to look at the possibility of putting in a couple of quality sensors in the areas you are concerned about and turning your existing outdoor lights on.

NPHuskerFL

Stockpiling indecents. 
Totally kidding! Eventually we'll get some LEDs

Fred19Flintstone

Have you thought about booby traps?  This looks like it could work, but the bait may need changing.  Check with ACME.

Ballardbbq

You could be living in my neighborhood based on the description of what's going on in your hood. I've just installed two of these. One with LED and the other not. The LED is bright, really bright. The crooks in my neighborhood follow the UPS trucks to steal packages off the porch. The homeless ride around on bikes pulling a wagon taking anything not tied down. The police say it's like folks who go to yard sales in the better neighborhoods for better stuff, so do the homeless. Our mayor feels sorry for the homeless and tweakers who steal from the rest of us so the police have been told not to bother them. What a guy.